The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[Ace Of Spades]

^I can count about 20 off the top of my head that are better that are within a 20-mile-radius of the park.

[Gigalyte]

I've never experienced the supposedly horrible food at SFMM, Moseburger lodge has great food and they have this berry drink to die for it's so good IMO, Wascales(sp) Imo had some terrific burgers and fries, panda express is well panda express, I found Johnnny rockets to be decent, theres a pizza place by batman that also really good imo. There churros(sp) always soft and fresh, the lemon chill is great it's way better then the kind you can by at walmart I don't know why but SFMM just has a more lemony flavor lol There funnel cakes are delicous but of course can never come close to Knotts Boysenberry imo They also have some good bar b gue in the tatsu roaring rapids area the was gret imo there plenty of good food at SFMM Imo

 

Beats going all the way to the parking lot and going down to wendys and waiting in a 2 hour line for a 10 cold combo where every other wendys is chaging 3.99 for the same meal or imo going to that Chevron and buying a $2 dollar snickers bar and 3 dollar bottle of Dasani at least SF is trying to make a profit to hopefully better the park while those other places down the hill is just leching off of cheap skates which are still being ripped off.

[fatdaddy]

I really don't understand the issue with theme park food here. You go to Magic Mountain and Disneyland for the rides and experience, not for the food. So what if its crappy? It's not like your local fast food restaurants are any better :/

 

Um no, Disneyland has really great food, so does Knott's. In fact Knott's wouldn't exist if people didn't like the chicken. The food at SFMM was really terrible before, I mean, I would go out to the car for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead of eat the crappy, overpriced hamburgers. You know its bad if they can screw up a hamburger. Bottom line is that if your gonna be somewhere all day you gotta eat and if the foods good you'll eat even more. I was at Gilroy Gardens last week and ate like three giant cinnamon rolls, and they were one of the highlights of the park. Pretty much food is part of the experience, and it kinda nice when a park has some sort of signature food that you can only get there.

[jray21]

Food is definitely at least 50% of the experience for me, especially at Disneyland! Every item from the Bengal BBQ, sliced carmel apples, churros, shrimp louie salad, to their corndogs are some of the best foods around! I never did like the Johnny Rockets, but hopefully whatever replaces them will be better.

[daveydo5172]

^^Please, please list any good restaurants at Disneyland(not DCA)...actually, was just there a few weeks ago for three days, ate at the park a lot, and the ONLY good restaurant is that all-you-can-eat BBQ restaurant back by Thunder Mountain Railroad....everything else is mediocre at best

[GLund]

^In Tomorrowland theres a stand alone burger joint where there's a stage and they used to do the light saber competitions. Very good burgers with fresh produce, and nice hot fries.

 

While not all parks centralize everything like USH does, the idea is still the same: your kitchen needs to be set up to be able to handle a high volume of food to be prepared and ready to serve in a timely manner. Over and over again. That's not cheap. Even something as simple as a higher quality hamburger patty may require more refrigerator space, more prep time, a different cooking method, etc. etc. that all add to the cost.

 

Isn't that why they charge $12 for a burger combo with fries? Then charge $13 for a souvenir drink?

 

I think it's a no brainer: while preparation and storage requires an initial investment, food can be a huge profit in the park especially if you charge an absorbinant amount of money and make quality food in the park so MORE people buy it. $9 funnel cakes cost less than $1 to make, so for each cake you sell you've paid an hour of employee wages. Food can be a big part of any theme park experience, just check out TPR reviews or remember how your favorite theme park food makes your mouth water. I have had EXCELLENT food at USH or Disneyland--places I'm likely to go to again when I visit the park!

 

Or check out Suzettes at the end of the day at Magic Mountain--food is a big deal and can bring people into the park! There's no reason Six Flags shouldn't be doing this around the rest of the park with the rest of their food.

 

But they won't. Nobody that works there cares. Costs too much, and nobody, including the employees that serve the food at Magic Mountain, are really concerned about serving high quality food. They have minimum wage jobs and either want to leave or have their break. Thus lies the great Six Flags conundrum.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Nobody that works there cares.

 

I wouldn't quite say that...

[GLund]

Nobody that works there cares.

 

I wouldn't quite say that...

 

Wow, out of a 4 paragraph post you've managed to pick 5 words out that you have an issue with. Good job on that.

 

How about this instead: Nobody that works there cares enough to do anything substantial about the food situation at Magic Mountain, and therefore, it won't change.

 

Doesn't matter how much people say they care, or how much they tell you they care; doing nothing about a situation and just letting it continue to suck is pretty much the same as not caring at all.

