Cedar Fair food quality?

The food quality at Kings Island and Cedar Point seems to be some of the worst of the theme parks we have visited. Way too many franchises that you can purchase outside the park for much less. Nothing unique or special that you would save your appetite for at those parks (eat before you go!). If Larosa's Pizza is as bad as it is at King's Island, how does this chain stay in business? LOL. Prices this year are very high.

King's Dominion seems to have better quality, mainly the Country Kitchen menu, and a few less franchises.

How do the other Cedar Fair parks rate? Opinions?

I didn't think that pizza was bad at all. I had it twice on opening weekend. They've really branched out around Kings Island. Haven't been to CP yet this year, but the fries are still classic I'm sure. I'm all about the wine bar they're opening.

The weird thing is that the catering efforts at both parks are nothing short of fantastic, but day to day food choices tend to be "meh." I don't think it's "bad" or "worst," just very mediocre.

Larosa's at KI is typically pretty good. I wonder if you just had some bad luck whenever you visited. Larosa's and Skyline are both chains which are local to Cincinnati, so there is some hometown association there.

At Cedar Point, I've never been impressed with any of the walk up food locations. Fortunately they have a lot of sit down places, but even those I have several I avoid (Coasters, Joe Cool Cafe, Pink's). There is definitely some room for improvement and consistency.

The CP fries are as good as ever, but I can't seem to wrap my head around the excitement over the "crab fries" at Chickie and Pete's, the new eatery near Raptor. They were OK, but they're just your basic frozen fry (not fresh like traditional CP fries) dashed with Old Bay seasoning. Good, but nothing memorable. My girls absolutely loved them, so I make them at home now, and not to toot my own horn, but I'm better at making them than either Chickie or Pete.

Chickie's and Pete's is all about the cheese sauce.

I always hear complaints about Kings Island food, but I don't understand why. LaRosa's is awesome, and I got two slices of pepperoni pizza, two bread sticks with cheese and I think sauce, and a drink for about $11. That's about the same you would pay at the mall.

Skyline Chili is pretty good too. The dogs are a bit small though, but still yummy.

And you can't go wrong with the fresh cut fries in Rivertown. They also have some decent chicken fingers.

Stay away from the soft pretzels at Cedar Point and Kings Island. Especially the cheese sauce they give you. lol

LaRosa's is wildly popular around Cincinnati, and for the life of me I don't know why. I'd call it mediocre at best, especially in the town where Dewey's originated. There has to be something better for those folks.
Now, having said that, I'd put LaRosas well over the basic amusement park pizza we're forced to eat elsewhere, and I've "enjoyed" it at Kings Island since they first opened.

As far as Cedar Point goes, I'd give the nod to the fries- I'm all over OhioStater's assessment of Chickie & Pete's. I thought they were good, I had no trouble eating them, but when at CP I think I'll stick to "Berardi's original" fresh fries. Best anywhere, IMO.
When at that park I usually go to Pink's, that sometimes not so bad Midway Market, or if I'm staying at the hotel, Friday's. Otherwise the food choices there don't excite me.

I think food service at an amusement park would be a rough business, especially at a park with the acreage and capacity of Cedar Point. I mean, there's a lot of mouths to feed there, and it's not a cruise ship. I think about parks that are successful, like Disney or Busch, but in those cases you have more destination dining, in the first example, or more concentrated outlets in the second. I think Busch is successful because they offer higher quality food served in fewer, larger, dining hall environments and at those parks there's fewer of the mediocre outlets scattered around the park.

It is a disappointment to continue to see so much food that is gluten-oriented, I would implore parks to do something that isn't always bread/dough based! One can only eat so many french fries.

Personally, I'm a glutton for gluten.

I work for a zoo and we constantly see the "we want healthy food" cries on surveys and comment forms from visitors. And every time we add healthy options, they lose money because nobody buys them. It's a damned if do-damned if you don't proposition.

Potatoes are gluten free :)

Gluten free is for people that have actual gluten allergies.

Avoiding it doesn't make you healthier.

At Dorney the food is dreadful. There are now two Chicke and Pete's and the one that used to be the sports bar is the only sit down air-conditioned restaurant in the park.

We went there last week for anohter Music In The Parks School Event and we all agreed that it was awful, overly salty and served apathetically.

When I saw the interview with the new "Head Honcho" that Jeff was kind enough to share with us, I was very excited and my thoughts were on the lousy offerings at Dorney. I waited all winter with high hopes. I am still disappointed. We all were.

Without drinks (It was a school trip) it cost us $25 per person and not one person liked thier food.

That's not good.

The one thing that tasted good was a pretzel from the Philadelphia Pretzel Company stand.

Outer Hanks at KD is good too and a bit different from the usual fare. Rather enjoyed my fish and chips meal the other day. Hushpuppies!

The food at Knott's has really improved over the past few years. So it probably varies across the chain.