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Food & Beverage: The Aramark Era begins
Handy for the hot dogs.
Alix
TS Member
Alsty
TS Member
The new ordering system at Oak in Chains, formerly Woodcutters, is a farce. The tablets don't allow you to enter an annual pass discount. You have to go to the bar to apply the discount. When most people have passes, this seems like an oversight.
Online ordering is also no longer available.
Online ordering is also no longer available.
Only sampled the delights of 'Not woodcutters' (AKA The Oak In Chains). Certainly different food wise. Good to see a change as the place had become pretty stale with an ever reduced offering over the years. Not really for me but good to see them trying something different.
The ordering though was a pain with the new tablets, but credit to the staff member who came out and took the orders from us. From sitting down to getting just a drink was the best part of an hour.
Myself and Dave popped back later on to get a drink and to sit indoors as it was bitter out. I went to bar to get a drink only to be told that had to order via tablet and they weren't allowed to serve anyone at the bar. I mentioned that there was no way to add AP discount, so was told to order, bring tablet back to the bar and she would apply discount. Did that, but then had to wait as the person serving didn't know how to do it. Eventually sorted, took over 5 minutes and then another 5 for drink to arrive. Dave goes up straight after me, order ready on tablet and ready to handover, but instead he got served, and payment taken at the bar by the same woman who told me they can't serve at the bar.
Seems a lot of the other main outlets have touch screen ordering now. However there is no way to apply Annual Pass discount, so have to go the old fashioned route still.
The ordering though was a pain with the new tablets, but credit to the staff member who came out and took the orders from us. From sitting down to getting just a drink was the best part of an hour.
Myself and Dave popped back later on to get a drink and to sit indoors as it was bitter out. I went to bar to get a drink only to be told that had to order via tablet and they weren't allowed to serve anyone at the bar. I mentioned that there was no way to add AP discount, so was told to order, bring tablet back to the bar and she would apply discount. Did that, but then had to wait as the person serving didn't know how to do it. Eventually sorted, took over 5 minutes and then another 5 for drink to arrive. Dave goes up straight after me, order ready on tablet and ready to handover, but instead he got served, and payment taken at the bar by the same woman who told me they can't serve at the bar.
Seems a lot of the other main outlets have touch screen ordering now. However there is no way to apply Annual Pass discount, so have to go the old fashioned route still.
Electric Elly
TS Member
Time to chime in on Woodcutter's Reborn...
Other than the ordering fiasco, my biggest gripe is easily how hard it is to see what you're actually ordering. The AI food descriptions has really outdone itself, as like all AI it waffles on and on with 0 substance.
For example, look at how the descriptions are cut off:
Great, no bare minimum listing of what you're eating at an easy to read glance. (The tablet view is the same as how it shows on mobile)
So you go to tap and read more... and on the tablets especially, the font size is so small and you can't even zoom. But let's have a look at what they call copy writing:
.....I am not reading through that. Just tell me what I'm eating.
A better more accessible and sensible way would be to cut the AI garbage and present your food menu like a normal place:
The Earl's Cuban
A Cuban Classic, with ham, slow-smoked pulled pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, zesty Cuban mustard in a hickory smoked savoury donut roll.
Served with seasoned fries.
It's not hard, it's basic copy writing. Food is not something to mess around with trying to sound fancy.
I also found it hard to find basic information on allergens- I'm lucky that my mollusc allergy is something I don't need to worry about apart from in seafood restaurants and some cuisines, but for those with common allergies and dietary requirements? I heard a few from our lot questioning what they could and couldn't eat.
Other than the ordering fiasco, my biggest gripe is easily how hard it is to see what you're actually ordering. The AI food descriptions has really outdone itself, as like all AI it waffles on and on with 0 substance.
For example, look at how the descriptions are cut off:
Great, no bare minimum listing of what you're eating at an easy to read glance. (The tablet view is the same as how it shows on mobile)
So you go to tap and read more... and on the tablets especially, the font size is so small and you can't even zoom. But let's have a look at what they call copy writing:
.....I am not reading through that. Just tell me what I'm eating.
