On mountain food prices

SIKSKIER · Apr 9, 2012

I pulled a knucklehead move at Loon Saturday.I don't know what I was thinking but I went to the cafe at Governors lodge and picked up a burger plate and bottled soft drink.Checkout time and what...$13 something.Yikes!Glad I sold those 3 vouchers in the parking lot.

deadheadskier · Apr 9, 2012

My only recent recollection of sticker shock at a ski area was getting a couple of slices of pizza at Killington last year. I didn't look at the prices, but slices of pepperoni were like $5.75. With Vermont's excessive meal tax, the bill came to over $12 for 2 somewhat large, but gas station quality slices of pizza.

Eating in Spruce Camp at Stowe, I honestly don't care what the price is as the the quality is so good; in fact better than most restaurants in town. I look forward to having lunch there every time I visit Stowe.

dovoian · Apr 9, 2012

Last time I went to Mad River I bought a hamburger and was surprised not only that it didn't cost that much, but that it was an ACTUAL hamburger, and was served to me on a PLATE with Silverware!!

Mr MRG · Apr 9, 2012

Food Prices

So glad to hear that folks seem to see value and quality on the food at Mad River Glen. We really pride ourselves on our food and the fact that our burgers in particular are fresh (never frozen) and are ALWAYS cooked to order (huge difference not being under a heat lamp). Mike, our F&B Manager,really gets it and is always trying to lure folks(via quality and/or price) into our on-mountain "eateries". My Dad always told me that a big part of judging a ski area is their burgers (and choclate chip cookies). One of my favorite things about MRG's food service is the fact that we offer real stuff like PB&J sandwichs, hard boiled eggs, jello, etc... Plus ALL of our baked goods are homemade and BIG - REAL BIG! As my Dad also told me years back - NEVER eat anything bigger than your head!

As an aside I was recently out in Lake Tahoe on a business trip (REALLY!!!) and I was floored by the $9 Budweiser (12 ounces BTW - not even a pounder) - That being said they did have Go-Go dancers in the bar which certainly upped the value quotient!

Nick · Apr 9, 2012

Yeah but did you have to tip the go go dancer also? :lol:

billski · Apr 9, 2012

Adam Smith would simply observe supply and demand. If this is what it takes to stay in business so be it. Recent stats confirm it's a large chunk of revenue it. It doesn't impact the envionment, it brings more local jobs and cash infusion to the local economy. The impact is only on your wallet. Of course, the vocal few on this forum have learned how to deal with this, so it's not really a problem. It is of course very entertaining.

I used to have the "Cheeseburger Index", tracking the price from mountain. I wanted to see how it tracked inflation rate and ticket prices. I lost interest in doing this a long time ago.

dovoian · Apr 9, 2012

MRG man, I was also loving the Advil in the food line - I took advantage of it!

my poor knees · Apr 9, 2012

The Burgers and chili at K are pretty damn good. It's not priced so high that I freak out about it, but I was pissed when they took away the pass-holders discount, think it was 10% ? But I certainly wouldn't brown bag it based on the price, they're entitled to make a profit on food. It's no different than going to an amusement park or attraction or zoo or whatever.

snoseek · Apr 9, 2012

How hard is it to throw some soup in a thermos or make a couple sandwiches? You have nothing but your own laziness to blame if you're not happy about paying those prices but judging by the lines the majority of the skiers are ok with the prices.

I don't know about you all but my soup is usually gonna be better than their soup.

Also comparing a 2.50 burger king jr whopper to a ski area price wise isn't exactly fair for sooo many reasons.

snowmonster · Apr 9, 2012

Bottom line I think is that people don't mind paying for quality. If you charge $8 for a burger, make it worth $8. Otherwise, the customer feels gouged. Deer Valley and Stowe were brought up in discussion and I'd like to praise what they do food-wise. Before I went to Deer Valley, a colleague said "look, you pay the same amount to eat a hockey puck at Killington but the difference at Deer Valley is that you get a really good burger." Had a Thanksgiving meal for lunch on china and silverware at DV and didn't feel gouged at all. It was worth $13. A lot of western areas I've been to seem to have a good concept of giving you a good meal for a fair price. Some of their eastern brethren are coming around and I hope that trend continues.

As for the lack of SR patrons eating burgers, well, if you must know, grilling season is in full swing there. The loyalists are all out in the parking lot grilling brats and venison and mixing margaritas. I guess only the day trippers are held hostage. SR's food options have been on the upswing recently. There's a way to go but the quality is improving.

