Food & Beverage: The Aramark Era begins

[Alix]

Devil's advocate for one moment. These are outsourced outlets. If they were branded / operated to an established entity, Greggs for example, who would you consider should be dealing with the questions and issues then? Alton Towers, or Greggs?

In a service station, if you have an issue with an outlet, do you take it up with the outlet or Welcome Break / Moto / Road Chef?

I don’t think that argument flies tbh. The outlets at Towers are not branded to Aramark, therefore unless you follow these things closely you wouldn’t necessarily know.

Take Thorpe as an example. If I had a problem in KFC, or dog forbid, Doughnut Time, I would contact them directly. And have done - and got a response.

Towers are the holder of the contract locally - they are responsible. Both for who they let the contract to, and how that contractor behaves. (I know it was Merlin wide thing before anyone points that out)

Edit to add - with your Moto example, if the ceiling was caving in - Moto. If the food/service was crap from BK - BK.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

I don’t think that argument flies tbh. The outlets at Towers are not branded to Aramark, therefore unless you follow these things closely you wouldn’t necessarily know.

Take Thorpe as an example. If I had a problem in KFC, or dog forbid, Doughnut Time, I would contact them directly. And have done - and got a response.

Towers are the holder of the contract locally - they are responsible. Both for who they let the contract to, and how that contractor behaves. (I know it was Merlin wide thing before anyone points that out)

Edit to add - with your Moto example, if the ceiling was caving in - Moto. If the food/service was crap from BK - BK.

The outlets also aren't branded to Alton Towers. At which point does a brand become big enough for the complaint to be made to them directly?

At a festival, where generic food vans are brought in, are your complaints with the festival or with the food van operator?

My analogy isn't perfect, in fact it's further complicated by the franchise system. McDonald's are often the point of contact for complaints about McDonald's branded restaurants, even though they don't operate the vast majority of them. McDonald's aren't legally responsible though for the staff, or even the safe delivery of food.

Legally Alton Towers / Merlin parks generally are in the clear. Operationally, and to the public, they ought to be doing a better job. Handle the complaint internally, sanction the outlet yourself as per your agreement.

I guess my argument is that in pretty much most other scenarios, you'd complain to the operator of the food outlet and not the operator of where it was located. Heck, I'd you've got a problem with Alton Towers, you take it up with Alton Towers Ltd or Merlin Entertainments (who own the operational rights for the park), but you don't take it up with LXi REIT (the owners of Alton Towers). It's an interesting thought experiment, in the least.

Staffing levels will be affecting this, I'm sure, with Alton Towers / Merlin not wanting to (and possibly not having an agreement to) operate Aramark's customer service team.

 

[Plastic Person]

The outlets also aren't branded to Alton Towers. At which point does a brand become big enough for the complaint to be made to them directly?

When the brand is the UK's best known theme park, Alton Towers?

I know where you're coming from with this as a 'thought experiment', but festivals are seen as temporary events with outside catering, whereas I think it's completely reasonable for people unfamiliar with Alton Towers' business practises and structure to assume they are being served by the park themselves, in largely permanent outlets.

 

[Leigh]

In the case of those franchises at service stations, the “official” point of contact for job opportunities, complaints etc is still the site operator (who also acts as the franchisee) rather than the franchiser. However, in any case, the franchiser has a vested interest in making sure their franchisees are meeting their standards so if you were to complain to them it would still get dealt with (especially in the case of McDonald’s who are well known for coming down on their franchisees like a ton of bricks when they mess up).

The only appropriate way to manage it is by dealing with the complaints at both sides.

 

[jon81uk]

The outlets also aren't branded to Alton Towers. At which point does a brand become big enough for the complaint to be made to them directly?

When it is run as a company franchising in its own right. For a KFC, Domino's, McDonalds, Subway, Pizza Hut (delivery) or Burger King outlet, even when run by a franchisee you can contact the overall brand who controls issuing the franchise. Even though a franchisee is owning/running the branch, the overall company will address complaints.

But for outlets run by Aramark at the Merlin parks the brand names either belong to Merlin (Burger Kitchen, Chicken Co, Pizza Buffet) or there is no overarching brand (Corner Coffee, Amity Kebabs etc). I can't get contact details for "Burger Kitchen" to sort out issues with them in the same way you could with Burger King. Merlin and their resort theme parks need to take responsibility for what they have contracted out to Aramark as to a guest it is not clear that the park is not running the outlets.

 

[GaryH]

Regardless, Alton are giving these outlets licence to run on their property, use the names of their restaurants (eg rollercoaster, woodcutters etc) and they Alton take a cut of the profits therefore Alton are also a responsible party in this.

God forbid if one of the retro squad rides had an accident last year who would people turn to - the company that owns the ride or Alton towers?

It would be Alton towers.

Going back to the question of if it was Greggs in Alton towers with the Greggs signage, then that would indicate to the public who is running the outlet, but, Alton would still have a part to play in ensuring the food, hygiene and relevent standards are being followed whilst operating on their property.

