So when people complain about the standard of food within the parks .........

[mergatroid]

Are they usually talking about self service places serving burgers and pizza etc, or are they referencing the table service restaurants? I'll be honest apart from a table service meal at the Sc-fi Dine In or The Rose and Crown occasionally, we rarely eat at 'proper restaurants' within Disney. I'm also like a big kid and normally look for a burger on the menu in there anyway or fish & chips in the Rose & Crown.

But in general when people on here refer to the quality of food not being what is was in Disney World, do they mean table service restaurants and if so how has it changed?

 

[Chef Mickey]

They are just complaining.

I think if you're willing to pay to eat at some of the better places, the food is EASILY as good as most of the chain restaurants in the real world and many are better than that.

It's not Michelin Star dining, but Disney does a solid job with food overall.

 

[correcaminos]

Honestly for us it is a bit of both, but mostly TS options. Disney food is expensive compared to home and on average the quality is like an Outback or Applebee's to us. Not worth the upcharge for okay food. That said there are a few newer restaurants that aren't falling into "let's make it bland/boring so people will eat it" which is nice. The few QS we did in June were better than even in March when we went so I have hope it will turn back to better food. Maybe not quite worth the price but not bad enough either that we'll just skip it.

Where we live there are a lot of very good privately owned restaurants. Chains are around but not as popular. So we're used to pretty good food for not a lot of money. Lots of variety too which Disney was lacking for a while.

 

[Nextinline]

Personally, I've had some of my favorite meals of all time at Disney parks. There are a lot of quick service options (and even table service, include Sci-Fi IMO) that are more like cafeterias than restaurants, but if you go to the right places you can find amazing food through the parks. The diversity in menu options is great as well.

To answer your question, I believe people are mostly referring to generic quick service options, and I can't disagree!

 

[mergatroid]

Personally, I've had some of my favorite meals of all time at Disney parks. There are a lot of quick service options (and even table service, include Sci-Fi IMO) that are more like cafeterias than restaurants, but if you go to the right places you can find amazing food through the parks. The diversity in menu options is great as well.

To answer your question, I believe people are mostly referring to generic quick service options, and I can't disagree!

We eat at Cosmic Rays from time to time but I usually begrudge paying so much for a burger and fries, but everywhere with a captive audience does the same. I actually think the taste of QS burgers around Disney isn't bad, it's the price! As an aside, a really enjoyable tasty QS meal for us is the one in the China pavilion.

 

[correcaminos]

To add to something I just thought of. I've been going to Disney my whole life more or less. Well first trip was when I was 5. I remember when Epcot opened and how varied the food was. QS is QS honestly and it's fast food, so our expectations are average on that and should be because well, it's fast food! So about 10 years ago the dining plan was becoming very popular, and about that time is when food started becoming more boring. Several restaurants would serve the same version of the same stuff. The kids meals in particular turned very bland and boring. There was a time I ordered a pizza for my son and he hated it. I thought he was being picky, but I tried it and OMG it was so bland. Food really became more mainstream and honestly "dumbed down" for an average consumer.

A specific example: My favorite restaurant (Marrakesh) went from being full of flavor to very bland or overly sweet with the flavors. It was like people couldn't handle the older spiced (not spicy though) foods and they had to dumb it down. I haven't been back since that time. Though we found Spice Road to be excellent and full of flavor.

More mainstream food will likely appeal to more people but for those of us who have been going a long time, it was hard to watch the change. Now the last year or two, they've started adding things back. They opened some really good places that were more unique. Granted they are easy to book as people want Chef Mickey's and the like, but that doesn't bother me because I hate planning 180 days out anyway LOL.

So some of us "complainers" are slightly upset that good food went more mainstream (in addition to what I said above about how some of us just live in areas of great food).

 

[Chef Mickey]

I was forced to eat at Chili's for a company thing and my god...the fact they are even in business surprises me.

I had better fajitas at the MK.

 

[King Racoon 77]

 

[Raineman]

Any bets on how long it will take for this post to devolve into people complaining about the DDP and blaming poor food quality on said DDP? I say no longer than 3 pages

 

[jaques21]

The food at Disney is great on all levels. I have had food in Disney that I like and love, have also had food I didn't like but it wasn't because it was bad its because I was trying something I usually don't get (like the Moroccan Food) I liked some of meal and could tell it was done right, I just didn't like the taste. that's not Disney's fault. Can't wait to eat their food on Saturday!

