By Any Other Name: A brief history of Worlds of Fun dining locations

About a year ago, I spent a day going through all of our park maps, reviewing all the different food service and retail name changes over the years. Believe me, there have been quite a few.  I never thought it would be interesting as a blog, and at the time it was more of an attempt to catalog the information for future reference. When the 2019 announcement for Boathouse Grill (now Cotton Blossom BBQ) came along, along with the renaming of several existing dining locations and with the retirement of several more, I began thinking about writing a blog looking at some of the more interesting locations and the various options from past and present.  

A great view of the rear of Cotton Blossom at Worlds of Fun most likely from 1973.  You can see the Paddlewheel Cafe on the third floor clearly.  Photo by William Hoobing.

Paddlewheel Cafe Ambassadors from the 1978 yearbook

One of the first stories I ever heard regarding Worlds of Fun came from my dad, so I figured that would be a great place to start. He worked in 1973 as a food service ambassador aboard the Cotton Blossom at the Paddlewheel Cafe. Paddlewheel Cafe was an outdoor (covered) eatery on the third floor stern of the Cotton Blossom and operated until the 1987 season. He used to tell me how he could hear not the Americana music but the Orient music from on board and he always thought that peculiar. Recently, while digging around at the downtown public library, I found the old press releases from when the park opened, and one of them covered the actual menu options available. As you might imagine, everything was properly themed, the sandwiches at Paddlewheel were titled “Showboat” (submarine-style), “Captain’s Choice” (corned beef on rye), and “River Queen” (tuna salad). 

One of the many coupons printed in the KC Star & Times and other regional papers for discounted meals.  This one is for Le Poulet Bone in Europa.

Rangoon Refresher which was replaced by Panda Express in 2007.

Many restaurants, unlike Paddlewheel café, still exist but have been renamed. In some cases they’ve been numerous times over the years: in 1998, Nordic Nook became Chicken Patio, in  2007 Rangoon Refresher became Panda Express, and in 2019, Paisano’s in Europa became the new Let Them Eat Cake. As you might expect, that wasn’t originally named Paisano’s either.  Instead, in 1973 it was known as Le Poulet Bone Cafe and served “French-fried chicken” (yes, you read that right). Le Poulet Bone was re-named for the first time to International Cafe in 1978, Pizza Patio in 1996, Bonnici Bros. in 2004, and finally, Paisano’s in 2013. What truly fascinates me about this restaurant, though, is its hidden secret: it was built with a sunken patio. Guests would step down about three steps to a concrete patio overlooking the wooded area behind it. For at least the last three decades, it’s been fenced off, but you can still look through the fence and see the themed light pole and what is left of the metal table and seat supports.  

You can easily see the original La'Mars Libations at the very bottom of the photo, its dead center. 

The second iteration of Lamars probably just a few years after it changed names to Smoothie Company. 

Europa was home to another eatery, a small hexagonally-shaped snack stand, which was a feature shared by almost every other section of the park too, excluding Americana. In Europa, it was known originally as “La’Mars Libation” (made “European” by adding an apostrophe), named after park owner Lamar Hunt. I remember Lamar’s Libations, but I remember it as the box-shaped Coca-Cola refresh station that is there now. At some point in the 1980s, Europa’s little hex-stand was demolished and replaced. Today, all four of these little hexagonal stands are gone. However, most of them were rebuilt, and two of those new structures bear the same name as the original tiny stand even today. 

Big Jack's Ambassadors with the original Big Jack's behind them.  From the 1979 Ambassador yearbook.

So besides La’Mars, where were the other three? The first is also the last hexagonal stand removed, which was the Icicle located in Scandinavia right at the corner of the Tivoli and Tivoli East. It was removed after the 1997 season. I will always remember the old buttercream yellow and white Icicle as the first place I ever tried to confirm the existence of the long lost cable car system back in 1996.

Icicle from the 1979 Ambassador Yearbook.

The other two hexagonal stands may have new structures but still retain their original 1973 names. The first was built as Big Jack’s Jungle Juice in Africa. Once again, most recall the box-like structure that exists today, but it too was originally identical to the Icicle and La’Mars. Big Jack’s is named after Jack Steadman, the man behind the idea for Worlds of Fun. The other is one of the more fascinating drink stands (if a drink stand can be fascinating), and that is Pagoda Soda. As of today, Pagoda Soda has had three different structures, starting with its hexagonal structure in 1973 and replaced at some point in the early '90s with the box structure attached to the Aquatic Arena. When Aquatic Arena was bulldozed after the 2003 season, we figured that was the end of Pagoda Soda. Amazingly, at the beginning of the 2004 season, we found out Pagoda Soda wasn’t dead, it was reincarnated across the midway as the Pagoda Soda we know today. 

A view of the Orient in 1979, you can see the old Pagoda Soda in the background on the left.

The first Pagoda Soda, this photo was taken in 1989 for Orient Express 10th birthday party.

The second Pagoda Soda, this one lasted until 2003.

And the current Pagoda Soda.