 

[Matt N]

It appears as though Aramark have made a policy change at Merlin parks so that if you declare yourself to have a food allergy, they will not alter items to fit with your allergy and will only let you order items that do not contain the allergen in the end product: https://coasterforce.com/forums/threads/wtf-merlin.38748/page-75#post-1176910

For example, if you ordered a burger off the menu that had cheese with it as standard and were lactose intolerant, Aramark would not remove the cheese from the burger for you if asked, but would instead make you order an item that did not have cheese in it as standard. It would seem as though they no longer allow for alteration of menu items from the “standard” recipe, but there were mixed messages as to whether they only disallowed alteration requests if you declared a food allergy or whether alteration requests are disallowed altogether.

I don’t know if I’m interpreting this incorrectly, but to me, that sounds like an unnecessarily asinine policy. If the food is made to order (it normally is in fast food chains like McDonalds and such), surely it’s not that difficult to just not put a slice of cheese in it if requested, for example?

 

[Islander]

I don’t know if I’m interpreting this incorrectly, but to me, that sounds like an unnecessarily asinine policy. If the food is made to order (it normally is in fast food chains like McDonalds and such), surely it’s not that difficult to just not put a slice of cheese in it if requested, for example?

I... ok, wow, what's happened to our Matt? This is probably the most vicious and negative thing he's ever posted

(Totally agree though)

 

[Bert2theSpark]

It appears as though Aramark have made a policy change at Merlin parks so that if you declare yourself to have a food allergy, they will not alter items to fit with your allergy and will only let you order items that do not contain the allergen in the end product: https://coasterforce.com/forums/threads/wtf-merlin.38748/page-75#post-1176910

For example, if you ordered a burger off the menu that had cheese with it as standard and were lactose intolerant, Aramark would not remove the cheese from the burger for you if asked, but would instead make you order an item that did not have cheese in it as standard. It would seem as though they no longer allow for alteration of menu items from the “standard” recipe, but there were mixed messages as to whether they only disallowed alteration requests if you declared a food allergy or whether alteration requests are disallowed altogether.

I don’t know if I’m interpreting this incorrectly, but to me, that sounds like an unnecessarily asinine policy. If the food is made to order (it normally is in fast food chains like McDonalds and such), surely it’s not that difficult to just not put a slice of cheese in it if requested, for example?

They probably got the guests mixed up with the prisoners that they serve to…

 

[GaryH]

When I went to RCR the evening meal choice for non gluten was dire. Just three mains. That was it. Even spoke to the chef who confirmed it.

 

[Matt N]

I... ok, wow, what's happened to our Matt? This is probably the most vicious and negative thing he's ever posted

(Totally agree though)

My apologies, I should probably have phrased that a tad more politely. I also realise I misunderstood the meaning of the word “asinine”, with it having a slightly more vicious meaning than I’d originally intended…

With that being said, I think the policy is unnecessary and will inconvenience a lot of people, and I can’t really see any good reason for it. I will always be 100% honest about these things; if I’m not going to give honest opinions, what’s the point in me being here?

 

[Thameslink Rail]

My apologies, I should probably have phrased that a tad more politely. I also realise I misunderstood the meaning of the word “asinine”, with it having a slightly more vicious meaning than I’d originally intended…

With that being said, I think the policy is unnecessary and will inconvenience a lot of people, and I can’t really see any good reason for it. I will always be 100% honest about these things; if I’m not going to give honest opinions, what’s the point in me being here?

Mate, you don't need to apologise for describing such an absurd policy as "asinine".

 

[Matt N]

The only thing I’ve just thought about that might explain why they’ve implemented the policy was; are the food items pre-made as opposed to Aramark making them to order like I thought they did?

If Aramark don’t make things to order, maybe they’re worried about leftover “residue” from an allergen leaking into someone’s food even if they take the allergen out. Some people’s allergies are severe enough that even the slightest trace of an allergen can set them off.

I’m not saying that makes it justifiable, but it would be a plausible reason for the policy’s implementation if Aramark pre-assembles the food rather than making it to order.

Although that wouldn’t explain why they’ve only just implemented the policy… and if the food is made to order, then I go back to struggling to see the reason for this policy.

 

[BarryZola]

Oh no, Aramark won't let me buy their absurdly overpriced food. How awful. I really wanted to throw some money down the drain too.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

The only thing I’ve just thought about that might explain why they’ve implemented the policy was; are the food items pre-made as opposed to Aramark making them to order like I thought they did?

If Aramark don’t make things to order, maybe they’re worried about leftover “residue” from an allergen leaking into someone’s food even if they take the allergen out. Some people’s allergies are severe enough that even the slightest trace of an allergen can set them off.

I’m not saying that makes it justifiable, but it would be a plausible reason for the policy’s implementation if Aramark pre-assembles the food rather than making it to order.

Although that wouldn’t explain why they’ve only just implemented the policy… and if the food is made to order, then I go back to struggling to see the reason for this policy.

