What do you guys think of SFGA Food Prices?

[MrRy10]

I think its a joke, 12$ Chicken Strips and fries and isn't even that much food.10$ Funnel cakes and 5$ Medium drink is a total rip off and you can go to speedway for a 48oz for .89 Cents . Compare prices from back in 06 to now. Its gone up way to much and its a joke.

[Paradise]

One word defines what I think about SFGAMS food prices....INSANE

[BP317]

I remember reading in 2003ish on a Cedar Point forum about the increase in price to $3 for a soda how people would refuse to pay it which would naturally bring the price back down. A fountain soda now at Cedar Point is $6 and some change. It's kind of a sad snapshot of America, gulping down endless amounts of soda when it's hot out even though it dehydrates you and will probably make you feel like crap.

No one is forcing you to buy anything, if you think the price is too expensive take your business elsewhere. Bring a water bottle and refill it at the fountains, take a nice stroll across the street for lunch. If I bought food every time I went to a theme park i'd have a huge dent in my wallet. It's not difficult you just need to evaluate how you want to spend your money.

[Paradise]

Jimmy Johns is always an awesome place that I go to for lunch. Haven't eaten in the park since maybe '03? With the exception of a Churro. lol

[Necropolis]

Come on Really? We are going to start giving our thoughts about the food prices?? This must be a joke. SHame to whoever started this thread. We all know everyone HATES the food prices. Why pay all that when you can go across the street to burger king or mcdonalds or jimmy johns for a healthier option. We all hate the prices. There's no point in debating. End of story. Period

[monsterfan99]

Not only are the prices awful but the food is even worse. Then again, anyone stupid enough to eat at a Six Flags park and not drive across the street to something else deserves it.

[Jackluver18]

I got a burger the last time I went to the park which was May 15th and I paid 11 dollars for it. It was cold and gross. Won't be doing that again

[CoasterNick3157]

I have only bought a funnel cake back 2009 with a but one get one half off so it was 2 for $12 which was ok.

[Jerrykoala2112]

Personally, I am tired of people tearing down SFGAm for having expensive food prices. Cedar Point has crazy prices as well, same with Disneyworld, Universal Studios, Hersheypark, and Indiana Beach!!!

*yawn*

[TwistedSTEEL666]

When I'm with my family at SFGAm, we never buy a dinner at one of the park's restaurants.
We get our hands stamped and go out to the parking lot and eat the lunch we brought with us.
I'm always the one who's finished eating first, and always the one who gets back in the park first.

[tribar]

I actually don't think the food at the park is that gross but the price certainly is
And i was at CP last week and those prices were just as bad

[monsterfan99]

Personally, I am tired of people tearing down SFGAm for having expensive food prices. Cedar Point has crazy prices as well, same with Disneyworld, Universal Studios, Hersheypark, and Indiana Beach!!!

*yawn*

Except Disney has decent to great quick service food at cheaper prices. A 1/3 pound Angus burger will run you $7.50 with a soda costing $2.29. All told that is around $4-5 bucks cheaper per meal and over a period of a day (2 meals) for a family of 4 a savings of $40. Same can be said for Universal as well, where a slice of pizza runs around $3.50 or a burger around $8.

Mind you, Disney World is around an hour round trip to any outside restaurant. A place literally holds you hostage, unlike Six Flags, and it's still cheaper by a third.

[Aaron084]

I've gotta stand up for Disney as well. After not being at a Disney Park for 10 years and only going to SFGAm, I was surpised by the not "insane" prices at both Disneyland and Disneyworld and even more surprised that the food was actually good (and the counter service employees were friendly!). The sit down meals can be pricey depending on what you get, but at least those sodas come with free refills!

In regards to having a thread on this topic - I'm not sure what we are supposed to talk about on here without getting ripped for discussing topics related to the park. The number of replies to the OP clearly shows that people want to discuss this.

[w00dland]

I think theme park food prices are what they are, a way for the park to make up the money they need to stay in business that they don't necessarily get at the gate.

Problem is the quality of food at Six Flags parks is atrocious. I don't mind paying 10-15 dollars at a theme park for a meal, but it ought to be better than a crusty slice of pizza or an overdone burger.

[Porkchop23]

The ribs at the Mooseburger Lodge are really good. I've been all over the country for ribs, and was surprised at how good they were.

[acquaz10]

This is the first year of their strategic plan of raising prices on everything since they believe they were basically giving everything away. When they see stuff decline then things will plateau out.

[BP317]

/\ Pricing strategy seems the same to me that it has been for a long time, keep season pass prices the same and increase prices for parking + in park sales like food and games.

I've gotta stand up for Disney as well. After not being at a Disney Park for 10 years and only going to SFGAm, I was surpised by the not "insane" prices at both Disneyland and Disneyworld and even more surprised that the food was actually good (and the counter service employees were friendly!). The sit down meals can be pricey depending on what you get, but at least those sodas come with free refills!

