Meal time At SFMM !!

Hey guys.....I hope this subject hasn't been posted in the past, but if so I deeply apologize ! Is it me or are the food workers at SFMM purposely SLOW workin' ? I was at Theme Park Review West Coast Bash 2day, not crowded at all (5-min waits), really windy, cold but fun ....tell ya about it next time !...Anyways, I ordered a Hot Dog combo at Katy's Kettle and it took 5 mins to tell me they were out of Dogs and another 5 mins to get me a burger instead ! I was heated but I sucked it up and said nothing ! This is the 12th time I've been to the park within 2 years and the same meal results everytime ! Super Slow Service !! Is this happining at all of the SF parks ? (keep in mind I love my home park very much) :)

I have been to SFMM 15 times in the last 18 months and countless times over a period of years before that and this has never happened to me. All of the employees I've dealt with have been polite and efficient.

Well that must mean it never happens!

Food service at SFMM... in my opinion is pretty darn piss-poor. You have 2 options.

A: Leave the park and head South on The Old Road a few miles and go to In-&-Out Burger. You'll get better food, faster service and save money. There's a few other fast food joints that way as well, but In-&-Out had become a tradition with me.

B: Pack yourself a picnic lunch and keep it in a cooler in your car.

Those are also the two options you have at every other park in the country. ('Cept we dont have In-N-Out in Ohio, durn it. Does Steak-n-Shake count?)

Right.

However, Steak-n-Shake is a poor substitute for In-&-Out. Thanks for playing, though. ;)

Come on, Jeff. Who better to give us unbiased info on the park than someone with the screenname SFMMaddict? ;)

Seems like food service at most of the parks has been slipping.

I've been bitching about CF food service for ages.

One of my biggest pet peeves at WDW last month was just how slow (and unorganized) some of the quick-stop stands seemed to be.

The absolute worst was the Golden Oak Outpost at MK. The place has a menu that's just 10 items long (5 drinks, prepackaged cookies, fries, 3 'meals') and it took us nearly a half hour to get our food in a line that we were just 4 deep in.

It's not even the quality or price for me at this point, it's the service. What the hell is happening?

At WDW, the "window" places can be truly awful. The one bitter pill about staying at Old Key West is the disaster that is their "Goods to Go" quick service location. The food at that place is below-average theme-park standard, and the service is glacial. Unfortunately, if you don't like it, you can go into Olivias for a full service meal, or pick something up in the resort store to cook in your kitchen. Don't get me wrong, we really like Olivia's, but still.

The "indoor" counter service places in the parks and resorts seem to have their acts together a bit better---good order tracking system, reasonable fulfillment times and accuracies.

At Cedar Point, I don't even bother going up to a window if there's more than one other person in a "line". I don't want to die of old age waiting for food.

Edited to add: at least at Goods, you get a beeper to tell you when your food is ready. The fact that a fast food window service outlet needs beepers, though, tells you everything you need to know.

I didn't mean it never happens, just that it has never happened to me. I judge the park based on my personal experiences. I have been there more times than I can even remember and never had a problem with the service I have received.

Mamoosh said:
Come on, Jeff. Who better to give us unbiased info on the park than someone with the screenname SFMMaddict? ;)

Mamoosh, are you saying that you aren't biased the other way? I'm sure you value your experiences as much as I value mine. Exactly how many times do you need to announce that you are never going to go to SFMM again? I think everyone on this board knows that by now. You don't like it there and I do. That is no big mystery to anyone who uses this site on any kind of regular basis.

Ever notice that their are yins to some people's yangs on CoasterBuzz? lol. Isn't it a funny thing that CoasterBuzz bring together some of the most opposite people. Heroes and villains, if you will?

How hard is it for the parks to get the meals right? They make a killing off of it. Why can't they use some of that money to better the quality?

It saeems to me that my local McDonnald's gets just about the same amount of business as a park's walk-up window service gets with a consistant line of two or three deep per register. Fast food gets it right, for the most part, so why can't park's get it right?

Cedar Point, for example, doesn't even give their food service employees breaks on some days. Fast food easily passes out all breaks required by law.

Mamoosh, are you saying that you aren't biased the other way?

Thank you for admitting you have a pro-SFMM bias.

I'm sure you value your experiences as much as I value mine.

I value my money, which is why I spend it where I feel I get the most value for it.

Exactly how many times do you need to announce that you are never going to go to SFMM again?

12,459 times. I think I still have a few thousand remaining.

I think everyone on this board knows that by now. You don't like it there and I do. That is no big mystery to anyone who uses this site on any kind of regular basis.

I didn't mention it at all in this thread. But now that you bring it up did you know I'm not visiting a single Six Flags park this year? ;)

It saeems to me that my local McDonnald's gets just about the same amount of business as a park's walk-up window service gets with a consistant line of two or three deep per register. Fast food gets it right, for the most part, so why can't park's get it right?

That's a darn good question.

At Cedar Point, it seems to be a combination of two issues. One, many window service locations don't have sufficient holding areas to keep food hot after it's made, but before it's delivered to a customer. So, you can't "get ahead" of the orders, as a typical fast food place might. Two: they are chronically unwilling to make food that might be thrown away. That's good for the profit-loss statement, but sucks for the customer.

^...and the bottom line is going to be hurt worse by: a) annoying hundreds of customers who WERE willing to pay five bucks for 10 cents worth of potatoes, or, b) ten cents worth of potatoes being thrown out a couple times a day. Just curious... :)

Dude, I don't set the policy. I just calls 'em as I sees 'em. No one has ever accused Foods at CP of being savvy.

OBBaseball: new book on umpires in this past Sunday's NYTimes Book Review.

Not to be simplistic but maybe it is as simple as this: McDonalds is in the food business...it's their job to do food well; Cedar Point is in the amusement business, it's their job to do rides well.

And I think that's part of it Moosh.

Still doesn't mean that it's not part of the operation though.

Plus, I think you guys are giving fast food places too much credit. Better than the parks? Sure. But considering the food is their only business, grading on the curve it's a close call.

rollergator said:
^...and the bottom line is going to be hurt worse by: a) annoying hundreds of customers who WERE willing to pay five bucks for 10 cents worth of potatoes, or, b) ten cents worth of potatoes being thrown out a couple times a day. Just curious... :)

This one hits home with me. Jacked up prices and crap quality don't bug me nearly as much as the incompetent and inefficient service does. While parks have not lost much (any?) money from me due to pricing or quality, they have missed a few bucks because I just don't have the patience.

I'm in total agreement, Gonch. Any company who takes pride in their product should strive to do all aspects as well as possible.

Don't parks look for someone qualified in the food industry when hiring a foods manager? A park isn't just one single type of business, serving only rides. An amusement park offers many different services throughout the day. Each department, such as rides, foods, games, entertainment, ect. has someone overseeing that department who should be competent at their job. Why is that so difficult to pull off when it comes to foods for many parks?

Kennywood, among a few others, really understands how to effectively run a foods department, and they charge a lot less also. Cedar point, on the other hand, is one of the most popular amusement parks in the country, and they have the hardest time getting it right. It boggles my brains.

Profit is importaint, but you'd think if it was well known that the food was a good value and served within a reasonable speed, wouldn't people want to buy more? I think that the "sweet spot" between quality of food and service, and price, is way askewed in the wrong direction.