Factory Tour - Cape Code Potato Chips

For our first tour (certainly not our first, but the first one we will blog about) we decided to keep it local and easy to manage. We are frequent visitors to this area of Massachusetts but have somehow never managed to make it to make it to Cape Code Potato Chips factory. I did some preliminary research online and found although this is a self guided tour it is pretty highly rated and we could bring the whole family.

Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory Tour in Hyannis, MA with little M, SMB and CB

We loaded up my parents, CB and SMB, and little M, and headed to the Cape on a beautiful spring day. We could smell delicious chip flavor in the air as soon as we parked the car. Yummy. Here are our tour survey evaluations:

Tour Survey: Cape Cod Potato Chips

Was the tour easy to schedule?

K - Open Weekdays 9-5 with no advance booking required
CB - Yes, it was basically just show up.
SMB - Easy- no reservations needed

Was there an admission fee and what did it include?

K - Free tour and sample chips at gift shop
CB - No admission fee.
SMB - Free self guided tour with complimentary chips @ tour conclusion.

Was it easy to find the location and parking?

Parking and Directions were super simple

K - Ample parking and lots of signs to direct you where to go.
CB - Ample parking close by.
SMB - Easy directions- large conveniently located parking lot

Rate the quality of the tour. (1 - 10 with 1 being the worst and 10 being totally awesome)

K - 4/10 - Everything needed a little refreshing and updating. Since it was self guided it needs to be better organized and learning accessible.
CB - 2/10
SMB - 3/10

What did you like best about the tour?

Loved the Potato facts!

K - I loved the Potato Facts. Before going on the tour I didn't know much about what attributes made a good potato for chips like high specific gravity and low sugar content.
CB -
SMB - Liked the viewing window areas / seeing the production line.

What was the least successful part of your visit?

K - No pictures allowed in the factory floor area of the tour. Grrr.
CB - It was a self guided tour with very little information posted. Nobody was available to answer questions...
SMB - Would like a tour guide to provide info and answer questions and would like to see the factory in action

How well did this tour fit into your expectations?

K - I knew that it was going to be self guided and set the bar pretty low as far as expectations. I did have higher hopes for the gift shop at the end of the tour thinking that there would be new or hard to come by chip flavors, much to my dismay.
CB - Quite low, there was a 150 foot long corridor with several windows looking into the production area.
SMB - Hoped to see more activity

Is there anything you wanted to see that was not exhibited?

K - I would have liked a better overview of all the steps to turn a potato into a chip as you could not see the whole process from the viewing area.
CB - More details at to the operation i.e. one placard said they randomly check potatoes to see how they "chip." What does this mean?
SMB - More of the operation from “potato to chip.”

Did the tour offer opportunities for your participation, interactions and questions?

K - No. I always have lots of questions and it drives me crazy when I can't have someone immediately answer them. I also appreciate interactive ways to learn more and felt that was a missed opportunity.
SMB - No opportunities

Rate the tour guides’ knowledge, creativity, customization and communication skills.

K - N/A
CB - There was none but the receptionist was very pleasant.
SMB - NA

For what age group was the tour appropriate?

K - Great for kids and adults of all ages. Because it was self guided it was text/reading heavy so younger children would have a harder time. Heads up that strollers are not allowed. I would love to have little M strapped in so that I could have read all the material more easily.
CB - Any
SMB - Young adults/ adults due to reading required

Approximately how long was the tour? 15-20 Minutes. How would you rate the length of your tour? Too Short, Just Right, Too Long

Areas for improvement? How would you shape this tour to better meet your needs?

K - I loved all that you could see the factory floor but I wish that the machines inside were labeled on the actual machine (like chip salter, centrifuge, slicer). I also felt like the signs could have been updated and there are definitely missed opportunities for interaction and education.

CB - Start out with a more detailed video showing actual footage of the process.
SMB - Short video presentations- live tour guide- factory in production - more photo opportunities