The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[ryder]

I wonder if the old sign will be put on display somewhere?

[sfkk]

^I guess that means they plan on keeping the sky cabin around for awhile, which is nice considering cedar point removed theirs years ago.

[KBrylczyk]

Looks like it's an upgrade to LED lighting. That bad boy is gonna be bright!

[Nrthwnd]

Maybe the old "K" should be sent to that neon signs graveyard in Las Vegas?

Unless there's one of those in Los Angeles, etc.

[coasterlvr]

I decided today was going to be my day to try Mrs.Knott's Chicken Dinner again. I'm not really a fan to be honest, and the last time I had it was during a West Coast Bash a number of years ago. But, since the vloggers have been going, and giving their two cents, i figured it was about that time to try it again. Well, actually, it was better than i remembered. I feel it is better than Hometown Buffet which i compared it to before.

 

it's good, but not my favorite. anyway, the whole marketplace is open now. TGiFridays, and Mrs. Knott's have inside seating available, as well as outside. no longer just take out. all the shops are open as well. i just did a quick walkthrough virginia's so i can't say much about anything. there was a decent amount of people around, so it wasn't empty like i've seen on many videos, so that's good. hopefully, knott's opens up fairly soon and we can all enjoy some coasters on the west coast again.

 

The new K installed.

Basic, enter at your own risk sign.

The bag.

The bucket.

The sides.

The biscuits

The chicken and sides.

[KBrylczyk]

^ I know it's an old gag by now, but I'm loving the statues getting facemasks everywhere. I haven't thought to check in on our Statue Of Liberty here in Vegas, though.

[grsupercity]

Those pictures of the fried chicken and sides made me hungry lol

[thrillseeker4552]

Looks delicious. I visit Knott's several times every year, and I haven't eaten at the Chicken Dinner Restaurant since 2013. Once they reopen and things calm down, I really think I need to go back. Getting "free" food with the dining plan in the park makes it very easy to always ignore the restaurant.

[Nrthwnd]

Happy 87th Anniversary, Mrs.Knotts' Chicken Dinner!

Oh well, not too late, to note. Thanks to @Knotts

[coasterlvr]

This sounds like a cool event for the foodies.

 

https://www.knotts.com/play/events/taste-of-calico

 

 

[DJeXeL]

Not a bad deal at all. I'm very tempted.

[kbfbest]

Knotts truly going back to how it started the CDR and Ghost town.

[Nrthwnd]

^ Pardon, but.... CDR? I don't remember what that stands for.

 

All that I can come up with, is "Calico Dude Ranch" LOL.

[thrillseeker4552]

^Chicken Dinner Restaurant!

 

This is a great move for them. It's a way to bring in a little revenue while the park is closed and somewhat make up for the lack of a Boysenberry Festival this year.

 

I hope they continue this more than just two weekends. Maybe they're testing the waters to see if it's worth it or not.

[Nrthwnd]

^ HA! Well, silly me.

 

Now I know! Thanks for that.

Our Mrs.Knott's Chicken Dinner take out. Sept.2019.

[kbfbest]

[youtu_be]

[/youtu_be]

Hope RGS 41 gets back up and running at somepoint.

[ryder]

Tickets for today and tomorrow have already sold out.

[DBJ]

Glad it was a success. Looks like they are expanding the food / outdoor shopping for a few more weekends. "Taste of Knotts"" runs through Aug. 21 - Sept 13.

[thrillseeker4552]

I visited the Taste of Knott's event today with my family. Overall we had a great time, and the food was quite good. I haven't been able to visit the Boysenberry Festival for the last three years since I am always away at college in Utah during the spring. So in a weird way, COVID has allowed me to finally go to a Knott's food festival since high school!

 

I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of compliance with park rules regarding face coverings and social distancing. Except when people were eating/drinking (obviously), I saw almost 100% mask compliance. It seems like people are happy to be back at the park and willing to follow all guidelines for some great food. My favorite tastes were the boysenberry meatballs, the chicken and waffle, and the brisket-slaw sandwich. All so good! Unfortunately I didn't take photos, but the website has several photos of the food options.

 

With that being said, it was a little odd to have almost the entire park open, but no rides running. It was eerily quiet! The only sections of the park closed were the southwest corner (near the theatre and bumper cars) and Camp Snoopy. If you ask me, it is strange that the state is allowing the park to operate like this, but they still cannot open rides. It honestly felt like a normal day at the park in terms of crowds, just no rides running. I wonder what the difference is. The risk of COVID can't change significantly if the rides were open. But I know the park is doing the most they can and complying with the state. I bet they want to open their whole park just as much as we do. Oh well. I still had a great time.

 

If you're a local and are missing the park, I highly recommend the event. The food and atmosphere is great. Hopefully it won't be too much longer before they can fully open. Based on what I can see in terms of closed off seats on rides, distancing markings in queue lines, and more, I have a feeling they are ready as soon as the state/county gives them the go ahead.

