All There Is To Eat At WDW Are Burgers and Fries!!

[Bugz]

Whats wrong with Cosmic Rays burgers and fries? gotta love them every year !!! Tradition

 

[Hockey89]

My brother and his wife are just like the person you described. They'd never been to disney, drove us all crazy with what they would and wouldn't do, made sure they were on some of our adr's but then ditched us and on one occasion even cancelled the adr and made themselves a new one leaving us with no warning (we found out when we went to eat). They didn't know how to use the fp system and wouldn't take advice on what things just don't need them and which ones do or to take breaks during the hottest part of the day (they're use to Colorado/Kansas weather plus SIL is naturally overweight and was about 20 weeks pregnant on top of it so she was crabby about not being able to ride a lot of things and not keeping the center of attention imo). We had his family, myself and my granddaughter, my sister and her family, and my dad and step mom all there at the same time for a week after my daughters wedding. All they did was complain and went home telling everyone how overrated disney was, how terrible the food was etc...just complained about everything. My dad, who usually sides with his only son about EVERYTHING just said well then you should have just listened to your sisters because we had a great time...sweet vindication.

This is why I don't travel with family....

 

[LAKid53]

I guess they missed many of the delicious QS spots in Animal Kingdom. So when does Flame Tree reopen?

 

[slappy magoo]

We all know people are a bit hyperboylic when describing things like that, and its pretty safe to assume the person didn't mean there was nothing on the menu but burgers But conversely to basically call that person an idiot because people want to throw out things like comparing table service, many parks, etc when we are talking about adhoc QSR dining.. is also just putting blinders on and defending on party lines.

If it's possible I'm giving this unknown person less credit than they deserve, it's equally likely you're giving them more.

And what does 'all of WDW' do for you when you are in a park and hungry now. Are you going to divert yourself 2+ hours to park hop to somewhere else to come back? Do you want to leave your park because of food? Instead of looking at it as 'WDW' if people actually looked at individual examples, the problems become more clear.

One would hope with the captive audience, scale, and economic advantages the 'all in house' QSR world has they could be BETTER than a stand-alone restaurant operator that doesn't have all those advantages.. but nope.

The food has been heading in the wrong direction more than the opposite. BoG was our hope for change, and we see how bad they've ****'d that.

Out of all 4 parks, the one that seems to have the least variety is MK (and there's variety there, just seemingly not as much). A monorail ride gives you access to three other resorts, each with their own food court as well as other restaurants. A boat ride will get you to other resorts. If the person wanted a food court meal, more than likely any of the monorail restaurants would not have taken 2+ hours to go there and back (now who's being hyperbolic?), and considering how long the waits could have been at MK counter service restaurants, the overall time to, for example, walk out of the MK, go to Contempo Cafe, have a lobster roll or curry salad and get back to MK could have been less than going to Cosmic Ray's, waiting on line, ignoring all the options there besides "burgers and fries," trying to find a place to sit and eating in that din. But of course, this person also could have opted to have a nice sit down meal instead. Even during lunch, at least 3 restaurants are open.

The person didn't do their homework when it came to where they ought to eat, or when, which is fine, there's no law that says someone has to do homework to go on a vacation and for most people it's counterintuitive. But to say "hyperbolic" or not that there are no food choices at WDW (versus not as much variety as I like, which is your argument) is as factually wrong as my saying the Eiffel Tower isn't in Paris because I was always facing a different direction and never saw it. Make like Frozen, Hoss, and let it go.

 

[ninjaprincesst]

On our last trip we were there for nine days and I did not have one burger the whole time (not that there is anything wrong with burgers) I just found plenty of other things I would rather have.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

The food has been heading in the wrong direction more than the opposite. BoG was our hope for change, and we see how bad they've ****'d that.

Hmm, have you eaten there? We have several times both for lunch and dinner and every meal was superb.

 

[flynnibus]

If it's possible I'm giving this unknown person less credit than they deserve, it's equally likely you're giving them more.

True.. True. But I'd also say the topic of food options isn't a new discovery

Out of all 4 parks, the one that seems to have the least variety is MK (and there's variety there, just seemingly not as much).