[jray21]

One of the biggest barriers in terms of food quality is really the guests who visit the park. Sea World, Disney, and Universal have much better food options because the guests have, and are willing to spend, a lot more money. SFMM has a huge amount of teenagers and locals that don't have/spend as much money so Six Flags can't afford to bring in some really high quality food. However, they definitely could get a little higher quality product. They may not get as good of food as Disney/Universal, but they could easily increase the quality of hamburgers, pizza, fries, etc. Like I mentioned before, they could easily do some 'cheaper' fun foods like elephant ears, walking tacos, and skillets, and that would be good enough for me.

[thrillrider]

Kinda off topic here, but did anyone see Jimmy Kimbel last night? Him and his guest brought up magic mountain, and made it sound like it's full of thugs.

 

On the food subject, I agree that the food at six flags is not that great. But I will take six flags slop over the garbage that cedar fair parks are dishing out any day.

[Chrisrad]

^^Please, please list any good restaurants at Disneyland(not DCA)...actually, was just there a few weeks ago for three days, ate at the park a lot, and the ONLY good restaurant is that all-you-can-eat BBQ restaurant back by Thunder Mountain Railroad....everything else is mediocre at best

 

I know I shouldn't add to all the food discussion, but I guess it's better than speculating about future rides at SFMM..

 

Have you been to the Pacific Wharf (I think that's the name) eatery at DCA, where they serve Boudin sourdough bowls and bread? That place is not horrible.

 

I've had a few decent meals at the messican place by Thunder Mountain.

 

But overall, I usually leave the park and go to Mimi's on Harbor.. A ten minute walk for pretty good food..

[GLund]

Jimmy Kimbel

 

Never heard of him.

[Chrisrad]

Kinda off topic here, but did anyone see Jimmy Kimbel last night? Him and his guest brought up magic mountain, and made it sound like it's full of thugs.

 

On the food subject, I agree that the food at six flags is not that great. But I will take six flags slop over the garbage that cedar fair parks are dishing out any day.

 

 

This episode???

 

I'll watch a bit of it to see what they say.. Don't know how much I can handle though..

[triggernel]

One of the biggest barriers in terms of food quality is really the guests who visit the park. Sea World, Disney, and Universal have much better food options because the guests have, and are willing to spend, a lot more money. SFMM has a huge amount of teenagers and locals that don't have/spend as much money so Six Flags can't afford to bring in some really high quality food. However, they definitely could get a little higher quality product. They may not get as good of food as Disney/Universal, but they could easily increase the quality of hamburgers, pizza, fries, etc. Like I mentioned before, they could easily do some 'cheaper' fun foods like elephant ears, walking tacos, and skillets, and that would be good enough for me.

 

I agree/disagree with you on this. Why not have more than a couple nice places to eat for those who want something above mediocre? Instead of selling the crap food, why not up the quality along with the price, while keeping certain restaurants as places with easy food items? To me it seems as easy as buying a box of frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and selling each for $4. If there really is that many people who just want to put something in their mouth, you can still give them that at a reasonably low price, while still offering some creative items for those who want them.

[Chrisrad]

Kinda off topic here, but did anyone see Jimmy Kimbel last night? Him and his guest brought up magic mountain, and made it sound like it's full of thugs.

 

On the food subject, I agree that the food at six flags is not that great. But I will take six flags slop over the garbage that cedar fair parks are dishing out any day.

 

 

This episode???

 

I'll watch a bit of it to see what they say.. Don't know how much I can handle though..

 

Ok.. it's after the 16:30 minute mark.. goes on for a little bit..

 

Ben Affleck was at Disneyland recently (actually, a friend of mine took his picture last week at Disneyland ) so Jimmy asked for his opinion on Disneyland - Affleck said it was VERY expensive. Then they start talking about Magic Mountain - Affleck said he was there in his twenties and, hahaha (as he expresses), said they should have just left the car running.. place was like a mosh pit.. guys getting facial tattoos (?).. etc. Sad. And pathetic.

 

Kind of a coincidence that he talks about Disneyland.. here is my friend's picture:

[Jew]

I think it is funny people are complaining about the food at SFMM. Even if they removed Panda Express, Johnny Rockets, and Papa Johns....

 

There is still Longhorns BBQ, Los Cuates, Fresh Cut Fries, and fresh sushi all from outside vendors. This is in addition to Mooseburger and the upgraded Katy's Kettle (with the outdoor BBQ), that are probably some of the best "in-house" food options within the Six Flags chains.

