And the Stein Club at BGW is one of the only reasons why I somewhat justified multiple visits last year. I haven’t heard anything about it this year and given SEAS greedy decision making I don’t expect them to.
The State of the Park: Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Thread starter CoasterTalkBob
- Start date
I just don't even understand what the park is doing from a business standpoint anymore. That's part of what I find so frustrating. Steamrolling the landscaping department? Sure. I can understand that guest surveys never specifically cited landscaping as the reason for visiting and how some cold-hearted suit in an office in Orlando could look at that and say, "Clearly BGW is overspending on landscaping, time to make them decimate the department." To be clear, I think that's a stupid decision, and, in my opinion, is direct evidence that SEAS has no idea what they're doing. That said, I still understand the mechanism by which a decision like that gets made.
I do not understand how the decision is made to never open Brauhaus—an offering that simply printed money endlessly—and, seemingly, abolish the Stein Club—an expensive up-charge that ensured a consistent flow of revenue throughout the season and massively incentivized folks to spend far more than they likely would have without it—and on one of the highest-margin items in the park no less.
I just don't understand how these choices are being made. It seriously makes you question whether or not leadership is just asleep at the wheel at this point.
I do not understand how the decision is made to never open Brauhaus—an offering that simply printed money endlessly—and, seemingly, abolish the Stein Club—an expensive up-charge that ensured a consistent flow of revenue throughout the season and massively incentivized folks to spend far more than they likely would have without it—and on one of the highest-margin items in the park no less.
I just don't understand how these choices are being made. It seriously makes you question whether or not leadership is just asleep at the wheel at this point.
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The only thing I can think of with this is instead of looking at overall revenue from the structure of each individual thing (like Bauhaus) they are looking at spending per person overall in the park and cutting out ways that member-driven-spending can reduce dollars per person.
The sad thing is - if it's working, they aren't going to stop. If the members $60per visit is gone, but non-member spending goes from $80 to $160per they are going to be fine with it.
Sadly that's what these investment firms prioritize over anything else.
Really random and off topic but on topic - Did you see Warren Buffett say that if you aren't participating in stock buybacks you are ruining your company by diluting control?
But how would that even work? Brauhaus being closed means day ticket guests aren't spending money there either. Speaking more broadly, there are very few places in the park that should ever be a zero-sum game. Pass member spend shouldn't change day guest spend.
I'm not sure. Like I said they might just look at average dollars per person rather than splitting out.
If members were spending $60/visit, day tickets $80/visit, that's an average of $70/visit. If all members spent nothing (I know this is an extreme), and day tickets spent $160 (again I know an extreme), the average per person goes to $80/visit.
Like I said, it's basically the only thing I can think of at this point - they aren't looking at the subcategories in the end, they are only looking at the bottom line at the end.
I agree with @Zachary , my in-park spending has dropped to almost zero. I will buy a soft drink or two, because I don't have the drink cup, because I hate carrying it. I wish they had a virtual cup attached to the pass. I no longer eat at the park due to long lines and abysmal food quality. I used to be a huge advocate for Trapper's, but not anymore. I literally have not eaten any foods within the park since September. I haven't even purchased any beer since before Christmas. I just can't justify a $13/$15/$17 beer price. If it wasn't for the shows and entertainment, I wouldn't return. It's so sad to see such a downward spiral and with no end in sight.
Same here. The only time I spend money at the park now is if I need a few extra cents to make a purchase with one of the free $10 Busch buck vouchers. (last time they actually charged me 8 cents on my credit card for one of those purchases)
Used to have all season food and drink passes for the family, buy merch and snacks.
Absolutely not feeling it anymore in the current climate.
We come out to watch some of the shows, pick up whatever monthly incentive they have, ride whatever doesn't have much of a line and leave.
Kids can't wait for KD to properly open up to justify the drive up there.
Used to have all season food and drink passes for the family, buy merch and snacks.
Absolutely not feeling it anymore in the current climate.
We come out to watch some of the shows, pick up whatever monthly incentive they have, ride whatever doesn't have much of a line and leave.
Kids can't wait for KD to properly open up to justify the drive up there.
