GL Mandarin Buffet No More...

Well, if you were a fan of this Chinese restaurant (and I know there were a lot of you out there like me who were!) and hoped that it would reopen at Geauga Lake's new Wildwater Kingdom water park, well, you may not want to look at these pictures on the park's construction website...

http://www.geaugalake.com/public/new/2005/photos.cfm

Alas, just another fond memory ...

I hope they do as much to Cedar Fairize this park as they did to Michigan's Adventure. After Cedar Fair bought MiA, it went from my least favorite to my favorite park in Michigan simply through the rebranding.

+Danny, "Cedar Fair- Professionally Stripping Your Favorites, One Tree at a Time"

Was there any doubt they'd ever open it, and if they did, that it would've had the same food anyway?

Of course, not Jeff. I'm not that naive, but posted this more to be "tongue in cheek". But this lays to rest some speculation by some others who have brought it up before...

However, I am surprised to the extent of the leveling of some buildings which I thought might be re-used in some fashion or another in the park. We knew that the animal enclosures were doomed, but I figured that many of the food service buildings, gift shops, and other such infrastructure would remain. It will be real interesting to see what does remain when all is finished, though, I'm guessing from the photos, not too much.

I'm not surprised the buildings are being removed. Many of them suffer from Busch design syndrome: Funnel the people in a single direction through a somewhat narrow midway. Both Busch Gardens parks are set up like that (though both have some little off-shoots here and there), and about half of Sea World Orlando is like this as well.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that Cedar Fair has a park design philosophy, since they've never built a park from the ground up and the mother ship is just a hundred years of evolution, but they seem to like wide-open concrete spaces. Not saying I agree with that, but it's representative of the CF parks I've been to.

In supporting the wide open spaces:
* The Knott's "Boardwalk"
* CP's Wicked Twister midway
* CP's Gemini Midway
* Michigan's Adventure's . . . entire park

And others, I'm sure. I just haven't been to Valleyfair, WoF, or Dorney to find out.

Wait until you see that Dorney main midway. Yikes. Can't wait for the trees to grow a little on that midway. The rest of the park is beautiful.

If you're referring to the midway near the main entrance and Talon, I agree with you. But the rest of the park, especially Camp Snoopy and near Thunderhawk, was pretty nice, from what I remember.

That's what concerns me with some of the pics from Geauga Lake's construction. I hope they don't chop down most of the trees on that side. That's what helped to make Sea World appealing was all the beautiful landscaping. Tearing down buildings is one thing, but it takes a LONG time for trees to mature to that level! It would be nice to leave some shade, especially in a water park!

After months of silence, it took comments about a Chinese buffet to make me speak.

Okay, so I am not being serious.

However, my experince with the Mandarin Buffet at SFWoA was no better or worse than any other generic Chinese buffet, except the price.

Are Chinese buffet's rare in NE Ohio? If so, maybe that's why there's such a fuss.

It's time to move on.

CD64: Not by a long shot. There are several in NE Ohio, and i avoid most of them. I prefer a regular chinesse restaurant. Personal choice there, but the food tastes better.

The buffet will be missed. Most of Ohio's theme park fast food is 'marginal' at best, but the Mandarin Buffet was a major improvement to the SF lineup. It would have worked better with a Sea World pushing folks through the door, as their f/b operatiosn were not much better.

Anyhow, I am sure a buffet will re-appear again soon, as GM Big Bill likes to eat. Rumor has it that Ponderosa has a booth named for him on Rt. 250 by Sandusky Mall.

However, me being a huge SWOhio fan, and still being pretty jacked at this whole Sir Augie Busch the Third selling the whole park scenario, I am quite dis-enchanted at the demolition photos of the stadiums.

WoF doesn't have terribly wide paths anywhere, although I haven't been since the first year of Mamba.

Brother Dave - I think shade is much LESS important in a water park as you can just jump in a pool to cool off.

