When we think of surf parks, we think of tasty waves … not tasty food and drink. But the fact is, we’re not able to enjoy those tasty wave pool rides if we’re hangry or malnourished.
I will be the first to admit I’m not a foodie. This column isn’t to call out the quality of food or Instagram worthiness of the plate setups. Just feed me something before that early morning barrel session so I have enough paddle power to get into the wave. At a minimum, have some sort of food and beverage options onsite at your surf park for guests so they don’t need to leave the premises to fuel up or hydrate. But that has been a lot to ask at some wave pools believe it or not.
Food for Thought
I have now surfed 35 wave pools around the world. To surf just one session when waves are guaranteed on demand exerts lots of energy. Energy that needs refueling before more surfing.
My reality, along with many others, is booking multiple sessions per surf park visit to maximize the trip. Session times are often dictated by the wave level I’m hoping to book, which run at specific times of day. This creates a strict schedule with only a few hours before and in between my booked surfs. I need to eat and hydrate before that next session!
Is there food offered onsite? Or do I need to run to my rental car, drive 20 minutes to the nearest city to grab food, cram it down, drive back to the wave pool and rush to prepare for my next booked session? This can make-or-break my surf park experience.
Just as problematic are poor food offerings onsite. I have been limited to food trucks offering tortilla chips with no salsa and very poorly made tacos, complete with heavy cream and little protein. It’s not fun feeling gross during your next surf session. This has happened, and it left a lot to be desired for me as the paying customer.
With more wave pools coming to life around the world, competition for business will increase. Yes, the wave quality is always first to catch customer attention, but tertiary offerings like food and beverage (F&B) will become increasingly important. I have no interest in enjoying a fun surf, then being forced to eat subpar food out of convenience. The F&B offerings will signal how much a surf park invests in the full guest experience and not just in the wave.
What’s on the Menu
Food and beverage offerings have varied wildly from nothing at all onsite, to one single cafe, all the way to an in-house chef preparing a culinary experience.
More exclusive wave pools, like Surf Ranch, offer meals from a resident chef. “The wave gets everyone here initially, but some of the best conversations happen around the table afterward. We put as much thought into what happens between surf sessions as we do the sessions themselves. Great food has a way of slowing people down, bringing everyone together, and making an already memorable day even better,” said Chef Ryan Lucas of Surf Ranch.
Every meal during my day-and-a-half visit was delicious. The cost to surf in Lemoore is high, but the quality of food matched the high-end experience for surfers.
Speaking through my own firsthand experiences only, here’s a taste of some (not all) of the F&B offerings I witnessed:
Typhoon Lagoon (USA): No F&B offering during private surf sessions before and after public waterpark hours
Waco Surf (USA): No F&B during my initial visit in 2020, but now offers multiple food and bar options onsite
Skudin Surf AD (USA): No F&B available during my two evening surf sessions in 2021
The Wave (England): In-house cafe and restaurant with outside food trucks closed during my visit in 2022
Surf Ranch (USA): In-house chef preparing three meals for guests
Oana Surf (Switzerland): In-house bar/cafe/restaurant serving a variety of food and drinks
Alaïa Bay (Switzerland): In-house restaurant and bar offering tasty menu for guests
Oasis Surf (Canada): In-house restaurant and bar with tasty food options for guests watching riders on the SurfStream
The LineUp at Wai Kai (Hawaii): Several in-house F&B options in addition to third-party restaurants onsite
Shizunami Surf Stadium (Japan): In-house restaurant overlooking wave pool offering variety of F&B
Kobe Reyes (Japan): Vending machine with no proper F&B options onsite
Citywave Tokyo (Japan): No F&B options onsite during my visit in 2024
West Edmonton Mall (Canada): No F&B available during my two evening surf sessions in 2024, but plenty of options in the shopping mall itself
O2 SURFTOWN MUC (Germany): In-house restaurant and bar offering local and international F&B
City Surf Park (France): In-house bar with food options
PSSC (USA): Offer a couple poolside restaurants and bars with views of the SurfLoch waves
Revel Surf (USA): In-house bar and grill facing the SwellMFG pool, plus third-party F&B options right outside the surf park entrance
RiF010 (Netherlands): Canal-side bar and restaurant right up against the wave pool for amazing viewing and grub
Lost Shore (Scotland): Food Hub onsite offering three different kitchens and a bar/cafe
Atlantic Park Surf (USA): Several close F&B options onsite and right outside the surf park
Lakeside Surf (USA): Taco food truck, smoothie stand and a poolside bar
PopStroke Surf Lounge (USA): Bar/restaurant onsite offering F&B, plus many restaurants within the larger shopping area where the wave pool is situated
Surfland Brasil (Brazil): Multiple restaurants, bars and cafes surrounding the Wavegarden pool
Surf Center (Brazil): Single in-house food option, cafe to come
Boa Vista Village (Brazil): Formal restaurant onsite overlooking PerfectSwell pool
São Paulo Surf Club (Brazil): Formal restaurant onsite and separate bar
Quality & Convenience
Again, I don’t consider myself a “foodie” or beer/wine/cocktail connoisseur. Most food onsite does the trick when I’m famished or dehydrated post-surf session. But there have been a few experiences where I understood the cuisine was a step above the status quo.