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This is such a timely discussion as SEAS is out this morning with their Q4 & FY 2022 earnings report which of course points to another strong quarter in revenue and profitability. I wonder how much longer SEAS can continue with its current business model of diluting the guest experience in lieu of profits, especially for members. The bottom line is that it's likely not a sustainable business model of the long run. I'd argue that pass holder membership churn may be a leading indicator of this question, although that data seems to be closely held by SEAS marketing.
They’re sitting on a bubble. From all indications in my field many areas are on a bubble.
Interesting that they are up in revenue being down in attendance. They are going to crash hard soon.
People are focused on the food, but I would add that the merchandise quality has plummeted, as well. There is rarely anything in the shops that I would even consider buying, with or without the surcharge. I found the same to be true at other SEAS parks, as well. The unique, area-themed items generally seem to have been replaced with generic roller coaster junk.
That's extra scary, because once their profits plummet, I am sure they won't decide to spend more money on all the quality-of-life stuff they cut out, to improve the guest experience again, but look into more cuts to save money.
Even the member exclusive glasses ended up being a smack in the face when they started selling the set for $75
So today I was blown away. More eateries open that I haven’t seen open even last summer some days. Cheerful employees! Kevin Lembke himself walking around, greeting guests and asking their names. Kevin took the time to chat with some guests with special needs, took pictures with them, and was so very kind and joyful. The staff at DarKoaster seem so excited (like all of us are). There is a really fun atmosphere in the park that I haven’t seen in awhile.
I must say, having Les Frites open again is wonderful.
I think I may have reacted like one of those Disney adults when they see the castle when I saw that Les Frites was open. I went ten times last year and it was only open once when I went. I was so happy and the portions were nicely sized. Yes, the fries are frozen but I think they are prepared very well and the employees were super nice. They also had some funnel cake places open that I haven’t seen open in a long time. I really think they are making an effort to increase guest satisfaction (and not just adding launch coasters).
Business case study on how to reset customer expectations at a lower level.
I was just thinking about how amazing, kind, and energetic all of the employees I interacted with this weekend were! It was a very nice change. Les Frites was a great plus!
Sorry to move my response here but this feels like the better place for it, and this is quite the hot take alert:
BGW should kill off F&W and any other events that require their staff to do extra culinary things. Hotter take? I’ve been to places that use worse ingredients and starting points than BGW but they taste much better because they focus on doing a few things well rather than doing a lot of things.
BGW has a wide variety of items to worry about across the board and it makes for a very difficult job, especially when they want to add on all these events. Kill it off, do some baseline food items across the board, and have a specialty plate at all the eateries. Let Trappers be the only spot where the entire menu is different from everywhere else.
I’m thinking if they do a flat bread, burger option, and maybe one other thing at all eateries.
Ireland - Potato Skins and Corned Beef plate are your specialties.
Trappers - Pulled Pork, Brisket, Smoked Wings
FH - Brats, “loaded” pretzel bites
MP - Pasta Bar, Salad Station
A tighter and leaner menu could be something that really helps out BGW get back some of it’s culinary edge - but I know it comes with the hot take warning because so many people like the wide variety.
I like the current setup where each eatery has its own menu. Though, I do agree they should cut down on the number of items sold at each location. I think Squires and Trappers have a good number of items on their menus. However, keep the burgers, add back the wraps/sandwiches they had before. Move the salads to Marco Polo as suggested above.
Redone menu idea:
Trappers:
Brisket
Pulled Pork
Wings
Standard kids meal (nuggets/tenders & fries)
Squires:
Burgers
Wraps
Sandwiches
Standard kids meal (nuggets/tenders & fries)
Marco Polo’s Marketplace (largest amount of offerings):
Keep the current menu
Salad bar
Bring back the dessert station
Standard kids meal (nuggets/tenders & fries)
Festhaus (largest kids menu location):
German sausage platter
Kielbasa meal
Expanded kids menu
-nuggets/tenders
-hot dogs
-grilled cheese
-Mac & cheese
Redone menu idea:
Trappers:
Brisket
Pulled Pork
Wings
Standard kids meal (nuggets/tenders & fries)
Squires:
Burgers
Wraps
Sandwiches
Standard kids meal (nuggets/tenders & fries)
Marco Polo’s Marketplace (largest amount of offerings):
Keep the current menu
Salad bar
Bring back the dessert station
Standard kids meal (nuggets/tenders & fries)
Festhaus (largest kids menu location):
German sausage platter
Kielbasa meal
Expanded kids menu
-nuggets/tenders
-hot dogs
-grilled cheese
-Mac & cheese
I don't disagree, but I hesitate to fully commit to the same opinion simply based on the need for variety. I also just "recovered" from a very restrictive food allergy situation (alpha gal with dairy intolerance) and it was absolutely miserable to eat at BGW when combining my issues with the park's issues. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy so I have a new found respect and support for the importance of food variety.
