Looking For Disneyland Food

VoiceGuy07

VoiceGuy07

Active Member
Original Poster
Why isn't there a more diverse selection of food in the Magic Kingdom (MK) vs. the Disneyland Park? While I assume some of it is cultural, I would think that healthier and more interesting menu items would appeal to guests.

Does the 2M +/- guest per year difference (Magic Kingdom in 1st) between the two parks drive some operational ability to offer a greater variety of food options?

We were at Disneyland a couple of years ago and it was great to see great menus in the park; skewers, sandwiches, bread bowl soups, varying sides, more than just fries and apples as sides for sure. It seems like most counter service restaurants in the Magic Kingdom are burger and hot dog joints.

Is it a demand thing? East coast folks only eat burgers and such in the parks or is it an operational, cost/volume thing?

I get that the other parks offer a greater variety but this is specific to the MK.
 
alissafalco

alissafalco

Well-Known Member
VoiceGuy07 said:
Why isn't there a more diverse selection of food in the Magic Kingdom (MK) vs. the Disneyland Park? While I assume some of it is cultural, I would think that healthier and more interesting menu items would appeal to guests.

Does the 2M +/- guest per year difference (Magic Kingdom in 1st) between the two parks drive some operational ability to offer a greater variety of food options?

We were at Disneyland a couple of years ago and it was great to see great menus in the park; skewers, sandwiches, bread bowl soups, varying sides, more than just fries and apples as sides for sure. It seems like most counter service restaurants in the Magic Kingdom are burger and hot dog joints.

Is it a demand thing? East coast folks only eat burgers and such in the parks or is it an operational, cost/volume thing?

I get that the other parks offer a greater variety but this is specific to the MK.
Click to expand...

Oy vey
 
Matt_Black

Matt_Black

Well-Known Member
VoiceGuy07 said:
Why isn't there a more diverse selection of food in the Magic Kingdom (MK) vs. the Disneyland Park? While I assume some of it is cultural, I would think that healthier and more interesting menu items would appeal to guests.

Does the 2M +/- guest per year difference (Magic Kingdom in 1st) between the two parks drive some operational ability to offer a greater variety of food options?

We were at Disneyland a couple of years ago and it was great to see great menus in the park; skewers, sandwiches, bread bowl soups, varying sides, more than just fries and apples as sides for sure. It seems like most counter service restaurants in the Magic Kingdom are burger and hot dog joints.

Is it a demand thing? East coast folks only eat burgers and such in the parks or is it an operational, cost/volume thing?

I get that the other parks offer a greater variety but this is specific to the MK.
Click to expand...

It depends on where you're going. Columbia Harbor House, for instance, has broccoli as a side. You can get hummus, French Onion Soup, and other things that I wouldn't qualify as "fast food" necessarily.
 
Cmdr_Crimson

Cmdr_Crimson

Well-Known Member
To give you a good example...The Fantasy Faire Food Truck at Disney Springs sells one thing From DL...The Corn Dogs From the Little Red Wagon on Main Street...

From Disneyfoodblog
Fantasy-Fare-Food-Truck-Menu-4.jpg
 
Jon81uk

Jon81uk

Well-Known Member
VoiceGuy07 said:
Why isn't there a more diverse selection of food in the Magic Kingdom (MK) vs. the Disneyland Park? While I assume some of it is cultural, I would think that healthier and more interesting menu items would appeal to guests.

Does the 2M +/- guest per year difference (Magic Kingdom in 1st) between the two parks drive some operational ability to offer a greater variety of food options?

We were at Disneyland a couple of years ago and it was great to see great menus in the park; skewers, sandwiches, bread bowl soups, varying sides, more than just fries and apples as sides for sure. It seems like most counter service restaurants in the Magic Kingdom are burger and hot dog joints.

Is it a demand thing? East coast folks only eat burgers and such in the parks or is it an operational, cost/volume thing?

I get that the other parks offer a greater variety but this is specific to the MK.
Click to expand...

Disneyland gets more repeat visitors who are local and not willing to splurge on table service. The locals want variety of quick service. In Florida people are generally on a longer vacation and more likely to eat table service and want something simpler for quick service.
 
Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
You're not wrong. The food at Disneyland, overall, is better than the food at Disney World.
It's not that there isn't good food to eat at Disney World, but the trick is that in order to find interesting food, you basically have to go out looking for it.
This is especially true of DHS and the Magic Kingdom, where the majority of the quick service options only serve fairly conventional takes on burgers, hotdogs, and BBQ sandwiches.
At Disneyland, nearly every quick service spot is going to have something unique and noteworthy, and even places that do trade mostly in burgers and fries are going to have some real oddball item on the menu.

As you guessed, a lot of this is cultural.
Disney World gets a significant amount of local guests, but the great majority of its guests are families with young children taking multi-day vacations. These people tend to have less, shall we say, demanding pallets than a lot of people. Younger children are pickier eaters and parents trying to feed multiple kids are not going to be want to have to learn and then explain why the hamburger they're trying to feed to their 7-year-old has a radish-based patty served on wasabi naan and liberally doused in powdered sugar... or whatever. They just want food. Same goes with the large quantity of Disney World's international guests, who may or may not be up to speed on American cuisine in general and certainly aren't going to appreciate a bunch of culinary curveballs thrown at them when they're hot, tired, and spending a hundred bucks a day to be in a theme park.