And MK was an example cited in the OP

A monorail ride gives you access to three other resorts, each with their own food court as well as other restaurants. A boat ride will get you to other resorts. If the person wanted a food court meal, more than likely any of the monorail restaurants would not have taken 2+ hours to go there and back (now who's being hyperbolic?)

Not HB... 30min bus ride each way, 1hr to walk to/from and eat your meal. I'd say 2hrs is conservative when it comes to all the walking you'd do in addition to the bus ride. Reality is its so much time, you wouldn't really go out and back.. you'd likely leave and stay where ever you went. Not exactly 'quick service'

The person didn't do their homework when it came to where they ought to eat, or when, which is fine, there's no law that says someone has to do homework to go on a vacation and for most people it's counterintuitive. But to say "hyperbolic" or not that there are no food choices at WDW (versus not as much variety as I like, which is your argument) is as factually wrong as my saying the Eiffel Tower isn't in Paris because I was always facing a different direction and never saw it. Make like Frozen, Hoss, and let it go.

A key difference though... the eiffel tower isn't there to be bought and sold. At the MK, Disney is (and should be) trying to sell and promote their dining options. The fact people fall through the cracks and aren't 'sold' on the concepts should raise questions of inspection. Is this an anomoly? Are there actual problems with visibility/awareness/confusion?

Instead we quickly say 'your dumb' as if how could you possibly make such a statement. And I contest, that when you do look at it objectively... their complaint isn't that far off when we are talking the MK especially.

There is a huge gap between QSR and TS... (as one would expect), but the QSR diversity isn't that great at all. And Disney's other ventures show it doesn't have to be that way.

I just think there is a lot of room for improvement here... not simply "you dumb tourist.. you should have studied everything Disney before coming on property..." How dare you think the customer should be allowed to be just a customer, not a researcher? -- line of thinking.

 

[flynnibus]

Hmm, have you eaten there? We have several times both for lunch and dinner and every meal was superb.

It was supposed to be a QSR.. and my comment was how Disney 'd that up and now continues to flee from making it a adhoc dining location.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

It was supposed to be a QSR.. and my comment was how Disney ****'d that up and now continues to flee from making it a adhoc dining location.

They were trying something new in it being QSR during the day and TS in the evening. They have been working out the bugs, but you know how glacial the pace of change is at Disney. First it was just stand in line, but people complained in the summer heat. Then they started limited FP for it, then added more FP for it. They were trying different options there to see how they worked out. They didn't, so now you just make reservations for lunch (even though a QSR) just like you do for dinner. They have learned that certain things just don't work, and I doubt we will see a FP option for any kind of dining in the future.

We've never had any problems getting in for lunch or dinner, so I really cannot see how it is so messed up in your eyes.

 

[slappy magoo]

Not HB... 30min bus ride each way, 1hr to walk to/from and eat your meal. I'd say 2hrs is conservative when it comes to all the walking you'd do in addition to the bus ride. Reality is its so much time, you wouldn't really go out and back.. you'd likely leave and stay where ever you went. Not exactly 'quick service'

I'm talking about going to a monorail resort. I've walked from the front gate of MK to Contempo Cafe in 12 minutes. And if we're talking about food court meals during lunch…if you're in "commando" mode it's not going to take you an hour to eat. You also have boats to those same resorts which, while being "time" can also be considered an attraction in and of itself to people who don't get to ride monorails or boats very often. On par with the Mountains, no. But a neat view and the sort of ride you wouldn't do at home. So no buses are involved.

A key difference though... the eiffel tower isn't there to be bought and sold.

Tell that to the souvenir industry.

At the MK, Disney is (and should be) trying to sell and promote their dining options. The fact people fall through the cracks and aren't 'sold' on the concepts should raise questions of inspection. Is this an anomoly? Are there actual problems with visibility/awareness/confusion?

Or maybe this person is a PitA who couldn't be bothered and causing his or her own problems. We all know That Guy, they're as inevitable as the person who takes someone else's problem and makes it all about them instead.