The quick service food has definitely improved at Disney Parks in the past decade and a half or so. I remember as a kid going to WDW and the food was the same pretty much all over property, similar to SFGAm with pre-prepared stuff you can buy at Wal Mart. I think Disney learned the hard way with new hotels and theme parks increasing peoples length of stay demanded better quality food than typical amusement park fare. They completely re-did their food service i'd say in the late 90s or so, brought in some executive chef's from the fine dining industry to completely revamp their menu's, and the selection has become much more diverse and the quality of food substantially improved.

To me with companies like Cedar Fair and Six Flags theres a huge lack of corporate initiative when it comes to food service. The way they see it people go for the rides not the food service, so as long as they offer items people have heard of and put a price on it, people will buy it. There are some standout parks when it comes to food service: Dollywood and Silver Dollar City are well known for the skillet-cooked meals (which are outstanding btw). Busch Gardens restraunts Festhaus (BGW) and Desert Grill (BGT) are very good, never eaten at Crown Colony but i'm sure it's just as good if not better, and their supplimental QSR's like Garden Gate Cafe are decent but also reasonably priced and normally have good desserts. Disneyland has probably the most underrated food service of any property: the pizza at Redd Rockets Pizza Port is oustanding, the bread-bowl meals at the window next to the French Market Cafe are phenomenal, and the skewers at the Bengal Barbeque are very very good. At WDW the variety of the quick service locations is quite remarkable: from traditional park food like Main Street's Casey's Corner where the hot dogs and fries are very good, the turkey legs in Frontierland are great, the bread and apple butter at the Liberty Tree Tavern (amazing), the unorthodox but very good hot dog meals at Lunching Port, to the sheer volume and variety of the menu at Cosmic Rays. At Epcot all the resturaunts as well as their quick service counterparts are phenomenal. The QSR next to Nine Dragons is very good and also probably the most underrated eating establishment at WDW in the Land Pavillion, Sunshine Seasons, excellent sandwhiches and desserts. Also (though not park food and probably shouldn't be included in this post) if you are into fine(r) dining and willing to open up the wallet a bit, the California Grill on top of the Contemporary Resort has unquestionably the best steak I have ever had.

I will say though that as of the last time I was at these parks, SFMM, SFGAm, and SFGADV had the slowest food service of any major park I have ever been too. Even all of the smaller market SF parks blew those 3 out of the water in terms of friendliness and speed of food service employees (though in general the food is all the same). To be fair though Cedar Fair's food service in general is equally as terrible, low quality food for highest prices and slow service. There are a few good places at CP, Midway Market and now Pink's (heard a lot of good things about Pinks in Hollywood so i'm assuming it's good at CP too0, but with the exception of those I can't think of any place at any other CF park thats any good.

[woohoodude11]

I usually go to Chipotle when I visit the park, which ends up being pricey ($11 something yesterday) for a good portion of food. But on the rare occaisions I eat at the park, I got to Ted's Coney Island in CF for a Gyro. They're pretty damn good and for one with a good amount of meat and a nice pile of fries, its only 10 bucks. I just remember in the first 2 seasons of Hurricane Harbor, they had a meal deal where you get a huge slice of pizza and either a big basket of fries or 8 buffalo wings for like $12...What happened!?!

[Necropolis]

Wow Mooseburger Lodge has great ribs? Ive always wanted to eat in there but I've come to expect typical cafeteria tasting food in all restaurants at the park. I will have to try the ribs maybe next time I go to the park. Also, I think Disneyworld can afford to lower their food prices since the amount of people that visit over there is immensely vast compared to our park. I betcha if more people visited our park then maybe we could see a small price drop in food prices.

[monsterfan99]

^With WDW it is some of that. They also want guest to be happy with every part of their vacation, which includes food cost. Sodas are also ultra cheap due to the fact the fountain syrup is free from Coke.

[KyleK414]

I really don't notice at all when I go. I live in Milwaukee where we do tailgating BIG, so that's what me and my friends and fam do when we go down to good ole GA. We fill up a cooler with brews, water, a few Gatorades, some food, either prepared sandwiches and chips and veggies or some kind of processed meat like hot dogs, sausages, or frozen burgers along with the fixins. If it's the latter then a grill to go along with it.

We get there early, around open or a little after and head into the park. We ride some rides for about 4-5 hours, then do the hand stamp thing and head out and chill for about an hour eat, drink, listen to tunes and screams, enjoying the great skyline. We talk about the first part of the day and put together the plan for the rest of the day. Once back in the park we hit all the rides we want to and then some until closing time comes.

BTW, I am 30 and just about all the people that are usually in my group are of legal age to consume. I am not condoning underage drinking.

[Necropolis]

Speaking of Drinking, its $10 for a glass of beer at the park!! I actually have never seen anyone buy a beer at the park. Who wants to be tipsy while riding a roller coaster. You are just asking for trouble if you do haha.