Alaïa Bay’s Twin Fin restaurant hit the spot during the five days I was onsite checking off wave pool No. 10 (of 35 around the world). There was a great menu of options to mix up each time I ate onsite. The bar offered a variety of drinks from coffees to cocktails and everything in between.
“Food & beverage is a key part of the overall surf park experience, not just a support service for surfing. We operate both a kitchen and a pizzeria, serving up to 500 guests, with a target service time of under 10 minutes. Around 40% of our customers are surfers, while 60% are non-surfers. These two audiences have very different expectations. Surfers are looking for healthy, fresh food that’s served quickly before or after their session, while non-surfers tend to stay longer and value quality meals, drinks, and a welcoming atmosphere. Quality food and beverage is an important revenue driver. It encourages guests to stay longer, increases average spend, improves the overall perception of the destination, and gives people another reason to visit, even when they’re not surfing. That’s the key: if people come back for the food without planning to surf, you’ve created a genuine restaurant, not just a surf park café,” said Alaïa Bay’s Operations & Experience Manager Coco Colombo.
Sometimes I’m looking for a quality meal following a great day of surfing in the wave pool. Other times, I’m looking for quick convenience to fuel me up between booked sessions. A good coffee or acai bowl will suffice if I need to eat, but don’t want to feel weighed down before my next session.
Extra Credit
Some surf parks have clearly put a lot of thought into their food and beverage offering from the start. Beyond the ingredients themselves come the space and layout. RiF010 nestles its HANG restaurant right next to the main attraction, the SurfLoch wave pool in the Rotterdam canal. Guests enjoying food or a drink are right up next to the surfers in the canal. And I mean right up in the splash zone if a rider gets a good turn in.
RiF010 Marketing Manager Rebecca van der Ploeg explains, “HANG has become an extension of the surf lifestyle. It’s a place where people can experience the atmosphere of surfing, even if they never step onto a board. Our menu takes guests on a journey to some of the world’s most iconic surf destinations. Start your morning with our Malibu Chicken & Waffles (USA), enjoy lunch with the Gravière Salad from Hossegor (France), and finish the day with the Cloud 9 Burger from the Philippines.”
Before my booked sessions at RiF010, I would grab a coffee or latte at the bar onsite and watch the surfers in the earlier sessions. It’s a great way to warm up during the cold Rotterdam mornings. Then the reward following my two sessions surfed for the day was a thick burger and fries from HANG while watching more surfing in the canal. There was no need for me to leave the surf park premises since everything I needed was right there; waves, bar, restaurant, locker room and even a surf shop.
Not required, but definitely extra credit are surf parks that brew their own branded beers. I am not a beer drinker, but couldn’t help myself when it came to the Lost Shore Lager by Pilot brewery or RiF010’s Rif. Shaka IPA by Kaapse Brouwers! I imagine others appreciate a crisp beer when parched by the wave pool. I just nerd out on the novelty of a surf park brew!
Last Bite
I understand food and beverage is only one of many considerations that go into the design, layout and development of a surf park. But I encourage operators and developers to put consideration into the F&B offerings from the start. As more wave pools come to fruition around the world, especially in similar markets, offerings outside of the wave itself will begin to matter more. Do I want to surf your wave pool and have to drive between sessions to fuel up? Or will I just book a session at the other option that offers decent food and beverages right onsite so I don’t need to stress between my surfs?
Maybe I am a “surf park food snob” after all.
Let’s connect. Find me on LinkedIn or Instagram @SurfParkNerd if you’re ever up for a surf park beer and burger.
