Trapper’s Smokehouse
- Thread starter Zachary
- Start date
Not anymore. There used to be a culinary component to the Ultimate Insider Tour and I believe there was a short-lived culinary-focused offering as well. As far as I know, the park's kitchens are, once again, completely inaccessible to guests though.
Anyway, if anyone as more questions about culinary tours, I know a few people around here took the Ultimate Insider Tour back when it was offered (myself included). It's probably best to move that discussion to a new thread though.
With that said, back to Trapper's.
Anyway, if anyone as more questions about culinary tours, I know a few people around here took the Ultimate Insider Tour back when it was offered (myself included). It's probably best to move that discussion to a new thread though.
With that said, back to Trapper's.
I’ve said it elsewhere but good BBQ takes time to cook right. The amounts Trappers go through makes it near impossible to always be good.
Most business people will tell you when you run something you can have two of these three:
Low cost, high quality, quick speed
For theme park meals, BGW is low cost. Also line wise it’s one of the quickest I’ve been to. It means don’t expect high quality.
Hershey’s smokehouse is high quality stuff (far better IMO). But at the same time, my last meal there that had everything trappers does was $34. I get out of Trappers for $15-18 regularly.
The biggest reason for my lack of stops at Trappers has little to do with the food; it’s that Trappers and Festhaus are popular “family spots” and I’ve been “kicked out” of my spots by families sitting close and spilling over into my space.
Last time I ate at Trappers a family didn’t ask, out all their bags at my table, then started piling all their dirty trays on my table, and right as I was finishing the mom sat at my table and started breast feeding. Now we’ve been through before I don’t have a huge issue with the last one because I can choose to look elsewhere. But the lady just sat at a table a stranger was at and whipped it out, while said stranger was STILL EATING!!
But with Trappers itself, I also find that the temperature has an effect on how it tastes. The meat (if VA is anything like PA) CANNOT be kept overnight once cooked.
Most business people will tell you when you run something you can have two of these three:
Low cost, high quality, quick speed
For theme park meals, BGW is low cost. Also line wise it’s one of the quickest I’ve been to. It means don’t expect high quality.
Hershey’s smokehouse is high quality stuff (far better IMO). But at the same time, my last meal there that had everything trappers does was $34. I get out of Trappers for $15-18 regularly.
The biggest reason for my lack of stops at Trappers has little to do with the food; it’s that Trappers and Festhaus are popular “family spots” and I’ve been “kicked out” of my spots by families sitting close and spilling over into my space.
Last time I ate at Trappers a family didn’t ask, out all their bags at my table, then started piling all their dirty trays on my table, and right as I was finishing the mom sat at my table and started breast feeding. Now we’ve been through before I don’t have a huge issue with the last one because I can choose to look elsewhere. But the lady just sat at a table a stranger was at and whipped it out, while said stranger was STILL EATING!!
But with Trappers itself, I also find that the temperature has an effect on how it tastes. The meat (if VA is anything like PA) CANNOT be kept overnight once cooked.
I'm a big Trapper's fan, but I have to admit that the quality has fallen off the past few years. There is a lot of consistency issues. Too many times the ribs (baby back and spare) have been overcooked or way too dry. I have on multiple occasions returned my ribs for fresh ones. I really try to get a good look at the stocked serving tray before I commit to getting a plate. I've gotten pretty good at being able to tell if the ribs are good or not. They did do a bit better during CT with only serving spare ribs.
I'm a big fan of their food, and was usually impressed with how good their barbecue was, especially for a theme park. Nice competition-style bite on the ribs, good smoke, etc. Usually. But then we had a dinner there during Christmastown that was downright awful (the ribs were almost inedible, the beans tasted weird) that had us worrying.
The ribs were on point yesterday. I hope they keep it up.
The ribs were on point yesterday. I hope they keep it up.
Don't know if they still do but they used to have a different spice blend they used during CT that was more Christmas-y.
I hope it’s better than preview day where the smoke house had fat for brisket and (literally) half hotdog buns for “fresh rolls”. Yikes.
When did smokehouse stop including a cup of BBQ sauce with the Smokehouse Platter? They charge 89 cents for a cup of BBQ sauce. Yesterday was the first time I had smokehouse this season, as I normally hit Festhaus or Marco Polos.
The entire menu had a price increase this season. I notice a $2 increase on each of the platters. I always thought the cup of sauce was a waste. I never used it. In the past they had always charged for an extra cup of sauce, but charging for the first cup is a recent development.
I'm not trying to point fingers, but it's likely the corporate budget attainment team who's responsible for things like that across the park(s).
Here's the problem as food prices and inflation hit:
Places can do one of 3 things. (1) Increase the price for the same amount of food. (2) Decrease the amount of food and keep the price the same. (3) Slight decrease to the amount of food, slight increase to the price.
It seems as though BGW has chosen item #2. Most restaurants and food servicing industries have discovered that making portions smaller has received the smallest amount of blowback as most meals at the portion size that was offered wasn't being finished anyways. So when people pay the same money but went from not finishing a meal to finishing one, they were less likely to be upset.
Places can do one of 3 things. (1) Increase the price for the same amount of food. (2) Decrease the amount of food and keep the price the same. (3) Slight decrease to the amount of food, slight increase to the price.
It seems as though BGW has chosen item #2. Most restaurants and food servicing industries have discovered that making portions smaller has received the smallest amount of blowback as most meals at the portion size that was offered wasn't being finished anyways. So when people pay the same money but went from not finishing a meal to finishing one, they were less likely to be upset.
Tbh, I’d rather have higher prices instead of smaller portions. When compared to other Mid-Atlantic parks, BGW’s pricing on food always seemed low.
Agreed, after finishing up at Hershey for the first time in a while, the food at Busch is generous. Hershey's food pricing to portion ratio is criminal.
I moved the rest of this discussion here in an attempt to get this thread back on topic.
They have made the fountain beverages self serve at Trapper's. It also looks like they removed the draught beer from here as well.
