Ben
Massey
The Vista Haus
struck me as more of an enclave from the elements than a restaurant. Located in
the shadow of Peak 8 at Breckenridge it is easily accessible from multiple
descents and lifts. I arrived around eleven just as the lunch crowd was
starting to congregate. A light snow outside had already driven in the family
vacation crowd along with a few who were mistakenly dressed for a warm spring
day. A welcoming fireplace strategically visible though wide windows beckoned
many skiers inside. The first thing I noticed inside Vista Haus was the heat.
It felt as if the thermostat had been cracked around its axis three or four
times. Even in just my base layer I was beginning to sweat. Another immediate
observation was the cozy and homely atmosphere presented. The architecture
reminded me of a stone cottage transplanted into a massive structure, soothing
and elegant music rung out of the speakers at a perfect background volume. Due
to this pleasant atmosphere many people stayed inside for the duration of my
hour note taking, sometimes going back for seconds. The food was served in a
cafeteria style setting conducive to feeding a large amount of people in the
shortest time possible. Patrons sat at long “log” styled tables with room for
at least twenty on each side. It became obvious to me that Vista Haus was set
up to accommodate as many people as possible, while still maintaining an
atmosphere vacationers expected.
Vista Haus exemplified
the intangibles that tourists value while on vacation. There are certain
expectations that accompany a meal while on the mountain. The homely and warm atmosphere
was very important, I also noticed that the staff were all very well dressed
and almost always had a smile on their face.
Being from a ski
town it is easy for me to spot the difference between locals and vacationers on
the snow. They are given away by many clues; their equipment, clothing, style
of skiing and the dead giveaway of a day ticket secured by zip tie to the hem
of their coat. The Vista Haus was overflowing with this breed of mountain
enthusiast. They flocked towards the fireplace like pigeons and lines of them
overflowed out of the bathroom. I couldn’t tell where each distinct group
hailed form, but it is a safe guess that the patrons of Vista Haus represent
mid to upper class America and reside in a diversity of states. In the
2010-2011 ski year 6,946,826
skiers visited Colorado
Ski Resorts from around the world ("ColoradoSki.com").
Based on my observations I could deduce specific food cultures sand
values of this geographically diverse crowd occupying Vista Haus at 11:00 am Sunday
morning. An interesting note is that many of these cultures and values I
observed are temporary for patrons. There is a stark difference between how one
behaves on vacation compared to the normality of a Monday to Sunday work or
school week and this difference was in full effect at the Vista Haus. The first
and most apparent food value was that the cost of food is of little or no
consequence. I saw cheeseburgers going for twelve dollars accompanied by four
dollar fountain drinks. I observed one father drop at least fifty bucks on his
family’s lunch without so much as a flinch. It is also important to note that
the food quality was very much in line with what Sodexco serves up on a daily
basis. A far cry from what twelve dollars can buy you at a nice burger joint.
While sitting and
taking notes I was struck by the realization that I was the only one sitting
alone out of two stories filled with hundreds of people. Food and community go
hand in hand but usually in most restaurants you can find at least one person
eating solo. I think this observation is a product of the communal nature of
snow sports. Almost no one skis or snowboards alone, not only is it not as fun,
it can be dangerous as well. Around me sat many families, almost all were
laughing and generally looked like they were having the time of their life. Again
I think that this shows that the Vista Haus compels temporary food values that
may dissipate when these people return to their day to day lives.
It was clear to me
that patrons of Vista Haus did not come just for the food. They came inside for
the warmth, atmosphere and a place to congregate off the snow. For these
benefits many were willing to pay overly-exuberant prices for low quality food.
Vista Haus is essentially a “shelter” from the elements and Breckenridge Ski
Corp. is able to capitalize on this image by offering overpriced food to anyone
looking for a warm place. The patrons I was taking notes on were from all over
the country representative of many different food culture and values. However here
they became one group, occupying a common set of values found from Mexico to
Alaska, the carefree and expensive flair typical of a vacationer.
Works Cited
. "Colrado
Ski." ColoradoSki.com. CSCUSA Member
Resorts, 2011. Web. 17 Apr 2012. <http://www.coloradoski.com/uploads/10-Year
Skier visits thru 10-11.pdf>.
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