Woodie Warrior Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I've eaten at a Quaker Steak & Lube in Springfield, IL, and the food is amazing, especially the wings. However, with Thirsty Pony, which has just as good wings, it's gonna be hard to choose for our family. The inside of the one I've been to had motorcycles hanging from the ceiling and a lot of other car-related items. Is that not what this one looks like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 Yea, the thirsty pony is our favorite as well. The inside of quaker steak did not look fresh. It looked like they just threw up some pictures on the walls and slapped some paint down in a few areas. It almost felt as if it was still a tgif. They had a shell of a racecar hanging on the ceiling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 (edited) I am in favor of "Chocolate Cookie Mint Madness." However, I draw the line at eating at a joint with a name inspired by motor oil. Edited May 12, 2015 by cfc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ape Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I've been to Quaker Steak and Lube several times as we have two by us. They are very good. I especially like the burgers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bag_O_Laughs Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Wow I love that colour green on those trains for Rougarou. It looks almost luminescent on the tracks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 I love the colors of the train, however after seeing the track colors in person, I don't think they compliment each other very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grsupercity Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Thank you for the great pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yay101 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Great trip report! I'm surprised things wee still closed though. Oh well, Rougarou looks great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildStangAlex Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 5. 3/4 of the pools at hotel breakers did not open because they accidently put too many chemicals into them. This is from a company that operates several waterparks and hotels with pools. Assuming that this is Ecolab, they were pretty useless when it came to the pools at Kings Island. We had to override a lot of their settings to keep everything balanced when I worked there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe_Spence Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Excellent TR. Where is the Quaker Steak located? Breakers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prozach626 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Great pictures. I really hope CF continues the trend of their awesome lighting packages throughout the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPFan1234 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Excellent TR. Where is the Quaker Steak located? Breakers? Castaway Bay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Great pictures. I really hope CF continues the trend of their awesome lighting packages throughout the park. I was pretty impressed with how well many of the rides were lit there during my first visit--especially Millennium Force. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 I agree about the lighting, not only on the rides but the lights on the midway also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 A few comments...and as always, thanks for sharing! Rougabrew tastes like Blue Moon: Poop! I thought the beer sounded pretty good until I read this. I'm just someone that's not a fan of Blue Moon or Belgian-style ales - give me an extra hoppy IPA, lager or Brown Ale. Although I will most likely try it myself...just because. It's still nice to see something unique like this at a park and I'm sure that it will be a hit with guests. And I know that I can still get good (albeit expensive) micro-brew at the Trail Tavern, so all is good! Ride downtime: Sorry to hear about all the downtime during opening weekend, but I always seem to read this every time that I read opening weekend PTR's, especially for the parks in the Northeast. I admit that this one seemed exceptionally bad though. This is a big reason why we never go on opening weekend...between rides and operations seeming a bit "rusty" coupled with the unstable weather in May, we now prefer to wait until weekdays in June to visit (before most schools are out). I certainly appreciate all of you die-hards that forge out and get us these photo trip reports though! Park employee friendliness: This is what more of the Cedar Fair employees need to emulate - BE LIKE THE ONE'S AT CEDAR POINT! My dealings with most park employees & ride op's here have always been extremely positive - whoever their training coordinator is deserves a raise. I have been going to this park for 30 years and good customer service always seems to be a staple every time that I visit. * Caveat: Customer service in food could be a tad better though. It seems like total disinterest by employees due to the fact that their wages are probably peanuts and it probably gets hot as hell in there when the spring weather breaks. And of course, they then have to deal with a lot of the self-entitled guests that act like tools and treat them like total shit. Can't really blame them for feeling a bit negative...especially as the season progresses. Hotel Breakers revamp: I like the revamp - especially the lobby and entrance. The rooms themselves appear to be a little underwhelming and don't appear to look very cozy, although compared with the old one's, they still look better. At least there are flat screens versus the old tube-style with 13 channel fuzzy cable! I think that I already posted this once before, but what is with those bedspreads? Good Lord, it's like Motel 6 had a fire sale during their hotel revamp and CP picked them up for $0.59 each! Millennium Forces fiberglass trains: Can you feel any difference between the old and the new trains...does it feel faster at all? Or was it just the switch in the material so it wouldn't deteriorate as quickly? Quaker Steak & Lube: Didn't someone say that they were also putting one where Famous Dave's is at the Marina? Sure hope not, because I would still go to FD's over QS&L any day of the week. Their wings to me are very hit or miss. If it was a B-Dubs, I would probably be more excited, as most of my experiences there have been pretty good. And yes...that building is awful looking. Was this the same person that made the call on those bedsheets? Lakeside Gardens: Looks awesome...a well deserved revamp. Sure wish I could go during the beer and BBQ event. Anyone on here going? If so, PTR, please!! Hot Tub Folliculitis Machine: This doesn't surprise me being that I developed hot tub folliculitis from the one at Soak City. Sounds like they might need to hire a specialist for better additive control of their heated pools and