Instead we quickly say 'your dumb' as if how could you possibly make such a statement. And I contest, that when you do look at it objectively... their complaint isn't that far off when we are talking the MK especially.

And I disagree with that assessment. Clearly, I'm not the only one. I'll allow it's probably the park with the least variety but there's still variety.

There is a huge gap between QSR and TS... (as one would expect), but the QSR diversity isn't that great at all. And Disney's other ventures show it doesn't have to be that way.

But maybe - just maybe because clearly we're people on the internet so we know more - Disney's decades of customer research indicates that what they're offering at MK is what sells most, and the sort of "churn" that comes from a customer that can't be bothered to tilt their head 2 degrees to the left and see another counter service option that doesn't offer burgers is the price to pay for success. When food sales drop off, they'll bust out the sushi and falafel.

I just think there is a lot of room for improvement here... not simply "you dumb tourist.. you should have studied everything Disney before coming on property..." How dare you think the customer should be allowed to be just a customer, not a researcher? -- line of thinking.

I guess when you quoted my writing: "...there's no law that says someone has to do homework to go on a vacation and for most people it's counterintuitive" you weren't really paying attention. Which is so unlike you, you're usually quite thorough. But ultimately, yeah, this tourist was a dumb tourist. At the very least a disinterested tourist. Even if they didn't want to do an ounce of research beforehand, even if they didn't want to read a planning book or look through brochures and lists of restaurants on the drive or flight to WDW, or the bus ride from the airport to the resort, even if they don't have a smartphone and couldn't use the apps to get lists of restaurants with menus right there at their thumbs…


Even if they didn't want to do ANY of that…

How F***ING HARD IS IT to go up to a cast member, ANY cast member, at the theme park, at your resort, the bus driver, custodial staff, cashiers at the shoppes, and ask "hey, if I'm going to (Insert theme park name here) and I don't have any meal reservations but I really don't want burgers and fries, any suggestions?" That's either disinterest, laziness or sheer stupidity to go "I don't know the answer to my dilemma, but asking someone? Meh." I know, I know, CMs ain't what they used to be wahh wahh wahh, but whenever I have a question or a problem, I'm inevitably, eventually, presented with a CM who genuinely behaves as if they're happy to help me. And of course, the person the OP was describing had a friend he could've called and emailed to help him with his problem, probably the OP would have been giddy to have a WDW related conversation break up the work day, but this friend couldn't be bothered to call the OP, to look online, to consult a map, to ask a CM, anything. Which is a giant "DERP" as far as I'm concerned. Not looking this stuff up beforehand? Understandable. Being miserable because you can't work out solutions to your problems with the barest-bones of logic? Derp.

And to sum up, the OP has a beef with this friend's willful ignorance about food options. You have a separate, not-really-related beef that you've chosen to conflate with the OP's friend. Now, if you want to talk about YOUR problem? Fine. But just know it's not the same problem.

 

[Tinkerkelle]

We love burgers but hardly ate a single one on our last trip (a sneaky Krusty burger, because we just had to, from the other place - tell no-one!) We were fortunate to have the free DDP and ate at some fab places where there wasn't a burger in sight, including some great buffets. I'm a researcher and planner - I love that bit: the building anticipation - so we we knew to decide on our ADRs in plenty of time and get them at 180 days. It's tough on those not in the know and I can imagine the disappointment felt when you're turned away from TS restaurants that have nothing for you, but that's also the real world model - when you're planning on eating out, you book ahead to secure a table. We also ate at some great QS restaurants that offered a variety of choices - I still feel bad for those who are stuck with burger and fries though!!

 

[Mr Anderson]

I'm talking about going to a monorail resort. I've walked from the front gate of MK to Contempo Cafe in 12 minutes. And if we're talking about food court meals during lunch…if you're in "commando" mode it's not going to take you an hour to eat. You also have boats to those same resorts which, while being "time" can also be considered an attraction in and of itself to people who don't get to ride monorails or boats very often. On par with the Mountains, no. But a neat view and the sort of ride you wouldn't do at home. So no buses are involved.