A better more accessible and sensible way would be to cut the AI garbage and present your food menu like a normal place:
The Earl's Cuban
A Cuban Classic, with ham, slow-smoked pulled pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, zesty Cuban mustard in a hickory smoked savoury donut roll.
Served with seasoned fries.
It's not hard, it's basic copy writing. Food is not something to mess around with trying to sound fancy.
I also found it hard to find basic information on allergens- I'm lucky that my mollusc allergy is something I don't need to worry about apart from in seafood restaurants and some cuisines, but for those with common allergies and dietary requirements? I heard a few from our lot questioning what they could and couldn't eat.
Matt N
TS Member
I’ve religiously taken a packed lunch to Alton for years now. I genuinely can’t think of the last time I ate from a hot food outlet at Alton in park hours.
It costs less money, and also removes the stress of having to find somewhere to eat at peak lunchtimes, so if, like me, you aren’t really much of a foodie, it makes the most sense.
It costs less money, and also removes the stress of having to find somewhere to eat at peak lunchtimes, so if, like me, you aren’t really much of a foodie, it makes the most sense.
Alix
TS Member
I'm not sure it's to do with being a foodie as such, it's to do with things being fairly quick, easy and good (enough) value.
Having seen the state of the ordering system on Saturday I'm now not only going to be taking a packed lunch plus vegan cake (as towers seem incapable of sourcing vegan cake) but now also a thermos so I can get a hot drink. I'd quite happily give them my money for a hot drink and a cake but they don't seem to want it. That woodcutters stuff and the ordering system seem needlessly complicated, and they've cut their plant based burger from the mutiny bay burger place. They took hours (well, 45ish minutes) to serve some fried chicken and chips too. So sod em.
Having seen the state of the ordering system on Saturday I'm now not only going to be taking a packed lunch plus vegan cake (as towers seem incapable of sourcing vegan cake) but now also a thermos so I can get a hot drink. I'd quite happily give them my money for a hot drink and a cake but they don't seem to want it. That woodcutters stuff and the ordering system seem needlessly complicated, and they've cut their plant based burger from the mutiny bay burger place. They took hours (well, 45ish minutes) to serve some fried chicken and chips too. So sod em.
Last Scarefest we went to the Pizza place. Bitterly regretted what we got for the price, so from now on for us it's packed lunch and then McD on the way home.
I would be intrigued to try some of the stuff at the RCR but I just can't bring myself to pay those prices outside of a "nice" restaurant.
danlouislucy
TS Member
What I think are last seasons prices displayed on menu boards and displays at Generator Chicken in FV, despite the prices actually having gone up. Another point that may well be a trick question, which of these 2 units on Towers Street do we think actually serves Hot Dogs?
Attachments
Bowser
TS Member
I wish you could just get a slice of pizza, seems such a wasted opportunity. Do people actually prefer to go to an overpriced buffet and then try to eat as much as possible to convince themselves they've gotten value.... before then going on some high intensity thrill rides?
"This path is disgusting".
"This path is disgusting".
Benjsh
TS Member
I always treat at Day at Towers as a way of losing few pounds personally.
Sky Ride is never open
20,000 steps+ is easily achievable
I don't tend to eat too much really and avoid paying crazy prices for unhealthy food.
Drink loads of water and probably more than i do on a typical work day
Sky Ride is never open
20,000 steps+ is easily achievable
I don't tend to eat too much really and avoid paying crazy prices for unhealthy food.
Drink loads of water and probably more than i do on a typical work day
Bert2theSpark
TS Member
Artisan pizza is becoming quite trendy on street markets nowadays, something stone baked with high-value toppings such as honey. It would be different enough from oven-cooked pizzas and is still relatively low cost to produce.
Maybe have even a couple of different locations across the park with different toppings based around different rides. I really like the concept of a sterotypical Italian pizza outlet with a Smiler theme to it, with a pizza slice forming part of an optical illusion!
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