spas. Rougarou transformation: Should be interesting to ride this one and experience it as a floor-less, although it sounds like the special effects and fog appear to be very limited compared with the hoopla that was originally released? As someone else mentioned, they were envisioning the swamp being engulfed by fog (at least during the night with weird lighting?), a howl at the top of the lift (not a game changer in my book though) and maybe something else? Not whining here, as anything other then the previous experience can only be a plus. The show line-up: Is this the same line-up as last year? I seem to remember the Country Rock show at the Red Garter Saloon last year? It was okay, but I'm not a fan of that type of music. I always look forward to ducking in here a couple of times during the visit to check out the show and getting a couple of cold beers. If they have good beer on draft this year, that might just make up for the Country Rock show...if not, I'll bail and head for the Tavern instead! And finally.... Maverick OTSR's: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 I have been to the past 15 or so opening days, and this year was by far the worst as far as the park being ready. Wicked twister was in pieces, many more rides than normal were down , several store fronts and food stands were closed. Millennium force did seem to be hauling a$$. I don't believe that famous Daves is going anywhere. Rougarou was great, and will be a huge hit. Unlike banshee, rougarou had sound effects coming from the swamp and not at the top of the lift. Park employees were great, but as always the food service was veeeeeeeery slow. I give them a little slack because it's opening weekend, but it doesn't seem to get much better at this park. The show lineup seems to be lacking this year. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it may be because the ice show is history. I too am not a country music person, but I did notice that they had a decent beer selection in the red garter so that kind of makes up for my ears bleeding. Mavericks new restraints are great! The only complaint I had about them is that they scrape the sides of your face when pulling it up or down. That can be nasty in the summer months with all the sweat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJLehto Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Looks great! Cant wait to get to CP this year and ride the no longer ball crushing ride And it's just been too many years (going on 3 now I think!) since Ive been Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 I forgot to mention that rougarou has magnetic breaking at the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jynx242 Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Thank you for the awesome report! It looks like they have done a great job with the actual Physical upgrades. I'm sure the Operational issues will work themselves out. As far as food service speed goes, other than a few instances I can think of - food service in parks is usually the most lackluster area of service. I'm not really dissing on the kids that work there (I did it at Six Flags when I was a teenager,) but it seems to come with the territory . David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 The food service at most amusement parks is bad, with the exception of the Florida parks for some reason. Maybe they should hire someone from McDonald's to help them with speed and efficiency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 5. 3/4 of the pools at hotel breakers did not open because they accidently put too many chemicals into them. This is from a company that operates several waterparks and hotels with pools. Assuming that this is Ecolab, they were pretty useless when it came to the pools at Kings Island. We had to override a lot of their settings to keep everything balanced when I worked there. I wonder why they would have an outside company deal with the pools, when they own and operate there own waterpark and water rides right next door with there own staff that deals with the chemicals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linearinduction Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 5. 3/4 of the pools at hotel breakers did not open because they accidently put too many chemicals into them. This is from a company that operates several waterparks and hotels with pools. Assuming that this is Ecolab, they were pretty useless when it came to the pools at Kings Island. We had to override a lot of their settings to keep everything balanced when I worked there. I wonder why they would have an outside company deal with the pools, when they own and operate there own waterpark and water rides right next door with there own staff that deals with the chemicals. You've obviously never known any Cedar Point Lifeguards well! I wouldn't let ANY person of ANY age in any pool at Cedar Point. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 Still baffling that they have a 3rd party company deal with the pools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewRnR Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 It is probably part of a larger deal - Ecolab manages all types of chemicals from in the kitchens for dishwashing to housekeeping. When I used to work at a Disney resort they did the pools as well - as in they provided chemicals and support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent York Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Caveat: Customer service in food could be a tad better though. It seems like total disinterest by employees due to the fact that their wages are probably peanuts and it probably gets hot as hell in there when the spring weather breaks. And of course, they then have to deal with a lot of the self-entitled guests that act like tools and treat them like total poo-poo. Can't really blame them for feeling a bit negative...especially as the season progresses. At least there are flat screens versus the old tube-style with 13 channel fuzzy cable! This doesn't surprise me being that I developed hot tub folliculitis from the one at Soak City. Sounds like they might need to hire a specialist for better additive control of their heated pools and spas. Having worked in food service at a theme park many years ago when I was a teenager, I can understand the "total disinterest". It was a terrible job. Boring, hot, rude customers, low pay, long hours. FYI, many "tube-style" (CRT) TV's were flat screens. I avoid any public hot tubs these days, and don't use pools nearly as much as I used to. This kind of thing happens fairly often in cruise ship hot tubs too: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sickened-royal-caribbean-passenger-dream-vacation-and-it-turned-into-a-hell-cruise/ A few years ago, someone even died from Legionnaire's disease they caught from a hot tub, waterpark, or pool on the LIberty of the Seas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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