[Jew]

Technically the park is open under the guidelines for outdoor dining as if it was a giant restaurant. The state hasn’t released guidelines for theme parks yet. I suppose the argument is that rides and queue lines are higher touch points where people will be in close proximity longer amounts of time but I suspect at this point the real reason is that it would be a bad look politically to open theme parks While bars and indoor dining are still banned.

 

Knotts deserves kudos for quickly adjusting to generate revenue and get some employees back to work and setting a foundation for any other park that wishes to open right now.

Edited August 23, 2020 by Jew

[thrillseeker4552]

^That makes sense. It was definitely a great move for them. The event ran very smoothly and it seems like it is paying off for them.

 

I anticipate they will continue the event as long as the park is closed, even though it only says until mid-September for now.

[wrs28330]

On Sunday 8/23/20, Theme Park Review was invited to experience the Taste of Knott's event at Knott’s Berry Farm. Even with the rides closed, it felt so great to step back into a SoCal theme park again! Knott’s was ready to open their annual Boysenberry Festival back in March, but it of course came to a halt. The Knott’s Marketplace was eventually able to reopen, followed by the reopening of the Calico Ghost Town area of the park with the Taste of Calico special event. Expanding on the success of that outdoor event, Knott’s started celebrating the most popular dishes from around the park on August 21, with this new Taste of Knott's event. From Mexican-inspired cuisine in Fiesta Village, to BBQ items from Spurs and the Boardwalk, and even dishes pulled from the Knott’s Berry Farm Cookbook, there is so much to enjoy!

 

The event runs Fridays – Sundays until September 13, with Friday/Saturday set as 12:00 – 9:00pm, and Sunday hours as 12:00 – 8:00pm. We were easily able to experience the entire park and all the food in 5 hours. You could complete everything in as short as two hours, or enjoy the entire operating day if you wish.

To experience the event, a tasting card must be purchased in advance at knotts.com, and includes entry into the park. The tasting card is $30 for adults with 5 food tastings, and Junior tasting cards for patrons ages 3-11 is $15 with 3 food tastings. Tasting cards are date specific.

 

Before we get to the pictures, we want to commend Knott’s Berry Farm for two incredible factors:

Firstly, the thoughtfulness in the overwhelming number of tables placed throughout the entire park was wonderful! This directly contributed to such a relaxing way to enjoy the wonderful food and atmosphere.

Secondly, we want to praise the Knott’s team for their creativity and adaptability in finding a way to bring a small part of their operation back to life (and bring Knott’s back to its roots)! The employees seemed so happy to be back at work, and went out of their way to say “welcome back” and “thank you for being here with us today”. We hope this sets the foundation and leads the way for similar SoCal parks!

Thank you so much to Miranda and the Knott’s Team for your hospitality!

We have our Tasting Cards in hand and are happy to back in the park!

So...let's talk about tables for a minute...

...as far as the eye can see...

...and in the shade too!

You can see where existing tables are being used, as well as a ton of brand new tables.

Clear signage at the booth. Booths were well spread out around the park. The same item was available at multiple booths around the park, which is much more efficient than past Boysenberry Festivals. Now, on to the food!

Mac and Cheese with even more cheese!

Chicken slider with chips.

An amazing portobello mushroom sandwich. Seriously, carnivores like me usually dismiss the veggie-friendly food items, but this is a perfect example of not counting out the veggie fun!

A full ear of Corn on the Cob with boysenberry butter and cotija cheese.

BBQ brisket sandwich with coleslaw.

Our favorite item: Blue Velvet lemon cookiewich with Vanilla soft-serve ice cream.

Boysenberry Smoothie. There are three different locations for this item, and with its popularity, it takes a while for a new batch to be ready. We recommend going to the Wheel Wagon Pizza location since it is of the beaten path, and it looked like they had the most smoothie machines.

The event featured several solo performers in Calico.

These performers brought such a wonderful energy to the area. DJs could also be found at stages around the park.

It was also great to the Blacksmith still hard at work.

Lastly, there is a Relax Zone in the outdoor queue of the defunct Mystery Lodge.

No frills, but a nice half-shaded area for those who need it. A nice touch for sure.

Welcome back to the farm!

Thank you again to Miranda and the Knott's team! Visit knotts.com to plan your visit!

[cfc]

I've just had breakfast, yet I'm already hungry again!

[SharkTums]

Good for Knott's for figuring out how to open up and almost using this as a demo for opening the rest of the park up. Thanks for sharing!

[Nrthwnd]

"You want picnic tables, friend? We got picnic tables!"

 

So many of them. Worth the trouble of setting them all up, I can see.

 

Oh yeah. AWESOME FOOD, by the way! Thanks for sharing your visit there.