Six Flags Magic Mountain has stepped up its culinary game with a new executive chef who has improved the traditional amusement park offerings and plans to add more items to the menu in hopes of persuading foodies to give the park another look.

“We want to make sure that people come down for rides, but they also stay for food and enjoy the entire experience,” Magic Mountain Executive Chef Robert Velasco said.

Velasco invited me out to the Valencia amusement park to try the new pepperoni pizza, double cheeseburger and fried chicken on the park’s refreshed and updated menu.

The 32-year-old chef from Van Nuys was hired six months ago to rethink everything about the Magic Mountain menu.

No longer will Magic Mountain cooks serve up whatever is delivered by a food service distributor. Instead, Velasco says, chefs will create dishes that go beyond traditional amusement park fare.

Last year’s merger with Cedar Fair has brought a new emphasis on improving food quality at legacy Six Flags parks.

The new chain now has a corporate-level executive chef as well as executive chefs at each of the parks — including Magic Mountain.

Velasco’s first job was to make theme park staples like cheeseburgers, fried chicken and pizza taste better.

Frozen burgers were out, along with sesame seed buns, lettuce, tomato, onion and sauce.

Fresh double patty burgers were in with American cheese, salt and pepper and a tastier potato bun. The patty blend has been updated to 75% brisket and 25% fat content — making for a juicier burger.

“We figured that guests just want to have a really good cheeseburger,” Velasco said during an interview at Wascal’s in Bugs Bunny Land. “A good cheeseburger doesn’t necessarily need to have all the different ingredients.”

Also gone were the frozen prebreaded chicken tenders. Now all the fried tenders are freshly breaded with a two-day brine.

A new chicken and waffles plate was inspired by Roscoe’s — a Los Angeles soul food institution.

“It’s an L.A. standard,” Velasco said. “We are making sure that we put our own spin on it. That it’s something new, but also something familiar.”

The new Nashville hot chicken sandwich on a coleslaw base and bun uses the same tenders with a bold sauce that has a middle-of-the-road heat level to appeal to the broadest possible audience.

The pizza has been upgraded as well with a new golden brown crust, zestier sauce, low-moisture skim mozzarella cheese blend and billiard ball-size pepperoni slices — plus bigger portion sizes for each slice.

The old pizza with simplistic marinara sauce on a thin crust has been shown the exit.

Step 1 in the menu makeover was to elevate the fundamentals.

“We wanted to make sure that we raised the bar as far as our basic offerings,” Velasco said. “That way everything else just follows.”

The Southern California melting pot inspired the menu evolution.

“We’re a multitude of cultures. A bunch of different people coming together,” Velasco said. “We want to make sure we express that throughout the park.”

The better ingredients haven’t translated to higher prices — which haven’t changed during the menu upgrade. And the new pizza, burgers and chicken tenders are still part of the Six Flags seasonlong dining pass.

The $17.99 double cheeseburger with fries is available at Wascal’s and is coming soon to Big Belly Burger in DC Comics Metropolis.

The $17.99 pizza slice with a side of chips, salad or breadstick is available at Carlini’s Pizzeria in Metropolis, Primo’s Pizza in Baja Ridge near Viper and Big Belly Burger.

The $19.99 chicken tenders and fries, $21.99 chicken and waffles and $18.49 Nashville hot chicken sandwich and fries are available at the Chicken Coupe in the Underground and Full Throttle Sports Bar near Bugs Bunny World.

More new menu items are on the way, but Velasco wants to take it slow and make sure the culinary team gets each new item right the first time.

“It is just going to be a constant stream from this point forward of new items that are hitting our food locations throughout the park,” Velasco said. “As we go forward, we want to showcase different flavors, cuisines and things that people aren’t accustomed to seeing in a theme park.”

Velasco remains giddy about his new job and the perks of the gig — despite the gargantuan task of remaking the menus at 20-plus Magic Mountain restaurants and eateries. Whenever he needs a break from the kitchen, Velasco takes a spin on Tatsu.

“The roller coasters are equally as exciting as cooking,” Velasco said.