Food & Beverage 2014

[AstroDan]

A few things to note about Food and Beverage at Alton Towers for 2014:

1. Woodcutters
Prices have risen considerably, up to 25% extra this year for the same product you were getting last year. Most notable is the rise from £8.95 to £10.95 for steak, £9.00 to £10.95 for the ribs and a new ridiculously priced mixed grill for £13.95. I plan to cut down on visits.

2. Mexican Cantina
Should be renamed 'Burrito Bar' as that is all it serves. Ridiculously poor choices compared to the days of old. Wedges have gone too, and all you get with your "meal" now are tortilla chips.

3. Chicken Co.
A 3-piece meal is now £7.50. It just seems so blatantly overpriced...

4. All day drinks refills
Risen by £2 to £7.00 per day - a rise of 40% on last season...

I have to say that Food and Beverage at the park was one of the sour points of the weekend. Prices at some outlets are fast approaching 'rip off' territory. The inflation Alton Towers have put onto some makes a mockery of the pay freezes that much of the country is facing.

 

[Poisson]

Pizza and Pasta was up to scratch, and the price wasn't too horrendous (can't actually remember it)

 

[TheMan]

Wedges gone, (thought they had just run out), crap service in the bar, no longer do something as simple as a Mocha. No more nice glasses to serve in, and bar staff rather abrupt and not what I would call welcoming.

Sorry Alton Towers, was it too much trouble to want a few wedges and a bit of chocolate in a coffee and a nice coffee glass?

Sorry about that.

Surprised you found anymore food Dan, I saw that many closed shops.

ALSO, can you buy fast track for the Courtyard burger place? Waited that long to get something after Cantina we gave up in the end & just grabbed some fries from Boring Kitchen.

It gets worse every year, it's pretty rubbish between service/time/offerings/openings.

2nd to Disney? My arse. They aren't 2nd to my local cafe.

 

[James]

A shame Woodcutters prices have hiked up. I used to think prices were quite reasonable in there (for a theme park).

Pizza Pasta price still the same then I assume?

Makes you wonder how far they will go with prices...

 

[TheMan]

Makes you wonder how far they will go with prices...

It is just the way Merlin operate. They want to give you less for more. It's been shown over the past few seasons, and have gone from wanting to spend extra money in the park, to frankly not wanting to spend a penny more than I have to.

Penny wise, pound foolish.

Saying that, they did make 350 millionz ov profitzzzz.

 

[Burbs]

Fortunately I don't like fizzy drinks, so with my MAP 20% discount, it's only a fiver for a chicken burger and chips in Chicken Co, which is as much as you need to keep you going when you're at a theme park.

 

[Vik]

Quite a few food places closed on Saturday & Sunday, and the likes of Corner Coffee had very little food available on both days.

Very poor show, especially with the price hikes too. Food availability, quality and price (especially with AP discount) have normally been reasonable at Towers the last few years. On Saturday I had a Sausage Roll and Sunday a Steak Slice, basically all that was available in Corner Coffee. (On Sunday they wouldn't sell the Sausage Rolls due to not being the right temperature!)

Good job I wasn't hungry

 

[Sam]

Some of the nicer meals in Woodcutters are now more this year with AP discount than they were last year without.

 

[Dave]

Food and Beverage really are the let-down department this year.

 

[IanB]

Food & Beverage is more exciting and magical at the Trafford Centre or Meadowhall than Alton Towers currently.

The only memory it will be leaving on guests is a negative one. I can understand a few of the F&B outlets been closed, but Waffles & Ice Cream, and the Refresh Cafe next to Ripsaw did not make sense to me. Ripsaw been one of the few places that offered healthy options (The fruit pots).

Why there has not been an extension to Woodcutters (More indoor-seating and on site toilets, can you imagine taking a baby there, and having to change her during your meal? I think this applies to all food outlets to be honest) I do not know. There is always a queue outside the door and in my opinion the quality has dropped recently.

Same with Mexican Cantina, instead of offering more seating, they have just reduced the menu further, to the point where it is just Burritos and Nachos, with the dips looking awful.

Ian

 

[Dave]

Why there has not been an extension to Woodcutters (More indoor-seating and on site toilets, can you imagine taking a baby there, and having to change her during your meal? I think this applies to all food outlets to be honest) I do not know. There is always a queue outside the door and in my opinion the quality has dropped recently.