Tell that to the souvenir industry.



Or maybe this person is a PitA who couldn't be bothered and causing his or her own problems. We all know That Guy, they're as inevitable as the person who takes someone else's problem and makes it all about them instead.

And I disagree with that assessment. Clearly, I'm not the only one. I'll allow it's probably the park with the least variety but there's still variety.



But maybe - just maybe because clearly we're people on the internet so we know more - Disney's decades of customer research indicates that what they're offering at MK is what sells most, and the sort of "churn" that comes from a customer that can't be bothered to tilt their head 2 degrees to the left and see another counter service option that doesn't offer burgers is the price to pay for success. When food sales drop off, they'll bust out the sushi and falafel.



I guess when you quoted my writing: "...there's no law that says someone has to do homework to go on a vacation and for most people it's counterintuitive" you weren't really paying attention. Which is so unlike you, you're usually quite thorough. But ultimately, yeah, this tourist was a dumb tourist. At the very least a disinterested tourist. Even if they didn't want to do an ounce of research beforehand, even if they didn't want to read a planning book or look through brochures and lists of restaurants on the drive or flight to WDW, or the bus ride from the airport to the resort, even if they don't have a smartphone and couldn't use the apps to get lists of restaurants with menus right there at their thumbs…


Even if they didn't want to do ANY of that…

How F***ING HARD IS IT to go up to a cast member, ANY cast member, at the theme park, at your resort, the bus driver, custodial staff, cashiers at the shoppes, and ask "hey, if I'm going to (Insert theme park name here) and I don't have any meal reservations but I really don't want burgers and fries, any suggestions?" That's either disinterest, laziness or sheer stupidity to go "I don't know the answer to my dilemma, but asking someone? Meh." I know, I know, CMs ain't what they used to be wahh wahh wahh, but whenever I have a question or a problem, I'm inevitably, eventually, presented with a CM who genuinely behaves as if they're happy to help me. And of course, the person the OP was describing had a friend he could've called and emailed to help him with his problem, probably the OP would have been giddy to have a WDW related conversation break up the work day, but this friend couldn't be bothered to call the OP, to look online, to consult a map, to ask a CM, anything. Which is a giant "DERP" as far as I'm concerned. Not looking this stuff up beforehand? Understandable. Being miserable because you can't work out solutions to your problems with the barest-bones of logic? Derp.

And to sum up, the OP has a beef with this friend's willful ignorance about food options. You have a separate, not-really-related beef that you've chosen to conflate with the OP's friend. Now, if you want to talk about YOUR problem? Fine. But just know it's not the same problem.

Umm, asking people? That's very hard!

Why don't they already know what I want to eat before I ask for it (even though I honestly have no idea myself sometimes), and have giant neon arrows on the ground that light up and point me to the restaurant that has that food I crave?!? I'm on vacation, I shouldn't have to lift a finger, or even think!!!

Man, Disney, c'mon; try and keep up.

 

[Matt_Black]

I don't often take pictures of my food, but I do on a trip to WDW. When I showed acquaintances pictures of my QS meals, they were all "THAT is fast food?!?" Pork chops, Tandoori cooking, broccoli, chicken & ribs, Currywurst, and plenty of other things I'm forgetting.

Even if you JUST limit to burgers, WDW has a wide array of burgers- mac & cheese burgers, PB&J burgers, burgers with toppings I'd never even dreamed of.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

This is why I don't travel with family....

lol...it's what I get for agreeing to play tour guide on top of having my daughter's wedding at disney. I must have been on a pixie dust overload when I said yes. The sad thing is that I've done disney with lots of different family members because I've learned rather than them coming to my house where there's nothing to do or me having to go visit them it's super easy to say I'll just catch up with you when you're at disney...win/win. We've just all come to the conclusion that none of us ever want to do it with my brother's family EVER again lol.

 

[slappy magoo]

I don't often take pictures of my food, but I do on a trip to WDW. When I showed acquaintances pictures of my QS meals, they were all "THAT is fast food?!?"

