Dude, where’s my fries?
Our family has had a membership to the Oregon Zoo for a few years now… the kids and wife head over there every couple of months and I join them probably once a quarter. We usually pack our lunch both for cost-effectiveness as well as some bad experiences with zoo food service in the past. Occasionally we’d purchase something, maybe an ice cream cone, or one of the old favorites: the animal-shaped french fries.
Out-of-town family wanted to go to the zoo on Sunday and our group ate lunch at the AfriCafe. The food service had changed drastically… gone was any food that couldn’t be prepared in a microwave. The only hot entrees I noticed were pizza slices and hot dogs. It appeared they’d been able to cut costs by gutting the menu down to the point where the entire establishment could be staffed by two folks, one to man the register and one to prepare the pre-cooked orders.
The animal fries are gone. Everyone from my preschool daughter up through my mother were disappointed. What was once a notable item, conversation piece, and the driving reason we didn’t pack our own lunch on Sunday has now been replaced by tiny bags of Lays potato chips. Yawn.
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Perhaps they escaped?
Gorging on giraffe-shaped potato pieces, just another experience that I missed out on and will never have.
I never had them either. Gee, I feel cheated.
We ate at the Africafe once, years ago. Ever since then we’ve always brought our own lunch or eaten at the restaurant at the entrance to the zoo. Their food at least resembles food.
They better not take away my elephant ears though… Those big sugary doughy buttery things make my mouth water just thinking of them.
Didn’t we just give the zoo a kajillion dollars?
I took my little guys to the zoo in late spring and we ate at AfriCafe. I don’t remember animal shaped fries as an option — ours came in the conventional shape. I do remember my cheeseburger came without the meat on it. They did correct that.
I also prefer the place inside the front gate — a much more varied menu but next time I’ll pack a lunch and just spring for the elephant ears.
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