 

SFMM is probably a model by which other Six Flags parks should go by: a good mix of the traditional food items (that everyone seems to hate), good outside vendors (but not too many---I'm sure there is a lot more profit in selling the food yourself rather than just collecting rent), and some nicer food items.

 

It's just not feasible for Six Flags to filled with "high quality" food items. Get over it.

[travanx]

I could only imagine how much more SFMM would make if the food was priced reasonably. I would go out of my way to not eat there with the prices the park charges. Other SoCal parks can charge what they do because of other reasons. I can't wait to go back to SFMM though.

[atem122]

^Agreed. I gave up on SFMM's food pricing once the price of a personal pizza got to $10.

[Calicoasters]

So I got an email from Six Flags about season pass deals, but on in this email they used an extended name for the Green Lantern.

 

Here's the EPIC fun your Thrill Pass will include:

• GREEN LANTERN: First Flight, SUPERMAN: Escape from

Krypton and a new family ride coming spring 2011

 

Back to food discussion, I usually (90% of the time) leave the park for food. Johnny Rocket's burgers are pretty good, I do like to sit and be served at the Moose Burger Lodge, I love BBQ Food (But still haven't tried Long Horn's,) I'm just always trying to save money! I would rather drive down the street to Subway and share a $5 Footlong with my girlfriend.

[Gmaster562]

So now we've go GL:FF and S:EFK. Abbreviations ROCK!

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

I think the best way to solve the food problem is to hand over most the food service to outside vendors. Instead of buying the moniker like most places do, set up an independantly run franchise within the park (ala Panda Express @KBF). That way, the bare minimum would be whatever you get at you'r local fast food eatery. And, you can still keep Mooseburger or add another sit down or whatever else for those who would want more than quick serve food

[Gigalyte]

^ driving down the street for that five dollar foot long isn't getting the park any closer to that Intamin Giga, Launched , plug n plAY or the flat rides the park so desperatly need

 

Also you must be drivng wayyyyyyyyy up the street because to me it seams like any place in close proximity to SFMM is ripping people off just because there close to a tourist destination, you can find the same stuff located farther away for normal prices.

 

Same for disney and Knotts the places outside the park charge out rageous prices Imo the Micky D up the street from knotts was charging over 7 bucks for a small big mac meal when the normal Micky ds is charging no more then about 4 bucks maybe 5 something if you go with the biggie sizes lol

 

Yes park prices are high but could you imagine the cost of running the park the size of SFMM for a day the figure has to be nuts, so at least I know that dry a$$ 10 burger I just bought is helping the park out in some way, yes they can have higher quailty food options who's to say they aren't working on it especially now they have alittle extra cash from closing all those licensing deals maybe the parks well get alittle more TLC from food to flat rides.

 

Guess well see I had heard they had planned on some nice hcages to the laughing dragon when S:EFK re opens, please don't turn it into a johny rockets lol

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

^You still have to pay to park and get in. They're not hurting to badly if one or two people don't buy the food.

[Gigalyte]

Most people don't pay to park and get in since most have SP, since SF pretty much just gives them away and just a couple of people aren't leaving the park to eat tons of people do thats why it takes 2 hours at wendys to get a cold combo it hurts the park period imo.

[Calicoasters]

^ driving down the street for that five dollar foot long isn't getting the park any closer to that Intamin Giga, Launched , plug n plAY or the flat rides the park so desperatly need

 

Atleast you got the order right... 3 more coasters, then flat rides.

 

Also you must be drivng wayyyyyyyyy up the street because to me it seams like any place in close proximity to SFMM is ripping people off just because there close to a tourist destination, you can find the same stuff located farther away for normal prices.

 

Yes, I am driving a brutal 1.62 miles to a shopping center on The Old Road. While it isn't a far drive, it does take some time to leave the park, find the car, go to Subway or Panda Express, and come back and do it all over again, but it's worth it.

 

Yes park prices are high but could you imagine the cost of running the park the size of SFMM for a day the figure has to be nuts, so at least I know that dry a$$ 10 burger I just bought is helping the park out in some way, yes they can have higher quailty food options who's to say they aren't working on it especially now they have alittle extra cash from closing all those licensing deals maybe the parks well get alittle more TLC from food to flat rides.

 

That was one sentence? Anyways, you don't see the problem right there...

that dry a$$ 10 burger

I gladly eat at Universal Studios, Disneyland, and SeaWorld because they don't have that problem! They charge maybe a hint more, but at least the food retains some quality!

 

P.S. I don't care what Knott's does to improve food, I will never eat there as long as Chili's, Portillo's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Claim Jumper, Outback Steakhouse, and even McDonald's and Carl's Jr. are so close!