Six Flags Magic Mountain drops unlimited dining plan

Sucks

Six Flags hates poor (or at least frugal) people

Unlimited Six Flags food > RRR

Unlimited six flags food = lots of time on the toilet > RRR

they really have crappy food.

They're probably doing that guy's health a favor.

Lives will be saved.

CreditWh0re said:

they really have crappy food.

It's not that bad. It's not gourmet but it's theme park food.

People gotta eat.

Will other park chains like Cedar Fair follow suit in the coming years?

My initial reaction a few months ago was disappointment in the decision to cancel the all-season dining. But based on my visits to the park this will actually be cheaper in the long run. We generally visit our home park (SFGAm) 5 times a year and usually frequent 1-2 other Six Flags parks during the season. If we ate two meals each visit that would run us $140 for the season. The all-season dining was $150. I liked the convenience of having meals already paid for but this works out to our advantage. The decision to go home a little bit earlier just got easier.

I never fully understood the logic behind the all season meals or even drinks. I would like to see the numbers.

it used to be parks sold their cheap season passes then made money off food and drink. The season dining and drinks eliminates most that profit other than the ones that don’t use it enough. In that case, people are paying for something they didn’t get and that’s just bad business in the long run.

Here is the exception:

The food at Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks has been horrendous, (SEAS is mediocre at best.) So maybe it does get people to eat at the park that wouldn’t. And their is enough in this group that just use it enough but don’t overuse it

I’m in that group that wouldn’t eat at the park if they didn’t have the plan. The food is usually bad and overpriced. Additionally Cedar Fair loves having franchises in the parks and the same food is basically half price outside the park

Busch dropped their season dining a couple years ago. Now Six Flags. Cedar Fair is the only one left.

the Six Flags meal plan couldn't pencil out. I bought it during the Annual Labor Day Flash Sale (arguably the lowest price of the year), I paid $60 for the year, for lunch, snack and Dinner. Soda was already free with the Annual pass, so consider that an imputed penalty or not, but it was included as well.

I can't tell you the number of times I went to SFMM and spent not one additional cent, and yet was able to eat, twice, and take a cinnamon roll home. For a park that is open year round, 36X days/year, that is INSANE.

and the families who obviously did the same thing, meant it couldn't have penciled out. Not from a "did they break even" on it, but from a 'holy crap how much money did they FAIL to make because of it"

EDIT: Forgot to add, that it worked at the other Six Flags parks too. So, I hit three other parks during the year, and again, spent next to NOTHING.

CreditWh0re said:

the Six Flags meal plan couldn't pencil out. I bought it during the Annual Labor Day Flash Sale (arguably the lowest price of the year), I paid $60 for the year, for lunch, snack and Dinner. Soda was already free with the Annual pass, so consider that an imputed penalty or not, but it was included as well.

I can't tell you the number of times I went to SFMM and spent not one additional cent, and yet was able to eat, twice, and take a cinnamon roll home. For a park that is open year round, 36X days/year, that is INSANE.

and the families who obviously did the same thing, meant it couldn't have penciled out. Not from a "did they break even" on it, but from a 'holy crap how much money did they FAIL to make because of it"

EDIT: Forgot to add, that it worked at the other Six Flags parks too. So, I hit three other parks during the year, and again, spent next to NOTHING.

The Six Flags plan including a snack was absolutely insane. That would definitely cause $0 spending days. The Cedar Fair one does not, so people on the plan may buy a $25 LOL pretzel or ice cream from time to time.

The Cedar Fair dining plan is about twice as much and only gets you two counter service meals a day and I still think they are leaving money on the table. Especially because I'd argue that for the first time ever, Cedar Fair food *doesn't* suck and some of it at some of their parks is actually pretty darn good for park food.

I think that depends on whether or not the park is what I call a "bus stop" park. It's one thing if it's outside a metro, but another if it's not.

super7* said:

The food at Cedar Fair and Sux Flags parks has been horrendous, (SEAS is mediocre at best.) So maybe it does get people to eat at the park that wouldn’t. And their is enough in this group that just use it enough but don’t overuse it

I’m in that group that wouldn’t eat at the park if they didn’t have the plan. The food is usually bad and overpriced. Additionally Cedar Fair loves having franchises in the parks and the same food is basically half price outside the park

The food is decent but definitely overpriced. Considering there is a strip mall right across the street from SFGAm the food options in the park aren't all that enticing. Prior to the all-season dining pass we did not purchase food in the park, and didn't buy anything else for that matter. Hell, growing up we brought a cooler in the car and tailgated when we got hungry. Now that I have to think about what I am spending on food I'm sure we'll be packing the cooler this summer.

Mulfinator said:

super7* said:

The food at Cedar Fair and Sux Flags parks has been horrendous, (SEAS is mediocre at best.) So maybe it does get people to eat at the park that wouldn’t. And their is enough in this group that just use it enough but don’t overuse it

I’m in that group that wouldn’t eat at the park if they didn’t have the plan. The food is usually bad and overpriced. Additionally Cedar Fair loves having franchises in the parks and the same food is basically half price outside the park

The food is decent but definitely overpriced. Considering there is a strip mall right across the street from SFGAm the food options in the park aren't all that enticing. Prior to the all-season dining pass we did not purchase food in the park, and didn't buy anything else for that matter. Hell, growing up we brought a cooler in the car and tailgated when we got hungry. Now that I have to think about what I am spending on food I'm sure we'll be packing the cooler this summer.

I haven’t seen any food at any Six Flags, Seas, or Cedar Fair park that would make me want to wait until the park to eat. With the exception of the hand made pretzels at Busch (when they are fresh). Most everything else is basically edible enough to fill hunger but absolutely not worth the price.

So I guess this discussion answers my own question lol. People that wouldn’t pay $20 for a just edible theme park meal might pay $130-$160 for a dining plan if it gets them enough meals.

The question is how many times is the average plan used. This determines if it’s actually profitable for the parks.

I just attended Kings Island yesterday. There isn’t one food item they sell there that I would pay the asking price if not on the meal plan. The food is still bad, and the Cincinnati franchise food (LaRosas Skyline) is absolutely disgusting.

Do you not like LaRosa's at all or just not at the park?