LOS ANGELES — Thrifty theme park fans who ate at Magic Mountain for less than $1 a day will no longer be able to buy the all-season dining pass after Six Flags killed the all-you-can-eat plan that became a viral online sensation.
All Six Flags parks have dropped the Unlimited Dining Plan and now offer dining add-ons as part of a new season pass program.
“We believe there is no better value than a visit to Six Flags and continuously look at ways to improve our product offerings with the goal of elevating the guest experience,” Six Flags officials said in a statement. “Based on guest feedback, we recently launched a simplified pass program that better aligns with those preferences, including add-ons like the dining pass.”
New Six Flags CEO Selim Bassoul has been pushing the parks to adopt a “premium experience” strategy rather than chase big crowds and offer heavy discounting.
“As we continue to invest in our parks and offer a more premium dining experience, our new dining pass program includes new options for one-day ticket holders and passholders,” Six Flags officials said in a statement.
Two guys who ate daily at Six Flags Magic Mountain on the pennies-per-meal all-season dining plan became viral sensations after explaining how they saved money on groceries and dining out by living on a theme park diet of cheeseburgers, pizza, fried chicken, french fries and soft drinks.
The life hack stories about the Six Flags unlimited dining plan that went viral on social media had no influence on ending the program, according to Six Flags officials.
How did the now-ended Six Flags all-you-can-eat life hack work? And how did Six Flags possibly make any money off the program?
Six Flags used to offer a $150 per year unlimited dining plan that could be added to a Magic Mountain season pass and used to get two meals and a snack every day of the year. Competitors such as Knott’s Berry Farm and SeaWorld San Diego offer similar all-season dining passes.
The dining annual passes make financial sense to the theme park chains for a number of reasons. For starters, the low-priced dining annual passes create the perception of value and savings in a theme park industry that is increasingly viewed as expensive. They drive annual pass sales to the park. Those annual passes increase return visits which in turn increase per-capita spending by visitors. Annual passholders are loyal customers who attend seasonal festivals and purchase exclusive offers — like all-season dining passes. It’s a virtuous cycle for the parks.
What theme parks know is that a season-long dining pass is like a gym membership or extended warranty. They make sense when you break down the overall cost. But there are plenty of visitors who will never extract the full value out of the plan, which makes it both affordable for those who use the dining plans to the ultimate maximum and also wildly profitable for the theme parks.
Believe it or not, dining season passes are incredibly profitable for theme parks. Six Flags, Cedar Fair and SeaWorld executives regularly boast during quarterly reports about the ever-increasing revenue generated from season dining plans.
It’s possible to recreate a Frankenstein version of the former Six Flags Unlimited Dining Plan. Passholders can purchase as many 4-meal plan add-ons as they want at $40 a pop — but that pretty much defeats the cost-savings benefit of the former $150 waistline-busting meal deal.
The new top-of-the-line $330 Ultimate Pass at Magic Mountain includes a 10-meal dining plan that can be used in a single transaction, on any individual visit or any time during the 2022 season. Ultimate passholders pay a $150 premium for the 10-meal dining plan and preferred parking. In addition, any visitor can buy a $20 one-day dining deal good for one meal and one snack.
At Magic Mountain, the new dining passes can be used at Ace O’ Clubs BBQ, Big Belly Burger, Chicken Coupe, Chop Six, High Octane Wings, Johnny Rockets and several other restaurants.
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