F&W is a big draw for the park so I don't see them ever deciding to ditch it. That said, each booth is very hit/miss and even that can swing wildly based on time of day and attendance. Great food one time, old food the next. Etc. Some of my favorite food ever at BGW has come out of F&W, but so has some of the worst. I also really look forward to @Nicole, @Zachary, and Co's reviews and would hate to lose those!
Other seasonal fare has really disappointed lately and that's without even touching on the food choices for last year's Christmas Town. Pre-COVID, the CT meal was excellent. Now? Nope. The hot cocoa is watery and the pre-mixed Irish coffee is terrible. HoS doesn't do too many special things outside of beverages and that's perfectly okay.
For the state of the existing food locations:
And honestly? Keep the food trucks. Allow them to rotate in/out. They add variety. Halal, Asian, Mexican, Mediterranean, etc. Market it as a local community inclusion thing. Showcase the ethnic options from food trucks. Allows you to add variety while keeping distance from the food. If a truck doesn't meet expectations, drop it from the rotation.
F&W is a big draw for the park so I don't see them ever deciding to ditch it. That said, each booth is very hit/miss and even that can swing wildly based on time of day and attendance. Great food one time, old food the next. Etc. Some of my favorite food ever at BGW has come out of F&W, but so has some of the worst. I also really look forward to @Nicole, @Zachary, and Co's reviews and would hate to lose those!
Other seasonal fare has really disappointed lately and that's without even touching on the food choices for last year's Christmas Town. Pre-COVID, the CT meal was excellent. Now? Nope. The hot cocoa is watery and the pre-mixed Irish coffee is terrible. HoS doesn't do too many special things outside of beverages and that's perfectly okay.
For the state of the existing food locations:
- Trappers needs a full overhaul. Not cosmetically, but the food itself. Go back to the giant front grills. Put a smoker pit out where people can see/smell it. Hire a dedicated pitmaster. Use different wood/pellets. Take pride in Trappers and have it be the premier BBQ location, not only in the park, but in the region. It can have cheaper options (read: chicken), but give it some room to go nuts with a sauce bar, fresh BBQ options, and traditional fixins. This could be a true gem but you can tell they've moved to mass-market style pretend BBQ cooking. Even have it be an additional charge to the dining plan if you have to. BBQ is a huge market these days. Capitalize on it like Cedar Point did with their newest restaurants.
- Squires should stay roughly the same. Basket style food that pleases the whole crowd. This is just simple premium-foodservice grade stuff and the prices can reflect it. Not every location needs to be special.
- Idk wtf happened to Festhaus but I cringe thinking about eating there now when as recently as 2018, I'd have raved about it. Leave most of the meat to Trappers. Focus on the sausage platter. Add a quality Reuben. Keep the food hearty and add as much German influence as the American palate will allow. Have one of the lines be the same as the baskets at Squire's. Expand the pub snack options at Brauhaus as long as they're easy/quick and not necessarily gourmet. This needs to stay high-volume.
- Marco Polo is a mess. It has no idea what it wants to be. Mongolian? Italian? Asian? Pick one and stick to it. If it's Italian, don't use crappy noodles and canned sauce. Hire someone's grandma to whip that Italian food into shape! Salad is perfect here. I do miss the cannoli though....
- Ireland should be less of a meal and more pub fare. Fryer food. The existing chips and pretzels. Beer cheese.
- And FFS bring back Josephine's!
And honestly? Keep the food trucks. Allow them to rotate in/out. They add variety. Halal, Asian, Mexican, Mediterranean, etc. Market it as a local community inclusion thing. Showcase the ethnic options from food trucks. Allows you to add variety while keeping distance from the food. If a truck doesn't meet expectations, drop it from the rotation.
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