Is no hot food a deal breaker?

[Gnomesrule]

If a soft play centre didn’t serve hot food at weekends, would it put you off going?

I assume you run a soft play?

No, it's not a problem. I wouldn't care if there were no hot food all week. Better to have nice hot drinks, good quality cakes/patisserie, and sandwiches.

I'm way past the soft play stage now thank god but for me, not serving hot food would have been a bonus. There are only so many sticky tables covered in ketchup / baked bean juice that I can stomach...!

I’d definitely want a reasonable choice of hot and cold drinks. For snacks maybe cakes, crisps, or fruit? I rarely bought the meals at these places (the dc were always more interested in playing, and I saw so much food go to waste). It also tended to be greasy rubbish! I think a choice of sandwiches, or a well publicised option to bring your own food (so many soft plays ban you bringing in anything, so actually that option could be considered a positive).

What's your AIBU?

Our local soft play just does snack plates where you choose 5 things for £3. Sandwich, cheese, grapes, pepper, bread sticks... that kind of thing. It's very popular.

What's your AIBU?

I'm hoping for a Wedding Reception angle to make an appearance in the thread
on tenterhooks

Not at all. We don't eat at softplay, it's pricey enough to get in! We either take our own or eat at home.

No. I would go between meal times anyway so it wouldn't be an issue to me. If I want to eat out I'd rather go to a cafe/pub/restaurant anyway.

I would expect there to be things like chips (what you would call crisps), maybe popcorn, candy, water, juice, coffee, and soda. Junk food, basically. :) Unless it's been marketed otherwise, like here Chuck E Cheese advertises meals; pizza, salads, chicken wings, appetizers, etc.

No, but decent coffee would be.

The food is always dreadful in those places so no.

However it may limit your ability to attract kids parties.

I’m assuming you run / are thinking of running a soft play place.

No

I didn’t used to even have a cup of tea at soft play let alone hot food.

Tried to limit touching anything too!

No, I don’t eat the hot food there usually anyway

I think you would be limiting your market. When I go to soft play (about once a week and we go to three or four different ones), I see a lot of people who are ordering hot food. And a lot of the profit comes from selling food and drink. Some of my friends prefer to meet at specific places because they prefer the hot food there. If you have local competitors who offer food, you will probably lose some business to them.

Would rather have good cold food than crap hot food.

Presumably it depends if you’re Jeremy Clarkson. Then YWNBU to punch the staff

I think moonlight makes a good point.

I also think MN isn’t the best place to ask this. Everyone on here only goes to SP on sufferance and would never eat the pizza and chips options.

Who is your actual target market? What do they want? What do the competition offer?

I don't really like cold food like sandwiches, but for the sake of a few hours a drink and some crisps or fruit would be fine. You could always get a toastie maker or similar and offer that as an option.

I would think it odd if you served hot food during the week but not at weekends, as you specifically say weekends....

but no it wouldn't put me off. When I go to soft play, all I want is a coffee and a cake , we aren't usually in there long enough to warrant a meal.

My local one did do a full English with toast and tea for £6 and that was a treat sometimes, but not every visit.

None of our local soft play allows you to take your own food and drink, that is how they make the money off the parents, as there is either none or minimal entry fees for adults.

Good coffee is a must.

What does voting YABU mean?

No. I never buy the (mostly) crap, overpriced food anyway.

Depends if you’re allowed to take your own food or not. We spend a good few hours there on the rare occasions we go, so we need a meal. I’m surprised at all the people saying the food is shit. The foods amazing at our local one, they do a divide steak and caramelised onion panini, the stir fry’s are good too. Though I appreciate other soft plays may just do the basic crappy sausage and chips

Never eaten the food at a soft play

What does annoy me is soft plays that say you can’t bring your own food/snacks but then only sell crisps, chocolate and cake. DTs have food allergies and autism, and the only thing that settles them is rice cakes and breadsticks - would happily buy snacks from the soft play if they sold any they’d eat.

If it was between a place that had hot food and a place that didn't, I'd be going for the place that did. Otherwise it doesn't matter so much.