Tourism

For quite sometime the only food that was being served at our theme parks or our sports stadiums was junk and for quite sometime no one was really bothered by this trend. That is until the world became aware of its unhealthy inhabitants prompting changes even within recreation facilities. The same was seen with alcohol consumption within the same recreational facilities but especially within the sporting arena. Funs could become rowdy because they were drunk and therefore the authorities within these stadiums had to come up with fresh demands for the funs. The same applies to the theme parks in the case of alcohol consumption (Madison 2008). This paper will therefore highlight some of the changes that have taken place within the food and alcohol services within our recreational facilities.

There is a new trend that is believed to be catching up within our recreational facilities. Over the last few years there has been a demand for a more healthy out look especially when it came to the food that is being served at the venues the food stands e.t.c. Parents were being overly concerned of the unhealthy nature of the food being served at theme parks such as Disney Land and. The call was taken up and today the menus within the same theme parks have taken a new turn one can still get the traditional fries and a cheese burger but on order. The menus are indeed healthier and better (Madison 2008). This has therefore ensured that the venues are more family friendly it is in the long run a place where families come to bond and have some fun, this has therefore been given a boost by the new healthier menus. The same trend has been seen in our sporting arenas.  New York Yankees is among the oldest baseball clubs and Stadium in the country. As of 2009 the stadium has been sporting new food stands where food is prepared as one waits. The meals are healthier and fresher fresh-to-order. The trend has definitely picked up among the funs instead of the old hotdog one can now order noodles or soup and drink it while enjoying the game. It is both healthy and convenient. This trend is therefore definitely catching up among other recreational facilities it is a good thing to ensure that one can access good healthy food at their convenience (Fabricant 2009  Kuban 2009).

Some of the challenges that they face while trying to implement this new trend includes long waits in lines there can only be so many fresh food stands within a stadium or a theme park. Secondly is having a diverse menu to cater for the diverse tastes within a theme park or a stadium there can be as many as 60,000 people. To meet these challenges, the management ensured that they have contacted a variety of chefs to work within the kitchens constructed within the stadiums and theme parks. Therefore each stand will be offering a different snack or meal. They also maintained the roving vendor but instead of selling not dogs, they will be selling freshly made sandwiches of different varieties that are appealing to the funs. For the long queues at the selling points, they ensured that they have specially made kitchens within the stadiums. The Yankees have over a hundred selling points all equipped with full kitchens to meet the demand. Secondly they placed hi definition televisions all around the selling points to ensure that the fun doesnt miss the game (Fabricant 2009  Kuban 2009).

Alcohol is the other substance that is widely consumed within these venues. At some theme parks like some of the Disney theme parks, alcohol is forbidden and when one is caught drinking or under the influence of drugs or alcohol they risk being arrested or being detained or being throw out of the park. On the other side theme parks like Six Flag have drinking sections. Here drinking is allowed only within selected places. This is because of demand. Selling alcohol within the parks is very lucrative the aim of the business is to make money. But selling alcohol can prove damaging since these parks are frequented by families their number one customer (CBS 11 Arlington 2009).

Secondly alcohol and sports are synonymous almost all beer advertisements will feature sport (Jones, Phillipson  Lynch 2006). This is contrary to the alcohol policies that these stadiums hold. There was a need to control the amount of alcohol consumption because of the rowdy nature of the fun accidents could occur and damage the image of the stadium and the management of the team after all it is a business. Therefore rules were established that protects one from over indulging in alcohol (Hinman B). They also forbid under age drinking. They are so strict and with the technological advances it is hard to violate these rules. The stadiums have also selected stands where they allow funs to drink but within limits. The reason is the same as above for selling alcohol within these venues (Wilbert 2008).

Alcohol is commonly accepted within our society despite its effects and selling within these venues represents a lot of income for the management deals and concessions to mention but a few. Fortunately the trend is changing. It is believed that the restrictions will increase there are increased incidents of under age drinking that is wrong even within the society.

In conclusion the society is changing and the changes are affecting all aspects of our society from the way we eat to what we are consuming. It is this domino effect that is affecting our recreational facilities and venues into offering better food and restricting the consumption of alcohol. This trend is believed to continue as it is catching on within the entertainment industry.