Day #3 has been my first major disappointment in The Challenge so far, unfortunately. I had such high expectations because last night after I came home from Knott's Berry Farm I did some research and watched some Knott's influencers on Youtube discuss the meal plan options dos and dont's, so I came into the theme park today feeling like I had some kind of cheat code. The influencers swore that as good as the "Fireman's Brigade BBQ" is that the one at the "Boardwalk BBQ" was much better and they give you heftier portion sizes. I purposely skipped lunch that day so I could savor my food extra, but the meal I received was neither more delicious nor larger.
The line was a longer wait than I anticipated, but it just got me even more excited for the food since I figured that meant it had to be popular for a reason. I watched as the people in front of me in line ordered their meals with large 1/2 roasted chickens, pulled pork chunks with lots of sauce, crispy BBQ chicken wings, their double-scoops of cheesy macaroni bowls, and a variety of delicious-smelling sides to choose from. I was craving beef today, so I ordered the tri tip steak with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy, and an individual cornbread muffin. Steak and mashed potatoes are some of my favorite foods to eat in the world, so it was a no-brainer. However, seeing all the juicy, roasted chickens glistening as they rolled up and down on a huge conveyor belt in the oven almost made me change my mind.
I got to the front of the line after a 20-minute wait, and I noticed the workers switched shifts, so when it was my turn there was a new person handling the food. I told him my order, and it was to my dismay when I saw him give me the old steak that had been sitting around for a while when a whole new, fresh batch had just come out of the kitchen! Not only was the person serving before given a fresher cut of steak, but this guy was serving much smaller portions! When it came to the mashed potatoes and gravy the person serving before made sure to get a nice and full-sized scoop, while this new guy barely dipped the ladle into the hot dish! Sure, it was still shaped like a round half-baseball, but the inside of the potatoes were hollow.
When the server handed me my plate I hoped to God I was able to disguise my disappointment, but I couldn't help myself since the people before me had received Thanksgiving-worthy portions of food, while mine was smaller than what was given to a 10-year-old kid just three minutes earlier by a different food handler. I took my food and requested my usual Boysenberry Punch, and went outside in defeat. Not only was I disappointed by the portion size I had been promised, but they ran out of their famous Boysenberry BBQ sauce. Could this meal get any worse? As I sat down and took my first bite I realized....yes, yes it could. The meal was cold and the meat was dry. Clearly from being served the last remainder of the old tri tip while others behind me got to enjoy the new one. The mashed potatoes and gravy were lukewarm, but I still scarfed it all down begrudgingly since I was very hungry from not eating lunch that day to prepare for this disappointment of a meal.
There is no way I would have paid $19.50 for this meal and another $5.50 (a $25 savings with the meal plan) out of my own pocket. I still have high hopes for Boardwalk BBQ and I know it had to have been a fluke. There is no way so many influencers were going online to brag about it being the best place to eat in the whole park if there wasn't some truth to it. I think it was possibly more of server error than the actual restaurant itself. But since I have to be fair and give it a judgment based on my meal for today, I would give it a 5/10. The taste was not horrible, but I know it could and should have been so much better!
I will definitely come back again soon to try one of their other meal options.
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