Theme Park Foodie

Welcome to Theme Park Foodie!

Nice to meet you!
My name is Ashley Nichols, and I’m a 23-year-old theme park lover and graduate student. I traveled to Orlando to work at one of the area’s attractions in 2010, and my heart never left.

Why am I a Theme Park Foodie?
When working in one of Orlando’s theme parks in 2010, I would often have guests approach me and ask where they should eat. I realized during my second week that I was giving terrible advice, because I had never actually eaten in any of the park restaurants. Over the course of the next two weeks, I dined at every restaurant in the park and wrote a review for each one that covered their menus, the service and the quality of the food. The next time a guest asked me where to eat, I was ready with a great answer.

Because I worked at the front of the park, I’d often see the same guests multiple times throughout the day. On more than one occasion I was approached by a guest who thanked me for my dining recommendations. I loved it! Helping guests make the most of their vacation was my favorite part of the job, and it gave me a lot of joy to know that my advice had been helpful to them.

After that, I became very aware of every theme park dining location I visited. I often found myself thinking “I should write a review of this,” or “I wish I’d brought my camera to take a picture of this dessert.”

In January 2012, I applied for a job that I viewed as a dream opportunity and realized that I had none of the suggested blogging or social media experience. After submitting my application, I started TPF in hopes of gaining some of those skills. I was turned down for the opportunity, but I kept with the blog, and I’m so glad that I have. I love answering questions about theme park dining offerings; in a way, this blog has been my way of continuing the wonderful work I did in the theme park industry.

What makes TPF different?
There are a number of theme park food blogs out there, but many (if not all) of them focus on Walt Disney World. While I love Disney’s food offerings, I believe that Central Florida’s other attractions have a lot to offer when it comes to dining. I’ve also always been a meticulous planner, and I recognized the need for a dining planning resource that covered all of the area’s theme park food.

Trying to contact me?
If you have any questions about theme park food, Central Florida’s attractions or Theme Park Foodie, I can be contacted through email or Twitter. I’m always happy to help in any way that I can.

E-mail: editor@themeparkfoodie.net
Twitter: @themeparkfoodie