 

[Dave B]

Our first couple trips to WDW we didn't even eat at the parks, we went to Target and stocked up on groceries, saved a ton of money and made meals, we even went off site for dinner a couple times, but when we tried eating at WDW with the free dining we fell in love, the food is average in some locations, but the time and convenience you save is well worth any additional costs, and remember no one is forcing you to eat at Disney, this is a choice, we really enjoy our meals, cant wait for November to try Yachtsmen steakhouse, La Cellier, Askerhaus Buffett and many more

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Personally, I've had some of my favorite meals of all time at Disney parks. There are a lot of quick service options (and even table service, include Sci-Fi IMO) that are more like cafeterias than restaurants, but if you go to the right places you can find amazing food through the parks. The diversity in menu options is great as well.

To answer your question, I believe people are mostly referring to generic quick service options, and I can't disagree!

Exactly. People don't make their kids try new things so they end up raising picky eaters (not a judgement of parenting skills, simply a statement of fact). Then they complain because all they're eating is burgers and fries... because the only restaurants they're going to are The Electric Umbrella, Cosmic Ray's, Backlot Express, and Pizzafari.

I'm going to Walt Disney World for eight nights in a few weeks and my menu will be along the following lines:

Smoked chicken and barbecue ribs
Roasted beef bowl
Fish and chips
Shawarma platter (chicken and lamb)
Rotisserie chicken with green beans and mashed potatoes
Chicken tikka masala
Spicy grilled fish tacos
Nachos Rio Grande

And those are just my quick service locations! Note that I mentioned eight meals off the top of my head and didn't mention "burger and fries" even once. I'll pay $10 - $15 for each of those meals and be very happy with the quality and value of my selections.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

It's not Michelin Star dining, but Disney does a solid job with food overall.

Right, and the price premium Disney charges starts to disappear when you get into the higher end restaurants, so people lose even more credibility when they complain about price. The filet at Jiko is $49 and served with macaroni and cheese and asparagus. A filet at Ruth's Chris is $45 and it doesn't come with any garnish whatsoever.

 

[Phonedave]

Right of the bat, all food in WDW is overpriced - it is what it is. This is not "the outside world" this is WDW and they can charge what they want, and they do. I have made my peace with that a long time ago.

Quick service is fast food - it's what I expect and it's what they serve. Some of it is actually pretty tasty, but over all it is fast food, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Now, for Table Service. WDW used to have some very interesting dishes at some of their table services. They also used to have some creative dishes. While the food was overpriced, it was not insane. You paid a bit more than you would in the "real world" this is Disney after all, but the food was good, and it was around a 10 to 15% upcharge.

In the last 5-6 years or so, the table service restaruants at WDW have gone downhill. For the most part, the food is uninspired, the menus rarely change, the food is clearly cranked out of a kitchen as fast as possible, and the goal of most of the wait staff seems to be to turn a table over as fast as possible. Now there are some hold outs, and some places that do have some stand out dishes, but most of the food is very mainstream. Nothing really stand out, no ingredients that can't be sourced from a bulk food supplier (I'll let you figure out what that is) and nothign really exotic or different.

To top it off, the pricing in the table service restaruants, especially the signatures, is way out of whack. It is well above the old 10 - 15% over real world that it used to be.

-dave

 

[Phonedave]

Right, and the price premium Disney charges starts to disappear when you get into the higher end restaurants, so people lose even more credibility when they complain about price. The filet at Jiko is $49 and served with macaroni and cheese and asparagus. A filet at Ruth's Chris is $45 and it doesn't come with any garnish whatsoever.

You are comparing WDW to Ruth's Chris? RC is an other overpriced chain that people like to eat at because it makes they feel important

Montville Inn, down the road from my house - and that is Northern NJ pricing.

12 oz Filet
$ 28
Cheddar Cheese Orzo, Grilled Asparagus, Red Wine Demi Glaze

And really, a filet is about the most overrated thing on any menu. Except for maybe surf and turf

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Right of the bat, all food in WDW is overpriced - it is what it is. This is not "the outside world" this is WDW and they can charge what they want, and they do. I have made my peace with that a long time ago.