Another unique name, and one that like so many old food locations was named after a member of the Hunt Midwest family that very recently made a physical move, was Norma’s Funnel Cakes. Norma’s Funnel Cakes, named after Lamar Hunt’s wife Norma Hunt, wasn’t an original 1973 location, but it was added to Baltic Bazaar in 1979. When Baltic Bazaar was finally retired in 2016 to make way for the new gate, I was pleasantly surprised that like Pagoda Soda, Norma’s would live on with name intact. This was especially surprising since so many locations named after a Hunt Midwest family member had already been removed or renamed. Lamar’s became Smoothie Company in 1999, Daniel’s Danish Deli (named after Lamar’s son Daniel) was re-named after 1995 to Just for Kids retail shop, Clark’s Wheelbarrow (also Lamar’s son) was entirely removed with the Americana gate after the 1998 season, Sharron’s Sweet Shop (Lamar’s daughter) lasted until 2001 and became Peppermint Patties, and even Rick’s Cafe in Africa (named after marketing director Rick Rau) was renamed King Tut’s in 2001.  

Daniel's Danish Deli in 1980 and Ambassadors.  You never forget that weird newsprint wallpaper...

Rick's Cafe, located where Auntie Anne's is in Africa today. (next to the floral clock)

Of course, it wasn’t all about soft drinks and funnel cakes. Worlds of Fun also offered a full-service restaurant back in the day, originally known as The Smorbord Cafeteria in Scandinavia, which today is named Chickie & Pete’s. It opened in 1973 and offered appropriately named menu items such as Potatisalad (Swedish Potato Salad), Biff Slottsstek (Beef Pot Roast) and Applentarts (apple pie). I imagine if I had trouble typing that out, it caused even more problems when it came to pronouncing them!  

A writer for the Kansas City Star, on a visit out to Worlds of Fun in 1977, commented on a visit to Smorbord Cafeteria, stating it was $2.99 for each adult and $1.99 for each child, allowing guests an all-you-can-eat-on-one-plate experience, with desserts and drinks extra (minimum wage was $2.30 an hour at the time). His specific opinion? “The food was overpriced, overcooked, and tasted as if it had come from a can.”  (Stein, 1977) 

Below the Smorbord until 1996 was the Ambassador break area (or Ambam), which, thanks to a dumbwaiter, served much of the same food and the restaurant above it! Jeff’s first managerial job at the park was as manager of the Ambam, and he recalls working hand in hand with the park’s chef. He would often order off-the-menu options for park ambassadors, including some rather unusual ICEE flavors. In 1985, Smorbord was switched to a full-service sit-down experience and re-named Inn of the Four Winds. Four Winds would remain until Cedar Fair completed the purchase of the park, and in 1997 was re-named to mimic the Cedar Point favorite “All Stars Grill.” Over the years it made the slow transition to the counter service option that it is today. In 2011. it made its final name change to Chickie and Pete’s.

Smorbord as a buffet in 1978, with ambassadors.  

All Stars Grill in 2000, previously Inn of the Four Winds, previously Smorbord.  Today, Chickie and Pete's.

Baltic Bazaar in the 1990's before the color change in 2000.  Norma's Funnel Cakes is located closest to the viewer.

2019 once again brings several changes to food service options – Cotton Blossom Barbecue, of course, but also several food service locations that are also being relegated to history, as well as one or two names being retired. Vittle Griddle, the park’s main counter service restaurant located in Americana, has been re-named for the first time in its 46-year existence to Gold Rush Pizza. Pizza Pier, first introduced in 1974 along with the entire Americana food court area, has been demolished. While necessary for expansion, and from first impression an overall positive change, it’s fascinating to realize that the Pizza Pier structure that housed probably every possible amusement park gastric delight over the last 46 years (and more name changes than you can shake a stick at) was an original structure to the park that opened with the Show Me Shop, Donut Whole, Fairmont Foods, and Dairy Dock.  

Pizza Pier from about 2003.  

One of the other major changes for 2019 comes to Battle Creek BBQ, which also receives a new name and somewhat new (or more accurately, rebooted) menu offering, Prospector’s Cantina serving a Tex Mex menu. The structure that is Prospectors was built in 1981 as Udder Delights Ice Cream Parlor. Many guests, including myself, remember stepping into Udder Delights, which to my memory was always massively crowded, and the first thing I recall was the vibrant tin ceilings which remain to this day. The other fascinating aspect of Udder Delights was that prior to its construction, Front Street was a breezeway and offered a direct walkway straight through to the Union Depot. In 1995, Udder Delights made its first transformation into, believe it or not, a Tex Mex restaurant that served freshly made tortillas (anyone remember the tortilla maker?) and named Blue Bronco. In 2005 it changed again to Zarda BBQ, with its final change coming in 2009 to Battle Creek BBQ. With Cotton Blossom BBQ now taking over the sweet hickory aroma, this two-story restaurant proves that what is old will eventually become new again.

You can plainly see the old breeze-thru where Peppermint Patties is today.  This walkway was closed up in 1981 when Udder Delights was added as well as a second ambassador break area, Ambam West.  The Ambam was removed sometime in the late '90s and you can now once again pass through from Front Street to the Depot.

The first thought I had when I considered doing a blog about food service restaurants was, “Who in their right mind would find this interesting?” But then I had a conversation with a friend of mine about Udder Delights and all my memories of it, and I recalled asking the Icicle Ambassador if they remember the old gondola ride, or how I would buy a sandwich for lunch from Daniel’s Danish Deli, or eat lunch in the old Ambam below Inn of the Four Winds. And I realized something very important – there is nothing that is really “unimportant” when it comes to memories, and sometimes it is the tiny details that really do matter.

Blue Bronco from 1995, I believe the patio area was added with the change from ice cream parlor to a restaurant.

References

Stein, S. (1977,  April 28), At Worlds of Fun, Dizzy is Chic, Stomach Weak, Food… Unique. The Kansas City Star, p. 5.

Special Thanks to Heith Carnahan for volunteering to proofread this story.