Conversely, Disneyland is often referred to as the world's largest regional theme park, and for good reason. A much higher percentage of its guests are local to California, even if they're not passholders. By and large, their tastes in food are going to be a bit more adventurous, if not easily amused by trends, and moreover will be much, much more health-conscious than a typical vacationing family from the Midwest. Also, if they're just Californian guests who have come to Disneyland for one day, or part of a day, the park has to at least make some cursory effort to compete with the option of leaving early to find good food locally, since it's impractical, but not impossible to leave Disneyland and walk/taxi to any nearby restaurant within an hour or so. There's no Dining Plan or even inconvenience of travel to ensure that each day's park guests stay onsite and buys 2.5 meals a day from the park- Disney has to earn it.
 
VoiceGuy07

VoiceGuy07

Active Member
Original Poster
Bairstow said:
You're not wrong. The food at Disneyland, overall, is better than the food at Disney World.
It's not that there isn't good food to eat at Disney World, but the trick is that in order to find interesting food, you basically have to go out looking for it.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Bairstow, great write-up. When we were at the MK a few weeks ago, we struggled to find something different for a quick counter service lunch and we're all pretty much tired of the burger and hotdog routine (with a mound of fries that could feed a small country).
 
Hakunamatata

Hakunamatata

Le Meh
Premium Member
VoiceGuy07 said:
Thanks, Bairstow, great write-up. When we were at the MK a few weeks ago, we struggled to find something different for a quick counter service lunch and we're all pretty much tired of the burger and hotdog routine (with a mound of fries that could feed a small country).
Click to expand...
Pinnochio Village House or whatever it's called had a great menu when we were there summer before last. They had a flatbread sammich that was quite tasty.
 
MichWolv

MichWolv

Born Modest. Wore Off.
Premium Member
VoiceGuy07 said:
Why isn't there a more diverse selection of food in the Magic Kingdom (MK) vs. the Disneyland Park? While I assume some of it is cultural, I would think that healthier and more interesting menu items would appeal to guests.

Does the 2M +/- guest per year difference (Magic Kingdom in 1st) between the two parks drive some operational ability to offer a greater variety of food options?

We were at Disneyland a couple of years ago and it was great to see great menus in the park; skewers, sandwiches, bread bowl soups, varying sides, more than just fries and apples as sides for sure. It seems like most counter service restaurants in the Magic Kingdom are burger and hot dog joints.

Is it a demand thing? East coast folks only eat burgers and such in the parks or is it an operational, cost/volume thing?

I get that the other parks offer a greater variety but this is specific to the MK.
Click to expand...
MK's quick service offerings do come up short compared to Disneyland, which has Rancho del Zocalo (much better than Pecos Bill) and the French Market (no comparison). But when comes to table service, MK outdoes Disneyland, with Be Our Guest, Skipper Canteen, Tony's, and Crystal Palace having no analogs at Disneyland, and each offering a different experience.
 
VoiceGuy07

VoiceGuy07

Active Member
Original Poster
MichWolv said:
MK's quick service offerings do come up short compared to Disneyland, which has Rancho del Zocalo (much better than Pecos Bill) and the French Market (no comparison). But when comes to table service, MK outdoes Disneyland, with Be Our Guest, Skipper Canteen, Tony's, and Crystal Palace having no analogs at Disneyland, and each offering a different experience.
Click to expand...

Yes! Rancho del Zocalo was great and the beef and chicken skewers at Bengal Barbecue were excellent too. When we're in the parks we prefer quick counter service vs. table service and variety is limited. We reserve table service for evenings after the hot afternoon pool stop. Although have to say, after 18 years of going to Citrico's, I hate seeing the menu downsize, the service dip, and the prices skyrocket.

Great to see the almost endless new offerings at Disney Springs though. I was a Pleasure Island junkie and hated to see it go but I'm starting to warm up to Disney Springs.
 
Matt_Black

Matt_Black

Well-Known Member
MK is working on it. Pecos Bill's has the new menu which focuses on the Mex more than the Tex. You can get a Falafel Burger at Cosmic Ray's*. Salmon with couscous** at Columbia Harbor House. Etc.

*Also at Cosmic Ray's, you can choose green beans instead of fries as your side.
**Couscous is fun to say. Try it! I guarantee it will bring a smile to your face.
 
alissafalco

alissafalco

Well-Known Member
VoiceGuy07 said:
Thanks, Bairstow, great write-up. When we were at the MK a few weeks ago, we struggled to find something different for a quick counter service lunch and we're all pretty much tired of the burger and hotdog routine (with a mound of fries that could feed a small country).
Click to expand...
Pecos Bills has a whole south western menu.
image.jpeg

Tortuga Tavern
image.jpeg

Columbia Harbor house
image.jpeg

Be our Guest lunch QS
image.jpeg
 
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B

BASS

Well-Known Member
Healthy or not, I find the food at Magic Kindgom awful. I unfortunately and regrettably had dinner at Pecos Bill a year or two ago and it was one of the worst meals of my life.
 
Me 'Earties

Me 'Earties

Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate
MichWolv said:
MK's quick service offerings do come up short compared to Disneyland, which has Rancho del Zocalo (much better than Pecos Bill) and the French Market (no comparison). But when comes to table service, MK outdoes Disneyland, with Be Our Guest, Skipper Canteen, Tony's, and Crystal Palace having no analogs at Disneyland, and each offering a different experience.
Click to expand...

How would you compare Blue Bayou at DL? Only went once but I remember it was pretty darn good! Just curious as to thoughts on quality of DL TS vs. quantity of MK TS (note: I have not been at BOG nor Skipper Canteen for TS yet...but will come September).
 

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