They wouldn't get planning permission for an extension, the current building had to fall within the footprint of the old show tent that stood on the site. As it's right in front of the Towers they will never get an extension to it.

Agree with the rest of your post though.

 

[djtruefitt]

I think pizza pasta has gone up from £9.75 to £9.95 this season (same price as Chessie, and 4p cheaper than Thorpe (but that is Pizza hut)).

 

[Scott]

Really sad to see that such negative reviews of park F&B are coming in thick and fast so soon into the season - particularly as F&B has been a highlight of the park for most people over the last few years (particularly with AP discount!)

The food has always been good quality with fairly reasonable prices, so to hear that the selections have gotten less in some cases whilst the price has jumped massively is a shame.

Also worth pointing out that day quenchers are now £7. I appreciate they were this price in 2010 but went to £6 in 2011 and £5 for the last two years so it is a big jump again.

 

[Novas]

I'm pretty stunned to read that F&B has actually got worse this season, really didn't think it was possible. :/

I'm a bit of a foodie and for years I've been crying out for the park to open just one proper resturant. Just somewhere where I can eat some half decent food, using a real plate and metal cutlery, drink from a glass, and not have to move a tray of leftover slop from the table before I sit down.

 

[jon81uk]

Why there has not been an extension to Woodcutters (More indoor-seating and on site toilets, can you imagine taking a baby there, and having to change her during your meal? I think this applies to all food outlets to be honest) I do not know. There is always a queue outside the door and in my opinion the quality has dropped recently.

Same with Mexican Cantina, instead of offering more seating, they have just reduced the menu further, to the point where it is just Burritos and Nachos, with the dips looking awful.

Ian

Woodcutters has toilets directly outside so doesn't need it's own. But those prices are ridiculous, the food isn't much better than Wetherspoons and even in London I can get chicken and ribs combo for £8 at 'spoons.

I uses to think all the prices were reasonable after AP discount but £6 for a three piece chicken mean AFTER discount is awful, same thing at KFC would be around £4-5.

I was wondering if they have changed the website menus but they have just taken them down http://www.altontowers.com/useful-info/food-and-drink/where-to-eat/ still mentions fajitas at nachos though and is full of spelling errors!

Also the fact that Merlin are "second to Disney" keeps getting quoted, this is only in the size of the company, they don't get close on anything else!

Thinking of a Disney though, the Merlin parks still seem cheap for food compared to Disney Paris, I can remember paying €12-15 for a fast food meal!

 

[jon81uk]

I'm pretty stunned to read that F&B has actually got worse this season, really didn't think it was possible. :/

I'm a bit of a foodie and for years I've been crying out for the park to open just one proper resturant. Just somewhere where I can eat some half decent food, using a real plate and metal cutlery, drink from a glass, and not have to move a tray of leftover slop from the table before I sit down.

Both pizza and pasta and woodcutters bar have proper cutlery and don't require you to clear your own table.

 

[Novas]

I knew that would come up as soon as I posted it.

They're both filthy and you get sharper utensils in prison.

Relocate the Secret Garden menu to somewhere in the park and I'll be happy. Lush and not much more expensive than Woodcutters now it seems!

 

[jon81uk]

I knew that would come up as soon as I posted it.

They're both filthy and you get sharper utensils in prison.

I've never found either filthy and the cutlery is standard for a high turnover mid priced restaurant (compare them to Pizza Hut, Harvester, Werherspoons). In fact other than corner coffee at 9pm on a fireworks Saturday I've never found any food outlet at AT to be truly filthy. Occasionally other guests had left their rubbish behind at KFC but that's it really.

 

[James]

Woodcutters has toilets directly outside so doesn't need it's own.

I think Ian's point was that if you need the toilet during your meal you have to go out of the building and walk to another. It's quite inconvenient for most people, never mind families with young children. The restaurant would benefit far more with toilets inside the building.

 

[jon81uk]

Woodcutters has toilets directly outside so doesn't need it's own.

I think Ian's point was that if you need the toilet during your meal you have to go out of the building and walk to another. It's quite inconvenient for most people, never mind families with young children. The restaurant would benefit far more with toilets inside the building.

But as Dave pointed out they couldn't build a bigger building, so better to have more seating that toilets. Plus I think the toilets at woodcutters are still actually closer than that long corridor at Burger Kitchen!