Introduction

This chapter focuses on a different element of the fan visit to theme parks by exploring the importance of non-ride experiences. It considers food and drink as potential paratexts (Gray 2010), and restaurants and bars as themed spaces. There are numerous online spaces dedicated to discussing the food and drink available at the Disney and Universal theme parks and many of these meticulously list restaurants, food and drink options and prices, and tips on the best choices to make when in the parks. As well as performing informational functions for future guests, such archiving also allows visitors to review and remember their own visits by passing on advice to others and discussing their own experiences as part of the cyclical nature of fannish trips. For example, certain restaurants within the Disney theme parks are considered to be extremely poor and those who end up eating in them are often dismissed as ill-informed ‘newbies’.

The chapter also considers how food and drink as an important element of the immersive theme park experience. The provision of food and drink is clearly key to themed spaces, especially in relation to its links to immersion and world-building; as Milman notes, ‘In today's theme parks […] theming is reflected through architecture, landscaping, costumed personnel, rides, shows, food services, merchandising, and any other services that impact the guest experience. (2010, p. 221).