2026: General Discussion

[Poisson]

I wonder if they can raise an NCR against an external supplier every time they get complaints?

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

I wonder if they can raise an NCR against an external supplier every time they get complaints?

Theoretically, they could can raise an NCR, fill out a form, or scream into the digital void of the central procurement system. That report wouldn't go to the staff member serving the cold food though. It would disappear into a regional office backlog to be discussed at a quarterly review long after the season has ended. If, eventually, any action is taken, the guest has already gone home and left a scathing TripAdvisor review.

I'm on the record saying that, to the best of my knowledge, the Merlin / Aramark contract is a simple leasing of the F&B units, without a carrot, or stick, for KPIs. Hypothetically, however, if the contract's primary KPI is units sold rather than culinary excellence, serving a cardboard tasting burger isn't technically a breach as long as it sells. Aramark operates on razor thin margins to meet the financial return demanded by the group. If they are hitting those targets, a pile of paperwork regarding customer sentiment will be filed under "Noted" and promptly ignored, turning the Zonal Manager into a glorified data entry clerk for failure.

 

[WillPS]

In a functional corporate environment, you would be entirely correct. Contract management is a standard discipline and influence without authority is a key skill for any middle manager. Having said that, we ought to look at the specific power dynamics at play here.

The contract with Aramark was negotiated and signed at a Group / Executive level. The SLAs, the financial models and the staffing ratios were decided by people in boardrooms, not by the people on the ground in Forbidden Valley.

The Zonal Manager is being held accountable for guest satisfaction and brand standards. If a guest complains that their burger is cold, overpriced and took 45 minutes to arrive, the Zonal Manager takes the hit on their KPI dashboard.

But... when they go to the local Aramark supervisor to "direct improvement", what happens?

If the Aramark supervisor says, "We are staffing to the level agreed in the master contract," or "Those are the ingredients procurement sent us," the Zonal Manager has absolutely no leverage. They cannot withhold payment. They cannot issue a formal breach of contract notice (that would be a job for Legal / Procurement). They cannot step behind the counter and speed up service themselves.

They are responsible for the outcome, but they have no control over the input.

It is a middle management trap. All of the accountability, with none of the authority.

You can only reasonably be expected to uphold the standards the other parties agreed to. If there's a problem with those standard's then it is reasonable to expect the person experiencing that discrepancy to flag it so it can be resolved at a higher level, but clearly nobody on site will be able to make Aramark do more than they have committed to do.

FWIW my read of the JD is more that the successful applicant will be expected to ensure their employers contractual partners are doing as contracted; likely by keeping dining areas clean etc. Perfectly reasonable.

 

[AltonLover123]

"Fancy doing a job that was carried out by 3 people a year ago? This role is for you"!!

From what I’ve seen from Thorpe and Chessington on LinkedIn (so we can assume it’ll be the same or very similar) there are a few zonal managers per zone overseen by a senior manager.

It’s not massively different the model they already had, but with increased responsibilities. As far as I remember, the old area (now called zone) manager jobs paid less so they’re getting a pay rise along side the extra responsibilities.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

You can only reasonably be expected to uphold the standards the other parties agreed to. If there's a problem with those standard's then it is reasonable to expect the person experiencing that discrepancy to flag it so it can be resolved at a higher level, but clearly nobody on site will be able to make Aramark do more than they have committed to do.

FWIW my read of the JD is more that the successful applicant will be expected to ensure their employers contractual partners are doing as contracted; likely by keeping dining areas clean etc. Perfectly reasonable.

In a calm office environment, auditing a contract is perfectly reasonable. In the middle of a theme park during school holidays, when the bins are overflowing and the queue for a burger is 45 minutes long, "monitoring delivery standards" is a euphemism for being shouted at by guests for problems you cannot fix.

The issue is the gap between contractual compliance and operational reality. Aramark might be meeting their contractual obligation (e.g. "2 staff members on the counter"), but if the demand requires 4 staff members to clear the queue, the Zonal Manager is helpless. They cannot order Aramark to put more staff on. They can only "flag it". Meanwhile, the guest experience, which they are responsible for, tanks.

Responsibility without authority is the fastest way to burnout.

 

[WillPS]

In a calm office environment, auditing a contract is perfectly reasonable. In the middle of a theme park during school holidays, when the bins are overflowing and the queue for a burger is 45 minutes long, "monitoring delivery standards" is a euphemism for being shouted at by guests for problems you cannot fix.

The issue is the gap between contractual compliance and operational reality. Aramark might be meeting their contractual obligation (e.g. "2 staff members on the counter"), but if the demand requires 4 staff members to clear the queue, the Zonal Manager is helpless. They cannot order Aramark to put more staff on. They can only "flag it". Meanwhile, the guest experience, which they are responsible for, tanks.

Responsibility without authority is the fastest way to burnout.

It takes a certain kind of person - you essentially have to compartmentalise what is and isn't possible and be comfortable knowing that things being rubbish is only your responsibility where it actually is. As a Tech Lead I've entered situations where I've inherited resource through a longstanding contract with limited opportunity to make changes. You make the best of what you have, make clear your dissatisfaction with things that could be sorted and clearly set a boundary around the things which are not, ensuring that your line management are on the same page.

I'm not disputing whether this is a good job or not, but I am saying this kind of responsibility is not an unusual feature of a modern JD; whether it becomes a problem or not depends on a few things, not least the culture of the organisation. And if culture is a problem then frankly it doesn't matter how doable the bullets on the JD were because they'll make up expectations on the hoof.