New Be Our Guest lunch line procedure (Test?)

[mm52200]

I'm not sure if this is the best place to put this or not but just wanted to report on a recent change over at Be Our Guest for lunch.

We just returned from a trip to WDW and over at BoG for lunch there is more or less no more stand by or the option to wait in line at all. A severe amount of the restaurant's capacity has been switched over to the resort only Fastpass + system, which can only be utilized if you are staying at a resort. If you walk up without a FP reservation they now give you a piece of cardstock with a return time on it...much like what they did with Soarin and the Frozen meet and greet. We walked up at around 11:10 one day and they were giving out return times of 12:50 and beyond. Once the cards were given out a sign was put up saying there was no more availability.

I'm personally very unhappy with the change because my family never minded waiting in the line. The most we ever waited was 20 or 30 minutes even if the line was over the bridge and near the village, we just felt it was worth the wait. I also spoke to a manager and he said that they were moving towards making the quick service lunch reservation or FP+ only. I just don't understand the reasoning behind this, if people wanted to wait in line then let them and allow there to still be some FP users but not the whole restaurant. Sure the restaurant would get long lines but the system they had going I thought worked pretty well.

Once again I hadn't seen this really covered anywhere so just felt it was worth sharing.

 

[wdwmagic]

Thanks for the update

 

[SpaceMountain77]

I, too, am frustrated with Be Our Guest and, specifically, the FastPass+ system.

A few weeks ago, we received an e-mail, from Disney Destinations, offering FastPass+ times. Much to my surprise, the available days were for the week before we arrived! I could not understand why we would not be offered days and times during the week of our trip. How is this helpful?

I made a few phone calls, but everyone said the e-mails were randomly generated by an online system.

 

[Thessair]

It's kind of intimidating to see this test popping up at different locations. I don't like the idea that they may be looking at trying to find a way to eliminate lines and control what a guest can and cannot wait for. It's like they're determined to eliminate any instance of spontaneity and fun. I don't want to plan out every single minute of my vacation and I don't want them to make those calls either.

 

[RayTheFirefly]

 

[WDF]

How is this any different than most table service restaurants with high demand reservations? When there is no availability, there is no availability. Do people form a line at Le Cellier and demand to be served because they don't mind waiting a few hours? Maybe they do, but I've never heard about it.

 

[stevehousse]

Yet again they r shutting guests out of another experience!?! I would seriously like to know who exactly is in charge of this new "no waiting" fiasco because they obviously have no idea what customer service is at all! They just should have made it ADR only all day if they wanted to do this...

 

[mm52200]

How is this any different than most table service restaurants with high demand reservations? When there is no availability, there is no availability. Do people form a line at Le Cellier and demand to be served because they don't mind waiting a few hours? Maybe they do, but I've never heard about it.

This is different because lunch at Be Our Guest is quick service not table service. For the almost two years it's been open you used to be able to just wait in line and have a really high quality unique lunch. Now they are eliminating the chance to wait in line.

 

[Gomer]

At this point, they should just convert BoG to full day table service and open up Adventureland Veranda and add some exterior seating to Gaston’s to make up the needed CS availability. If you need to give return times for a fast food place, something isn’t working.

 

[Tigger1988]

Sounds good to me. I would never in a million years stand in that line, so it was already FP+ or bust for me.

Lining up outside a QS is just bizzare IMO.

 

[startraveler]

But this is counter service where you do usually stand in line.
Oops.. Already addressed by someone else.

 

[WDF]

This is different because lunch at Be Our Guest is quick service not table service. For the almost two years it's been open you used to be able to just wait in line and have a really high quality unique lunch. Now they are eliminating the chance to wait in line.

I understand that, but things change. And that line was a ridiculous eyesore. And it's not really a true CS restaurant.

 

[docdebbi]

I'm trying to be optimistic about this one.
in my experience, if you join the lunch line at 1-1:15, the wait is about 10 minutes. which tells me that even though the line always looks intimidating, this high volume, high turnover restaurant really can basically meet demand. it just needs to be spread out over the time it is open more evenly. maybe this won't really close anyone out, just cut down the wait time in line.

 

[WDF]

The food at BOG for lunch is more in line with lunch at The Plaza. It should have just been table service from the beginning...with reservations.

 

[WDF]

Didn't they close the line at a certain time each day anyway? This is just a different method of doing the same thing.

 

[bethymouse]

Everything seems "bass akwards" to me!

 

[mm52200]

Didn't they close the line at a certain time each day anyway? This is just a different method of doing the same thing.

The line was open until 2 or 2:30 I believe. The restaurant was meeting demand and the whole process to wait and receive only took about 30 minutes at most from my experience which was well worth the higher quality of food. It was nice having the option to wait in a line for a higher quality quick service meal rather than make a reservation 6 months out.

 

[flyerjab]

My take on this is slightly different. To me, WDW obviously does not want people standing in line for 60, 90 and 120 minutes etc., for one main reason: guest spending.

This, and Soarin', and wherever else they may be trying this, is all related to guests and their money. Why would Iger want guests standing in line for 1 to 2 hours for popular attractions when they could be out spending money in shops or a snack stand. And the more times that this occurs, the more it doesn't surprise me that these are popping up after MDE and FP+ has been implemented. Five hours in line for Anna and Elsa M&G? Silly! Why have them do that? You could hit several shops and have a high-priced meal in that time. Hell, you could even rent wave-racers in the lake and take a carriage ride at Fort Wilderness in that time. We now have these handy-dandy magic bands that help us spend in a more mindless fashion.

@WDW1974 speaks about up-charge events popping up everywhere to help offset the cost of MDE/FP+. This to me is another subtle way that TWDC is trying to get you to spend more money while on property. So far, I would say that guests hate it, and made it very clear during the Soarin' test. I will be curious to see how far they push this idea.

 

[mm52200]

My take on this is slightly different. To me, WDW obviously does not want people standing in line for 60, 90 and 120 minutes etc., for one main reason: guest spending.

This, and Soarin', and wherever else they may be trying this, is all related to guests and their money. Why would Iger want guests standing in line for 1 to 2 hours for popular attractions when they could be out spending money in shops or a snack stand. And the more times that this occurs, the more it doesn't surprise me that these are popping up after MDE and FP+ has been implemented. Five hours in line for Anna and Elsa M&G? Silly! Why have them do that? You could hit several shops and have a high-priced meal in that time. Hell, you could even rent wave-racers in the lake and take a carriage ride at Fort Wilderness in that time. We now have these handy-dandy magic bands that help us spend in a more mindless fashion.

@WDW1974 speaks about up-charge events popping up everywhere to help offset the cost of MDE/FP+. This to me is another subtle way that TWDC is trying to get you to spend more money while on property. So far, I would say that guests hate it, and made it very clear during the Soarin' test. I will be curious to see how far they push this idea.

But why would they do this at a place you spend money...I understand your theory with Anna and Elsa and Soarin but not with a restaurant.

 

[flyerjab]

But why would they do this at a place you spend money...I understand your theory with Anna and Elsa and Soarin but not with a restaurant.

To get the guests 'waiting' with a return time to spend more money before returning to eat. My thinking is that they simply don't have this completely figured out yet, as was obvious with the disastrous attempt at Soarin'. Maybe it just isn't plausible at a QS like BOG.