The Official Magazine of IAAPA
Since Silver Dollar City’s founding, “heritage foods” have been central to its 1880s-themed park experience, according to Terry Riddle, vice-president of food and beverage.
Reflecting on his half-century at the Branson, Missouri, park, Riddle recalls the vision from his predecessors. “We always needed our food to be different,” he explains. “Our food needs to reflect our Ozark Mountains heritage with presentations that have that hand-crafted personal touch.”
A Homespun Formula of Authenticity
That same spirit resides in the park’s daily craft demonstrations, from glassblowing and pottery to blacksmithing and candy-making. Staying true to these Ozarkian methods and showman-style presentations presented a new challenge to the food and beverage team in 1972 with the addition of the park’s first seasonal event.
A new company standard was set in 1992 with an interactive cooking presence taking center stage at the park’s An Old Time Christmas festival. An overwhelming guest response that season led the team to expand food offerings for every festival.
Demonstrating seasonal food items from highly themed temporary food locations added an up-close-and-personal element that Silver Dollar City has become known for, thanks to dedicated team members sharing real stories working each demo—ultimately leading to rave guest reviews.
To keep up with ever-evolving guest expectations, the parks’ food and beverage team visits renaissance and state fairs, pop-up markets, and famous culinary regions to research and benchmark popular items and trends.
Applying Internal Successes
Adopting the success of “craft shacks”—small huts, all moveable by forklift—adds additional capacity to serve seasonal food and beverage offerings. The park and events are enhanced with spaces that have ample power, appropriate protection from the elements, and POS connection to be self-sufficient.
“Now, there’s no festival without food,” proclaims Riddle. “We know if we can put quality ingredients in food that reflects our brand, and if we have our aces in their places, we’ll have a successful food festival.”
Gulf-caught shrimp is paired with grits for a Southern staple during the park’s Spring Expo. Hand-stuffed apple dumplings are served hot and fresh with homemade cinnamon ice cream during An Old Time Christmas. Even funnel cake flavors swap throughout the year.
“Christmas always sees us bringing back the guest-favorite red velvet funnel cake with cream cheese icing,” Hedrick explains. “We jump to wild berry for the spring, followed by our red, white, and blue mix for the summer, along with apple. Of course, pumpkin makes an appearance during Harvest Festival.”
Guidance from Guest Feedback
The park’s Velvet Funnel Cake received IAAPA’s 2013 Brass Ring Award before serving as a reminder that some items are best being seasonal. Hedrick recounts the dessert’s demand led to a year-long run before its popularity eroded, leading to its temporary removal. “We knew we had to bring it back, but it would remain only available during the holidays,” Hedrick continues.
Seasonality allows the team to take smaller risks in the hopes of bigger rewards. While ice cream flavors like Tabasco, avocado, sweet corn, and onion never quite stuck, black walnut (an Ozarks flavor all its own) returned in summer 2025.
“We’re always trying to be ahead of trends, and we’re constantly watching to see what’s taking hold with our guests,” says Riddle. In 2025, Silver Dollar City saw popularity of spicy foods mixed with a sweet counterpart and somewhat of a resurgence with pork belly.
Opportunities in Seasonality
Hedrick focuses on allergy awareness and dietary restrictions and choices. During the Bluegrass & BBQ festival, the park had an opportunity to test jackfruit barbecue as an answer to guest demand for vegetarian or vegan fare. “It’s a perfect fit for our festival because we can test the waters; we can see if this is an item we might be able to offer all year,” Riddle says.
While seasonality drives success, Riddle and Hedrick are mindful of the importance of staff-guest connections. “It goes back to the people,” teaches Riddle. “You put the right people in the right place, and that’s what makes that connection with the guest.”