Mr MRG · Apr 9, 2012

Nick said:
Yeah but did you have to tip the go go dancer also? :lol:

Go Go Dancers NOT Lap Dancers so no tipping required!!

Mr MRG · Apr 9, 2012

dovoian said:
MRG man, I was also loving the Advil in the food line - I took advantage of it!

Ah yes, better skiing through chemistry!

RENO · Apr 9, 2012

How about almost $10 for 1 slice of pizza at Breckenridge! :-o :lol:

SkiFanE · Apr 9, 2012

riverc0il said:
Yup, you can't go into many sit down establishments and get a burger, fries, and drink for much less than $12 or so.

My issue with ski areas isn't high prices but rather lack of quality or portion size for the pricing. If I pay sit down restaurant prices, I expect the same quality. That is the bigger issue at many areas. Though I have noticed many areas increasing quality big time without significant jumps in pricing.

The bigger issue for me is drink prices. I've seen fountain drinks as high as $3.50-$4.00 which is an absurd margin. I try to bring a water bottle for beverages even if I plan on buying on mountain food.

I paid $5 for a SR BBQ burger on the Friday of Dumont, outdoor grill. With all the fresh fixings, it was a decent ski area deal I thought. But the burger was so raw, I ended up taking a couple bites and tossing it...could have gone back and complained and got another..but the $3.75 Bud tall can kept me full instead

They must have up-priced for Pond Skimming.

I know what I'm in for at ski lodges, I'm under no illusions it's a deal. But normally the in-house Barker cheeseburger is $3.99, which isn't a bad deal. They have a wrap sandwich with pickle and fries that's big enough for hubby and I to split, the cheaper ones are about $6 the higher ones $9...again, not bad in my mind at all.

snoseek · Apr 9, 2012

Seriously go into the new mid-mtn lodge at Heavenly and order an epic burger. I was told its 18 dollars. Add a beer and a bag of chips and you alone will be at 30 dollars for lunch!

10 dollars for a slice of pizza? Wow!

deadheadskier · Apr 9, 2012

snowmonster said:
There's a way to go but the quality is improving.

Sunday River's food offerings both quality and selection have gotten a bad rap for years. Good to hear they are upping their game.

SkiFanE · Apr 9, 2012

snoseek said:
How hard is it to throw some soup in a thermos or make a couple sandwiches? You have nothing but your own laziness to blame if you're not happy about paying those prices but judging by the lines the majority of the skiers are ok with the prices.

I don't know about you all but my soup is usually gonna be better than their soup.

Also comparing a 2.50 burger king jr whopper to a ski area price wise isn't exactly fair for sooo many reasons.

Lol..actually it's a big pain in the ass for me...tried it a couple times this year, and it wasn't worth the hassle (have to get lunches to where kids actually eat, which is diff't than where we park)...etc. Tough enough time getting everyone out the door by 8:00am after arriving at 10-11pm the night before...just one of the things we are willing to concede we just can't deal with and toss the older kids cash every day to buy what they like. And then the days we packed lunches, well it was cold and the ski groups stop in the lodge for a snack...so everyone else is buying a cinnabon but my kiddo had no cash...and not in lodge where lunch was stored.

SkiFanE · Apr 9, 2012

deadheadskier said:
Sunday River's food offerings both quality and selection have gotten a bad rap for years. Good to hear they are upping their game.

It is what it is..IMO. Can't say it's terrific, but again..I don't expect gourmet at a ski lodge but neither do I expect a wonderful hot meal in the middle of my ski day - I want something quick so I can refeul get back out and ski again. Actually...this year it became a Cliff Bar (packed from home) and a Budweiser lol...a burger at lunch doesn't energize me like a cliff bar.

2sons · Apr 9, 2012

It is strange that so few places get it. The burgers up in the Octagon are pricey, but they're well made and the 16oz. $3.75 PBR's make it worth it. MRG is spot on with china plates and real silverware and the Chili dog is pretty damned tasty. These things make me more apt to go back.

RENO · Apr 9, 2012

my poor knees said:
The Burgers and chili at K are pretty damn good. It's not priced so high that I freak out about it, but I was pissed when they took away the pass-holders discount, think it was 10% ? But I certainly wouldn't brown bag it based on the price, they're entitled to make a profit on food. It's no different than going to an amusement park or attraction or zoo or whatever.

Love the fudge brownies with the white chocolate pieces on top at K...

On mountain food prices

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