Connections Cafe and Eatery

[dreday3]

Thats the pattern for about 90% of Disney dining locations. Open something new.. have a few really unique items.. then the crowds show Disney that they just want burgers and fries.. the menu gets dumbed down. Not in all cases but most. Its the reason i cant find anything spicy anywhere on property. Its all dumbed down to the masses. I get it but dont like it. Ill see something thats sounds fantastic when something opens here on the boards. I know if im not at disin 2-3 months I probably wont be able to try it. Especially seasoned spicy dishes. There are a few still left but not many.

Guest demand says no to unique things.

I agree that's probably what happened.

But honestly, Mediterranean flavors are still considered unique?

 

[DisneyDebRob]

I agree that's probably what happened.

But honestly, Mediterranean flavors are still considered unique?

For Disney guests yes. Guest demand wants flavorless food. Way to many spices for the average guest.

 

[UNCgolf]

I think it's definitely fair to say Connections is two venues. I was actually assuming that myself.

I'm not sure it is, since they only serve breakfast sandwiches. Not that you couldn't eat one of those at 2 PM (assuming they serve them all day), but most guests aren't going to. I think they'd need some kind of separate lunch/dinner offering to really count as a full venue.

Plus the aforementioned problem that Starbucks "food" (if they're serving standard Starbucks items) is worse than bad theme park food.

 

[UNCgolf]

Thats the pattern for about 90% of Disney dining locations. Open something new.. have a few really unique items.. then the crowds show Disney that they just want burgers and fries.. the menu gets dumbed down. Not in all cases but most. Its the reason i cant find anything spicy anywhere on property. Its all dumbed down to the masses. I get it but dont like it. Ill see something thats sounds fantastic when something opens here on the boards. I know if im not at disin 2-3 months I probably wont be able to try it. Especially seasoned spicy dishes. There are a few still left but not many.

Guest demand says no to unique things.

The Disney Dining Plan was a big part of this, although it obviously can't be blamed for Connections.

 

[James Alucobond]

I'm not sure it is, since they only serve breakfast sandwiches. Not that you couldn't eat one of those at 2 PM (assuming they serve them all day), but most guests aren't going to. I think they'd need some kind of separate lunch/dinner offering to really count as a full venue.

Plus the aforementioned problem that Starbucks "food" (if they're serving standard Starbucks items) is worse than bad theme park food.

I would assume that if it’s standard Starbucks fare, that also includes their typical pastries, scones, cookies, etc., yes? Quality aside, the variety is still pretty comparable to late-stage Fountainview, and given the preponderance of adults unable to claw their way through the day without a Starbucks beverage, probably infinitely more popular.

 

[bhg469]

For Disney guests yes. Guest demand wants flavorless food. Way to many spices for the average guest.

Yup. Most people want the Tim tracker diet of hamburgers. Pretty sad but it's what sells most

 

[Vacationeer]

I think WDW relies on a strategy of making great first impressions. Positive reviews will dominate search algorithms much longer than what they were referencing. The value proposition changes with price increases, shaved quality and variety… but those initial raving reviews continue getting the most visibility on Google.

Our advantage is new offerings give us the best chance at being impressed, whether it’s the new BW Deli, a new food adventure tour at AK, a refurbed lounge, etc. So we keep an eye out for those.

 

[Epcot82Guy]

I'm not sure it is, since they only serve breakfast sandwiches. Not that you couldn't eat one of those at 2 PM (assuming they serve them all day), but most guests aren't going to. I think they'd need some kind of separate lunch/dinner offering to really count as a full venue.

Plus the aforementioned problem that Starbucks "food" (if they're serving standard Starbucks items) is worse than bad theme park food.

That's fair. I meant when comparing it to my list. Since I was including Fountainview, Taste Track, etc., it would count in that category. Plus, for better or worse, the Starbucks serve a lot of people at the parks. So, from pure food capacity, it does have a large throughput.

Quality and variety of offerings... I'll leave that discussion to the eye of the beholder...

 

[UNCgolf]

I would assume that if it’s standard Starbucks fare, that also includes their typical pastries, scones, cookies, etc., yes? Quality aside, the variety is still pretty comparable to late-stage Fountainview, and given the preponderance of adults unable to claw their way through the day without a Starbucks beverage, probably infinitely more popular.