Aramark are using a similar model to how McDonald's and co used to operate before easier custom ordering through touch screens. Every menu item is preprepared, cooked and kept in a hot hold, until it's either sold or no longer safe to consume. They don't make food to order. The upshot of this method is that you can shift a lot of volume rather quickly, the downside is that you can't really cater to allergens.

The caveat, of course, is that McDonald's and co always used to allow you to remove ingredients from their menu items when placing your order with the cashier. They would prepare your food separately, you'd have to wait a little longer, but it was made to order.

I would expect, in this case, that Aramark are attempting to avoid any contention or potential suit incase something went wrong in the ordering process.

"Excuse me, I'm lactose intolerant, I can't have cheese. I asked you to take it off my order for the Bacon Double Cheeseburger."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"That's not what I have here..."

They could alter their touch screens, to allow the removal of items, but then this would cock up their preprepared kitchen system.

All of their actions scream, that for one reason or another, Aramark aren't comfortable with safely being able to prepare/customise food in an allergen safe way at the Merlin attractions. They need to take a serious look into how they handle their operations in these outlets, it's really not going to work out in the long run for the customers.

As always though, I encourage anyone who is experiencing issues and problems with the Aramark service to write down their complaints in a constructive manner and feed them back to Merlin / the parks. They can't hold Aramark accountable with hearsay and angry internet comments from forums, Facebook, X, or TripAdvisor reviews.

 

[Alphe86]

Earlier in the season they took all gluten free items away completely. As above - I believe they simply cannot deal with allergen

 

[Matt N]

Aramark are using a similar model to how McDonald's and co used to operate before easier custom ordering through touch screens. Every menu item is preprepared, cooked and kept in a hot hold, until it's either sold or no longer safe to consume. They don't make food to order. The upshot of this method is that you can shift a lot of volume rather quickly, the downside is that you can't really cater to allergens.

The caveat, of course, is that McDonald's and co always used to allow you to remove ingredients from their menu items when placing your order with the cashier. They would prepare your food separately, you'd have to wait a little longer, but it was made to order.

I would expect, in this case, that Aramark are attempting to avoid any contention or potential suit incase something went wrong in the ordering process.

"Excuse me, I'm lactose intolerant, I can't have cheese. I asked you to take it off my order for the Bacon Double Cheeseburger."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"That's not what I have here..."

They could alter their touch screens, to allow the removal of items, but then this would cock up their preprepared kitchen system.

All of their actions scream, that for one reason or another, Aramark aren't comfortable with safely being able to prepare/customise food in an allergen safe way at the Merlin attractions. They need to take a serious look into how they handle their operations in these outlets, it's really not going to work out in the long run for the customers.

As always though, I encourage anyone who is experiencing issues and problems with the Aramark service to write down their complaints in a constructive manner and feed them back to Merlin / the parks. They can't hold Aramark accountable with hearsay and angry internet comments from forums, Facebook, X, or TripAdvisor reviews.

I did wonder if it was something like this.

Surely a good solution, as you suggest, would be to make food to order (separately) for people who request ingredients removed and not make it to order for everyone else, and just ask them to wait a little longer?

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

I did wonder if it was something like this.

Surely a good solution, as you suggest, would be to make food to order (separately) for people who request ingredients removed and not make it to order for everyone else, and just ask them to wait a little longer?

On the surface it seems simple. Prepare some to order, label it up so the cashier knows what to pack. The difficulty would come, I think, with volume. A small minority of people will have actual allergen requests, but many more will have preferences. I, for example, cannot abide by a pickle on a burger (just, ew, why?).

Generalising slightly (and channeling my inner @rob666, back in t'old days...), people are fussier/preferential/particular eaters now than they were even 10 or 20 years ago. The colloquialism and attitudes of "like it or lump it" are long behind us. How would you differentiate between an allergen request, vs a preferential request, vs an intolerance request because of something like ASD? It's easier not to.

The current Aramark method would suggest that, for whatever reason, they are not comfortable in their ability to safely produce allergen safe food / alter items on the menu to fit allergen needs at the Merlin attractions. Arguably this would demonstrate that they are not a competent operator in this space, if they cannot balance guest's needs and tastes with safety.

 

[AT86]

Tbf I am not comfortable in their ability to make food full stop.

 

[Dannyski]

I’ve just come back from Disneyland Paris and the experience there in regards to food n beverage has left me even more bewildered by Merlin’s strategy of partnering with Arafart. OK, we benefited from a slightly stronger pound, but the price of a Disney buffet restaurant, for what you get, compared to a Merlin buffet restaurant for what you get, makes Disney look like outstanding value compared to Merlin. Disney see F&B as an opportunity to make guests happy and empty their wallets - Merlin see to see it as…well…not that, I can’t figure out how they must view it. I was also genuinely surprised how cheap (relatively) things like soft drinks, coffees and snacks are, having been conditioned by Merlin prices over the years - eg, got a chocolate crepe and a coffee for €6, bottles of coke €3 etc.
I think, what I’m trying to say, is that, I didn’t feel like we were getting screwed over for food and drink at Disney, but I do feel like that every time I spend money on refreshments at a Merlin park.