Food Served with Vision and Planning

Having specific goals to bolster a broad vision and aid in business planning are the hallmarks of a forward-thinking roadmap for the future. In the quick-changing and sometimes unpredictable leisure entertainment industry, keeping an eye toward the direction of the industry and its many fluctuations represent an important mindset to launching successful brands and experiences.
Serving good-tasting food quickly at prices that will not frustrate the customer has been long recognized as a way to increase guests’ overall satisfaction with your facility. In a culture that fluctuates between glorifying basic home cooking with locally sourced ingredients to finding the whole meal outside of the home, whether in a restaurant or a grocery, attractions are faced with a tall order when it comes to meeting guests’ expectations. Yes, the customer is sophisticated and expects the best, but at the same time sometimes a simple hot dog and fries are all that will do. In this edition, TAP’s writers examine how to succeed with all types of concessions and eateries across the spectrum of out-of-home entertainment locations.
In The Large Park Report, Contributor Chad Emerson visits the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando for an update on how the attraction’s food theming efforts are paying off. And in the Food Service Spotlight section, we cover how FECs keep eating spaces clean and how serving alcohol at zoos is creating a whole new customer base.
In the Amusement Rental/Inflatable News section, we look at how party rental companies are seeing steady business in food service rental equipment, and in Street Beat, how classic snacks and beverages are dominating the food vending machine market. In the Family Entertainment Center Report, we present stories on classic menu items served with a twist and digital menu boards at bowling centers, popular menus and kitchen equipment at mini-golf and go-kart centers including a sidebar on the hardest-working kitchen equipment and laser tag centers’ top strategies for selling more food. Food staff training and hiring at waterparks is covered in the Waves section and food profit-making strategies from haunted attractions around the country are also examined.
We also feature stories on bulk vending machine and children’s museums admissions and ticketing trends, marketing tips every business should consider, the digital out-of-home entertainment revolution and more.
I hope you enjoy the issue. Please email me at editortapmag@kanec.com with your comments, questions and suggestions.