Right, but pastries, scones, etc. still aren't lunch or dinner. They're snacks.

I almost want to consider it half a venue, because it offers breakfast sandwiches and snacks but is unlikely to serve lunch or dinner to the vast majority of guests (although I assume even Connections Eatery mainly just serves lunch and is nowhere near as busy at dinner, but I don't know).

 

[RSoxNo1]

I agree that's probably what happened.

But honestly, Mediterranean flavors are still considered unique?

The American public fears Mediterranean food. We will accept Italian food and that's close enough.

It really is kind of lousy and I can't really fault Disney for this. There have been some good local Mediterranean places near me that failed because people hate going out of their comfort zone.

 

[bhg469]

The American public fears Mediterranean food. We will accept Italian food and that's close enough.

It really is kind of lousy and I can't really fault Disney for this. There have been some good local Mediterranean places near me that failed because people hate going out of their comfort zone.

Which is strange to me because there were several back where I lived in buffalo NY. I basically lived on souvlaki.

 

[doctornick]

Which is strange to me because there were several back where I lived in buffalo NY. I basically lived on souvlaki.

As an aside, I'm pretty shocked they haven't worked a Greek restaurant into WDW somewhere.

 

[bhg469]

As an aside, I'm pretty shocked they haven't worked a Greek restaurant into WDW somewhere.

Like @RSoxNo1 said. They probably assume guests would shy away from it. Laughably they have a "Greek salad" on the menu at mk, I can't remember where but I ordered it once... It had a fried chicken tender on it!!

 

[UNCgolf]

As an aside, I'm pretty shocked they haven't worked a Greek restaurant into WDW somewhere.

Wasn't one of the restaurants in Morocco basically a Greek restaurant?

I'm not saying that from personal experience, and there are similarities among Mediterranean food across cultures, but I seem to recall people saying that one of the food service establishments there was really Greek rather than Moroccan.

 

[bhg469]

Wasn't one of the restaurants in Morocco basically a Greek restaurant?

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Marrakesh was definitely Mediterranean but not really greek. Gyro (yee-ro not guy-ro) souvlaki babaganoush, pastitsio. There's a bunch of other dishes I'm forgetting but it would be a nice addition not just a booth at the festival.

Funny enough we went to taverna opa on international drive recently and had a really great time! It is definitely a fun atmosphere in there.

 

[aladdin2007]

Wasn't one of the restaurants in Morocco basically a Greek restaurant?

I'm not saying that from personal experience, and there are similarities among Mediterranean food across cultures, but I seem to recall people saying that one of the food service establishments there was really Greek rather than Moroccan.

Spice Road sort of falls into that, more so than Marrakesh ever did. Still so sad really missing the latter.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Spice Road sort of falls into that, more so than Marrakesh ever did. Still so sad really missing the latter.

Aren't all the restaurants at Morocco something of a testament to how unadventurous guests can be? My impression was always that Morocco and Norway were the two easiest places to get reservations as guests were unsure of the food. Certainly in recent times they have been struggling to get Spice Road going despite its location.

I can kind of understand why people shied away from Norway as it's not a country known for its cuisine, but Morocco really is a country known for having great food.

 

[MisterPenguin]

My impression was always that Morocco and Norway were the two easiest places to get reservations as guests were unsure of the food.

What American doesn't like a cold slab of fish in the morning and piles of lamb in the evening?

 

[dreday3]

What American doesn't like a cold slab of fish in the morning and piles of lamb in the evening?

I love the smell of mackerel in the morning.

 

[Haymarket2008]

Aren't all the restaurants at Morocco something of a testament to how unadventurous guests can be? My impression was always that Morocco and Norway were the two easiest places to get reservations as guests were unsure of the food. Certainly in recent times they have been struggling to get Spice Road going despite its location.

I can kind of understand why people shied away from Norway as it's not a country known for its cuisine, but Morocco really is a country known for having great food.

I’d like to see the overall data, but whenever I dined at Marrakesh it was always very well attended. Akershus on the other hand…..