No. THAT is "counter service." Food at WDW is rarely "fast food."

 

[Disneyhead'71]

The complaints in the OP sound a lot like the complaints I hear when WDW faithful try Universal. One WDW fan actually complained that they spent the whole day in the parks at Uni and couldn't find a single restroom WITH A PARK MAP!

 

[Little Green Men]

If that's the case, why does Disneyland sell food items such as fried chicken dinners with mashed potatoes and vegetables, chicken and rice pilaf, gumbo, burritos/tacos/enchiladas, skewers, pasta, pot roast, etc. at their quick service spots? Disneyland is a busy theme park, too.

You haven't visited WDW yet but there are many options like that. Magic Kingdom has Be Our Guest with braised pork, mushrooms, onions, carrots, mashed potatoes, and green beans and chicken pot pie and lobster mac and cheese at Columbia Harbour House. A simple monorail ride to The Contemporary can give you a beef pot roast with mashed potatoes and vegetables, shrimp noodle bowl, grilled salmon with rice and vegetables. Not to mention EPCOT's huge array of quick service from Sunshine Season's pork chops with mashed potatoes, to rotisserie chicken, and fresh vegetables grown in the pavilion. Every World Showcase Restaurant has a lot of quick service, from ham and cheese crossaints, quiche, and pastries in France to fish and chips in the U.K., tacos and empanadas in Mexico to chicken and lamb platters with hummus tabbouleh, and couscous in Morocco.

 

[Matt_Black]

You haven't visited WDW yet but there are many options like that. Magic Kingdom has Be Our Guest with braised pork, mushrooms, onions, carrots, mashed potatoes, and green beans and chicken pot pie and lobster mac and cheese at Columbia Harbour House. A simple monorail ride to The Contemporary can give you a beef pot roast with mashed potatoes and vegetables, shrimp noodle bowl, grilled salmon with rice and vegetables. Not to mention EPCOT's huge array of quick service from Sunshine Season's pork chops with mashed potatoes, to rotisserie chicken, and fresh vegetables grown in the pavilion. Every World Showcase Restaurant has a lot of quick service, from ham and cheese crossaints, quiche, and pastries in France to fish and chips in the U.K., tacos and empanadas in Mexico to chicken and lamb platters with hummus tabbouleh, and couscous in Morocco.

And that's not even touching on the African and Asian (which in this case covers a bit of Indian cuisine with the expected Chinese) inspired options in the AK area.

 

[Jon81uk]

We went with a friend a few years ago, who expected theme park food to just be burgers and fries. We had the standard dining plan and made several ADRs so he knew we had some nice full service booked (such as Cali Grill) but didn't expect much from counter service.
I deliberatly avoided the burger counter service places for a few days, we did Colombia Harbour House, Yak & Yeti CS, Sunshine Seasons etc and after a week he was begging me to find a burger counter service (we did Pecos Bills for the toppings bar!).
The only day we had an issue was at Universal Islands of Adventure. He wanted salad. We struggled and went to Seuss Landing and he had a poor chicken caesar and I had some not great fried chicken. We had burgers at Mel's Drive In when at Uni Studios which was a much better choice!

 

[Otterhead]

If that's the case, why does Disneyland sell food items such as fried chicken dinners with mashed potatoes and vegetables, chicken and rice pilaf, gumbo, burritos/tacos/enchiladas, skewers, pasta, pot roast, etc. at their quick service spots? Disneyland is a busy theme park, too.

Well, some of those are definitely sold at MK; Tortuga Tavern has burritos/tacos, Tomorrowland Terrace has Italian and Asian pastas. But I think the bigger answer is "it's what sells". Both parks swap out menu items all the time & try new things. Keep in mind location: Disneyland is in busy California, and tons of visitors are locals, using it like their neighborhood park; they like variety. WDW is more of a 'walled garden'; visitors there are more likely tourists, people staying on property, or international guests who want a quick meal, a sandwich, American food. MK has plenty of variety but they also have three other theme parks that people can easily hop to. Disneyland has, uh, California Adventure