I told you InBev was evil.
No more free beer at Busch theme parks - St. Louis Business Journal:

St. Louis Business Journal - by Kelsey Volkmann

Busch Entertainment Corp., the amusement park subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, told employees Friday afternoon and Monday morning that free Budweiser beer will no longer be given to theme park patrons.

Visitors of legal age will be able to buy beer at the parks, which will convert their beer sampling hospitality centers into cafes and restaurants, said Fred Jacobs, a spokesman for Busch Entertainment.

"The hospitality centers had pretty limited appeal because it was for patrons who were of legal drinking age who wanted beer," he said. "We were looking for something that had a broader age appeal."

The couple dozen employees who worked in the hospitality centers will be moved to other jobs within the parks, Jacobs said.

A request for comment was not immediately returned from Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis about whether similar actions will be taken at Grant's Farm and during brewery tours.

Busch Gardens’ hospitality center in Tampa will close at the end of January and reopen with a new menu, and SeaWorld Orlando’s hospitality area will close Feb. 1 for conversion to a restaurant. Sea World San Diego, Sea World San Antonio and Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va., are also affected.

Anheuser-Busch InBev is expected to sell the theme park division as it works to pay off its debt from the $52 billion acquisition of Anheuser-Busch.

Orlando, Fla.-based Busch Entertainment Corp. operates 10 theme parks, including SeaWorld and Busch Gardens.

Last month, the brewer announced it would cut 1,400 salaried workers in its beer-related divisions, leave 250 U.S. positions vacant and eliminate an additional 415 contractor positions. None of those affected jobs were in the theme parks.

Belgium-based InBev bought St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. in a $52 billion deal that closed in November. Anheuser-Busch is a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, which is now the world’s largest brewer.


kvolkmann@bizjournals.com