Bristol Zoo (Closed) Bristol Zoo news 2017

Surely no one wants table service at the zoo - this does seem like a bit of an own goal doesn't it...
 
zoogiraffe said:
Well in that case they have joined Twycross in a very big own goal!!!!
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I can't for the life of me work out whether you agree that it is a bad idea, or are you saying that Twycross has a sit down restaraunt that people like?
 
sooty mangabey said:
The commercial folk at the zoo seem to have got this one spectacularly wrong.....

The Hide, Bristol Zoo - restaurant review | Restaurants | Bristol 24/7
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Comments on their Facebook page are not good either. The zoo have replied with the below - but then people are saying they've visited after this was posted and none of the changes were available. There's going to be trouble if I am denied coffee & cake on our next visit!

"Thank you for visiting The Hide and sharing your feedback with us. We value our members' and guests' comments and would like to reassure you that we are listening.

We want The Hide to be as enjoyable as possible for all our guests and we will work hard to make that happen. Your feedback will help us achieve that.

We are pleased to announce that from today hot drinks and cakes will be available in The Hide all day, every day. In addition, you will be able to choose individual items from the kids set meal menu; as well as the option to obtain the kids bags from our Hungry Monkey kiosk.

If you have any further questions or feedback in the meantime, please contact our Guest Services team by emailing guestservices@bristolzoo.org.uk"
 
I'm sure they will persist with it as it is for at least a while to come, with some minor modifications to act as a sop to all the complaints. Really they need it as a cafeteria in the daytime when the zoo is open, and they could maybe have their upmarket restaurant(with access from outside the Zoo) in the evening, but of course it hasn't been designed for that. Eventually they might be forced to make a more substantial change to it though.

I also noted Twycross' similar, though perhaps not so extreme, attempt to go down this route. It seems these places are trying to go 'upmarket' and in doing so compromising what the majority of their family-based visitors need during a zoo visit. At Bristol in particular there now seems little choice of other food outlets. Pretty stupid IMO.
 
Pertinax said:
It seems these places are trying to go 'upmarket' and in doing so compromising what the majority of their family-based visitors need during a zoo visit.
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I'd be all in favour of a zoo going upmarket; alas, I don't think either of these places can do so on their current business models - each has gone down the route of brazenly appealing to the 'family' market, with play areas and "entertainment" aplenty. They're simply not very upmarket places (and, possibly, that is just how it should be!).

If Bristol had a variety of eating options, things might be very different. I recently visited Longleat, and thoroughly enjoyed a sit-down, waiter-service meal in their pizzeria. It was a pretty decent meal - the standard of a chain Italian restaurant - and it was nice to be able to relax for 40 minutes in this way. It was more expensive than the average zoo meal, but given the cost of entry to Longleat I was already facing imminent bankruptcy, so a few extra pounds made not much difference. But, crucially, there are other options available, so not all hungry visitors had to go down this route.
 
sooty mangabey said:
If Bristol had a variety of eating options, things might be very different.
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I think this is key. That restaurant is really the only option for families to eat at Bristol so if it's not suitable it's a major issue for both visitor satisfaction and secondary spend.
 
Given the trend for zoo to exhibit their animals in a settling with various ethnic and cultural and geographical references, are there any zoos with decent "street food" outlets e.g. Asian food stalls?
And would this be a good route to go down?
 
Ned said:
Given the trend for zoo to exhibit their animals in a settling with various ethnic and cultural and geographical references, are there any zoos with decent "street food" outlets e.g. Asian food stalls?
And would this be a good route to go down?
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Chester's Manado Street Kitchen in Islands is an attempt at just that. It's not bad, either.

There was a sort-of attempt at this in Twycross' Himalaya when it first opened, as well, though it soon drifted to something more generic.
 
sooty mangabey said:
I'd be all in favour of a zoo going upmarket; alas, I don't think either of these places can do so on their current business models - each has gone down the route of brazenly appealing to the 'family' market, with play areas and "entertainment" aplenty. They're simply not very upmarket places (and, possibly, that is just how it should be!).
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That's where the problem lies, both of them are very much identified with the mainstream of family- orientated zoos. I remember not so long ago when Twycross' catering was limited to that single scruffy portakabin building near the entrance- they have certainly improved it since then. With other catering alternatives still available, a more upmarket style of restaurant service may have a niche there too, though I doubt it. But in Bristol's case they seem to have pretty much eclipsed the only main catering outlet for their major visitor base of families with kids, in one stroke.
 
sooty mangabey said:
If Bristol had a variety of eating options, things might be very different. I recently visited Longleat, and thoroughly enjoyed a sit-down, waiter-service meal in their pizzeria. It was a pretty decent meal - the standard of a chain Italian restaurant - and it was nice to be able to relax for 40 minutes in this way. It was more expensive than the average zoo meal, but given the cost of entry to Longleat I was already facing imminent bankruptcy, so a few extra pounds made not much difference. But, crucially, there are other options available, so not all hungry visitors had to go down this route.
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Very true - now I think about it I'm sure we have had a lunch / cream tea which was a table service affair at the Pattiserie at Colchester zoo - which was lovely on a bit of a grim weather day. So I take back my comment that no one wants table service! It is a pretty small establishment though and they have multiple other places with wraps / burgers / fried chicken / coffee shop and your traditional canteen style service restaurant.

I think the style of food being served is also key - if you are aiming for 'up market' I think the food needs to be different to what you can get in a canteen at any other zoo.
 
Restaurants in zoos don't normally interest me as I never(or hardly ever) use them anyway, but Bristol's apparent spectacular failure in identifying(or is it just ignoring?) its main visitor base here fascinates me rather.
 
Pertinax said:
Restaurants in zoos don't normally interest me as I never(or hardly ever) use them anyway, but Bristol's apparent spectacular failure in identifying(or is it just ignoring?) its main visitor base here fascinates me rather.
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Me too - I am intrigued to see how long they stick with it for...
 
It looks like the wallaby-walkthrough is to become an animatronic dinosaur walk-through, at least temporarily, until the 3rd September. So no ratites then. Roll-on 3rd September.
Home | Dinomania
 
Ned said:
It looks like the wallaby-walkthrough is to become an animatronic dinosaur walk-through, at least temporarily, until the 3rd September. So no ratites then. Roll-on 3rd September.
Home | Dinomania
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No! Please no! What is happening to the wallabies? I was looking forward to visiting Bristol in the summer, but a zoo of this size can't afford to waste exhibit space on non-animals!!
 
pipaluk said:
No! Please no! What is happening to the wallabies? I was looking forward to visiting Bristol in the summer, but a zoo of this size can't afford to waste exhibit space on non-animals!!
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For various reasons, the wallabies simply didn't work out as an exhibit. The dinosaurs are just a short-term thing, and there are plans for a 'real' exhibit here once they have moved off.....
 
The Malagasy giant jumping rats are no longer on display and their sign has been removed. The small green house in zona Brazilia it's closed for a small referb. Dinosaurs are popping up all over the zoo.
 
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