Quick service is fast food - it's what I expect and it's what they serve. Some of it is actually pretty tasty, but over all it is fast food, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Now, for Table Service. WDW used to have some very interesting dishes at some of their table services. They also used to have some creative dishes. While the food was overpriced, it was not insane. You paid a bit more than you would in the "real world" this is Disney after all, but the food was good, and it was around a 10 to 15% upcharge.

In the last 5-6 years or so, the table service restaruants at WDW have gone downhill. For the most part, the food is uninspired, the menus rarely change, the food is clearly cranked out of a kitchen as fast as possible, and the goal of most of the wait staff seems to be to turn a table over as fast as possible. Now there are some hold outs, and some places that do have some stand out dishes, but most of the food is very mainstream. Nothing really stand out, no ingredients that can't be sourced from a bulk food supplier (I'll let you figure out what that is) and nothign really exotic or different.

To top it off, the pricing in the table service restaruants, especially the signatures, is way out of whack. It is well above the old 10 - 15% over real world that it used to be.

-dave

See my prior post. I'm not sure what "real world" everyone lives in that I don't, but a bacon burger with regular fries from my local Five Guys is $12, which is actually MORE expensive than what I'd pay at Backlot Express.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Right, and the price premium Disney charges starts to disappear when you get into the higher end restaurants, so people lose even more credibility when they complain about price. The filet at Jiko is $49 and served with macaroni and cheese and asparagus. A filet at Ruth's Chris is $45 and it doesn't come with any garnish whatsoever.

I'm glad someone gets it. Plus, Ruth's Chris is next to a strip club and isn't inside a destination bubble. It's JUST the restaurant.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I'm glad someone gets it. Plus, Ruth's Chris is next to a strip club and isn't inside a destination bubble. It's JUST the restaurant.

To be fair, I don't think anyone actually eats at Ruth's Chris unless they have a corporate expense account to charge it to.

 

[John park hopper]

Over all we can't complain about WDW food other than the price, guess that can be expected. The finer sit down restaurants such as Jiko are excellent. Fast food English pavilion in Epcot had great fish and chips and the Nine Dragons we had a resonable priced lunch which was very good. Have had good burgers in MK and then again so so fast food in AK. Sit down dinner Coral Reef was good. Have not done breakfast in any of the parks as we bring cereal and danish and juice and keep it in the small frig in the room. Have never done the dining plan we buy and stock up on Disney gift cards long before we visit and use them strictly for dining, kind of softens the blow.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Right of the bat, all food in WDW is overpriced - it is what it is. This is not "the outside world" this is WDW and they can charge what they want, and they do. I have made my peace with that a long time ago.

Quick service is fast food - it's what I expect and it's what they serve. Some of it is actually pretty tasty, but over all it is fast food, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Now, for Table Service. WDW used to have some very interesting dishes at some of their table services. They also used to have some creative dishes. While the food was overpriced, it was not insane. You paid a bit more than you would in the "real world" this is Disney after all, but the food was good, and it was around a 10 to 15% upcharge.

In the last 5-6 years or so, the table service restaruants at WDW have gone downhill. For the most part, the food is uninspired, the menus rarely change, the food is clearly cranked out of a kitchen as fast as possible, and the goal of most of the wait staff seems to be to turn a table over as fast as possible. Now there are some hold outs, and some places that do have some stand out dishes, but most of the food is very mainstream. Nothing really stand out, no ingredients that can't be sourced from a bulk food supplier (I'll let you figure out what that is) and nothign really exotic or different.

To top it off, the pricing in the table service restaruants, especially the signatures, is way out of whack. It is well above the old 10 - 15% over real world that it used to be.

-dave

You have to be somewhat careful when you say it's overpriced. I guess it's overpriced in that you could get a similar thing for cheaper, but you're not at Disney World when you're eating at Applebees. Furthermore, is the food at the comparable places really any better? For Example, literally everything served at Olive Garden is frozen and/or comes from a bag. A dinner for 2 is easily $65 without alcohol....and there is a Discount Tire next door, not Test Track.