Universal's food is still pretty bad

JoeCamel

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
Padraig said:
When did it go down? I'm almost positive it was there in August, primarily because I remember thinking that it was almost anachronistic at this point. Like having a movie with a pull quote from Aint it Cool News.

Dined there once on that visit, twice the year before. Comparing back to back, it was pretty decent in 23, but it just felt like they were going through the motions last year. It wasn't bad exactly, but there was a sloppiness that I haven't experienced there before. Whoever was on the pass didn't care.

I've no recollection of the food, but I've a vague memory of it being hardish (as it come back in three hours) to get into in the early 10s.

Buy yeah Universal needs to work on their food. We've stayed over a week at HardRock for those last two trips. So got to experice a fair bit. Thought food overall (including Citywalk) had fallen off across the board in the year. Disney I think were starting to turn things around, nothing compared to the 90s, but a nice uptick.
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A few years ago they took it down for an exterior refurb and sold it, I guess with a new win they decided it should go back up.
 
Poseidon Quest

Poseidon Quest

Well-Known Member
Padraig said:
Buy yeah Universal needs to work on their food. We've stayed over a week at HardRock for those last two trips. So got to experice a fair bit. Thought food overall (including Citywalk) had fallen off across the board in the year. Disney I think were starting to turn things around, nothing compared to the 90s, but a nice uptick.
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What are your thoughts on the food at Hard Rock? I tried The Kitchen and was surprised by its elevated quality and while a bit overpriced, The Velvet Bar had great cocktails and small plates.
 
Padraig

Padraig

Well-Known Member
Poseidon Quest said:
What are your thoughts on the food at Hard Rock? I tried The Kitchen and was surprised by its elevated quality and while a bit overpriced, The Velvet Bar had great cocktails and small plates.
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Had dinner in their once. We’ve had breakfast a good few times. Breakfast is lovely, but expensive. Dinner was fine.

We usually do two weeks at Disney, and a further week at universal. Usually Universal first, but last year we reverse that. Having stayed at BCV and CCV first really laid bare how poor the food options are there. Emack and Bolio’s is just embarrassing when you compare to the likes of Roaring Fork. Even the shop near the WL lobby surpasses it. And that’s ignoring whispering canyons, geyser point etc. And I believe their range in E&B was cut back from 2023. Which is some feat. The moderate hotels at universal have far better options, more so the budgets. The quick service in Portofino and RP seemed better stocked. Again, just incredibly limited.
 
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Padraig

Padraig

Well-Known Member
JoeCamel said:
A few years ago they took it down for an exterior refurb and sold it, I guess with a new win they decided it should go back up.
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Just to ensure I wasn’t cracking up and imagining things, I checked a few bloggers reviews from last year. The sign was up there till late summer at least.
 
J

JT3000

Well-Known Member
JoeCamel said:
I have no idea but I do know the person that bought it and it is hanging in his home
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Ryan Reynolds Reaction GIF
 
BrianLo

BrianLo

Well-Known Member
Padraig said:
primarily because I remember thinking that it was almost anachronistic at this point. Like having a movie with a pull quote from Aint it Cool News..
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Thank you for this analogy. That’s exactly what my brain is struggling against, the anachronism.

While TPI may not be as far down the well and I hate to compare Robert to Harry Knowles or Pete Werner, it just feel so terribly off. That doesn’t even get towards the cheesiness that is having the quote over a themed space. Whether or not it was actually still a relevant site.

Tasteless and anachronistic.
 
Andrew25

Andrew25

Well-Known Member
I agree that Mythos should take that banner down. The problem is that even with the explosive growth Universal has had over the years, they still struggle to fill seats at their TSRs. So promoting it in-park is a business necessity. While UOR fans rave about Mythos, it doesn't get the reach that Disney TSRs do.

Also, Universal still has a significant chunk of guests who only visit with park to park tickets, so they don't have time for a sit down meal.
 
D

drkarcher22

Active Member
JT3000 said:
Ryan Reynolds Reaction GIF
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I once nearly spent $350 for a foam poster of the Infinity Gauntlet comic that used to hang in a shop at Superhero Island. The only reason I didn’t was that I had to go to work and I didn’t have a car at the time, so I would have had to Uber with it to Seaworld, then leave it in the employee lounge outside of what used to be Shamu’s happy harbor.

I realized that it was a logistical nightmare and walked away, but I still have regrets over it.

I miss the prop store. Such a cool idea
 
Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I don't really mind the anachronism part because outside of Potter, USF and IOA are full of them. Neither park really strives for full on immersion. But, quoting Theme Park Insider in 2025 on the banner is the tacky part to me.
 
JoeCamel

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
Tom Morrow said:
I don't really mind the anachronism part because outside of Potter, USF and IOA are full of them. Neither park really strives for full on immersion. But, quoting Theme Park Insider in 2025 on the banner is the tacky part to me.
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When they won and were retired in 2022?
 
BringMeTheHoriz

BringMeTheHoriz

Well-Known Member
You guys are going to be eating your lunch on this take once Epic opens. Bland theme park food has been banished from every corner of this universe. Epic will win awards for the taste, quality, and variety of its dishes.
 
Andrew25

Andrew25

Well-Known Member
BringMeTheHoriz said:
You guys are going to be eating your lunch on this take once Epic opens. Bland theme park food has been banished from every corner of this universe. Epic will win awards for the taste, quality, and variety of its dishes.
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Agree, however, I'm interested in seeing how long all of those options last before the inevitable happens with them replacing more 'exotic' options with basic ones for the IP QSRs.

Epic is also priced far more than current Disney/Universal offerings, so it'll be interesting to see if people buy into it or Universal makes changes.

Universal did reduce some of the options at Volcano Bay to offer simpler items, so we shall see what sticks.
 
networkpro

networkpro

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
We can only hope that we get Universal Studios Japan quality food at Epic, they've failed to implement it in Hollywood so far.
 
BrianLo

BrianLo

Well-Known Member
BringMeTheHoriz said:
You guys are going to be eating your lunch on this take once Epic opens. Bland theme park food has been banished from every corner of this universe. Epic will win awards for the taste, quality, and variety of its dishes.
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I mean, that is the hope, isn’t it? If Epic food is actually good it will highlight just how bad the rest of the resort has been.

The menus, variety and images honestly do look like an entirely different operator, in a great way.
 

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