The sooner Merlin can get rid of Aramark the better the parks will become. Me and my Mum are at Chessington today, multiple units still closed, including Burger Kitchen, and they are continuing to be discriminatory to allergy suffers.
I wonder what the Aramark deal is... It may be that the deal is very good for Merlin financially.
Obviously, we've no idea what the actual deal is, so this is all theoretical. But when Derby County bought in Delaware North to handle their match day catering, Delaware North paid a hell of a lot of money (millions) to Derby for those rights. That meant that Derby were guaranteed that income, without having to shoulder any risk.
So given the current economic environment, and how it's been extremely difficult to make a profit with food over the last few years, and with those issues set to continue as costs soar further. If the Aramark deal is similar, in that Aramark bring in their own staff, suppliers, menu etc, and keep all revenue having paid Merlin a large fee for the rights. Merlin may well have come out of this better off than they would have been if they were doing it all themselves.
Remember though, we don't know the actual deal. There is this article, amongst others, that suggest it could be a similar arrangement -
https://www.facilitatemagazine.com/...ecures-uk-catering-deal-merlin-entertainments - And if that's the case, and the fee paid to Merlin is a fixed fee rather than a percentage based on profits / turnover... Bloody smart move to be honest, financially, given what has happened since and what we know now about the hospitality and catering industry's challenges ahead.
Anyway, my point is that maybe we're hoping for the wrong thing (because I do agree, the food right now is a joke.) For as long as the arrangement is mutually beneficial, in that Merlin have the security and stability of a fixed income from food, and Aramark have more outlets to 'potentially' make a profit, then I can't see the arrangement ending soon. But why can't Aramark sort out the food offering? It seems to me like they're trying to make every outlet mid, instead of having clear divides between budget, core and premium food offerings. I'd like to see them focus on value for money with the smaller quick serve outlets, and focus on quality, and only quality, regardless of cost, with what I think should be premium outlets, like RCR and Woodcutters (bite me!)
I'd like to see them properly implement 3 tiers like this.
Value: Outlets like the small quick serve places on Towers Street, Dark Forest and Mutiny Bay, Courtyard Hot Dogs and that kind of outlet... These should be cheap and quick rubbish... The focus should be on providing something to fill a hole at the very very best value.
Core: Outlets like The Burger Kitchen, Just Chicken or Explorer's Pizza Pasta Buffet. These are the core outlets, that should provide a good meal, at a reasonable enough price, but without sacrificing too much in the way of quality to achieve that price. If you need to charge a quid more to offer decent chicken instead of the cheapest crap, then do it. But keep the menus simple and wholesome so that you can keep prices reasonable without sacrificing that quality too much.
Premium: Outlets like Woodcutters and Rollercoaster Restaurant. (I'd like to see Welcome-Inn renovated and bought into this category too, if the logistics allowed. Although I've no idea what their kitchen is like, so maybe not.) These are the places you go when you want something nice. If I'm taking time out of a day to sit down and wait for a proper meal, it's because I want to eat something good. These outlets should focus on quality, quality and then quality, regardless of cost, no corners should be cut to save a few quid. If it's £20+ for a meal, then so be it. In this kind of outlet I'd rather pay £25 for an absolutely fantastic meal, (as far as theme park's go) than £15 for something average or below.
This isn't a new concept, all of the best parks in the world are like this, Disney, Universal, Europa Park. But it's something Alton Towers (and I assume other Merlin Parks) seem to be struggling with more and more since Aramark took over, even if it is something they're 'trying' to achieve, they're failing Imo. The value outlets are too expensive, the core outlets are focusing on price at the expense of quality just a little too much, and the premium restaurants are just crap now, with no focus on quality at all, it would seem.