*** Edited 12/12/2004 4:50:43 PM UTC by Word***

I grew up at Dorney, and I am impressed how they've widened *most* of the midways (in particular, the midway down past the Zephyr tracks next to where the Monster and Tot Spot are located). The only place where they went in the wrong direction?

That's right.

Thunder Creek Mountain restrooms! (I think anyone who has been a steady park goer since at least '95 or '96 or so will agree with me)

Now they just need to knock down those fly infeasted Subway/ Taco Bell stands and we will be all set. What was it, $3.00 for a taco last year?

Might as well make a note of it here, but GL has posted some new pics of the work in progress. Seems they still have quite a lot to do before we really start seeing some construction of the new slides. On a side note, seems theres some snow in Ohio...

http://www.geaugalake.com/public/new/2005/photos.cfm

The main "reason" I'm upset over the Manadarin Buffet place leaving is the fact that SF actually listened to it's customers and put in a sit down eatery place in it's park. It was clean. The people were nice in it. It was airconditioned. The food was actually pretty good (for a theme park), and it was just something nice and different. With that said. The one thing I didn't like was the entrance. It should have been put more on the midway...a lot of peeps had a hard time finding the entrance since it was also surrounded by shops, reptile wild, and a few other things. It was also the newest building over there, so it's kinda sad to see it gone now.

On the other hand. A lof of people (including me) thought GL would have kept the building (just rethemed it) since GL has VERY FEW good places to relax and eat now. Most of the good food was located on the South Side. They did open Beachcombers this year. But I still think they need some type of Lodge themed restaurant by RWB...FULL service.

The Wild Water Kingdom suffers from a lot of their shore line taken up by buildings. With GL taking down the Mandarin Building, it clears up A LOT of shore line over there. My guess is that they will keep the Pearl Diving building. Since it's an open air building, and would fit in nicely with a waterpark. They are also keeping the old Aquarium building, judging from the rendering. As what that building is going to be, we are all guessing?

I also found it odd to move out a buffet style restaurant since other CF parks have them. At the same time, there quite a few eateries over there all pretty close to each other by Mandarin Buffet. GL could have also assumed, a watepark is not where people usually want to sit down and have a full service meal (which is probably true.)

Another thing that I also find strange is that it looks like they are still keeping the Woods Arena up behind the other stadiums. That arena is located right to most of the houses. One would think GL wouldn't have any shows up there do to the "sound & neighbor issues." Time will tell.

the buffet was also cheap for an amusment park. I believe it was only like 11.00 or close? its been a couple years. the one down the street from me is 8.00 so its not that much of a difference for an amusment park.

First of I'd rather see big wide open places of concrete rather than asphalt.

Second Dorney's main midway isn't really is all that wide it serves the amount of traffic it get on the busy day (ya which i'll admit is all that much). Look at the old Hercules/Laser Show plaza, now that the plaza doesn't need the space for the show they have used a big piece of it for Hydra.

Now at CP, i'm not completely sure how crowded the Wicked Twister Midway ever get even on the crowded days. I know that as wide as such midways the as the Gemini that during the peak season that they are jam packed.

I think you guys need to realize that they might seem huge on the slow days, but they are needed on the crowded days even if thats only a handfull of days a season.

A water park is the absolute wrong place for a full service, sit down restaurant. If for no other reason than the shirt/shoes required rule.

From what I hear, Geauga Lake will have a Johnny Rockets restaurant next year in the location of the Juke Box Cafe.

That comment about the entrance being obscured under Six Flags... must be a thing with Six Flags. There's a Chinese food place at GAdv called 'Wok & Roll'. It's one of the best places to eat in the park, and I found it by accident with my friend the one time I was there. The next time I went I had trouble finding it at first, and I knew it was there! I rarely eat anywhere else (unless I leave the park early, then I'd rather pay "regular" prices) *** Edited 12/15/2004 6:14:18 PM UTC by dannerman***