Am I Alone... WDW Food is BAD

[PolynesianPrincess]

We personally love food at Disney. California Grill is always 100% on par along with Napa Rose in Disneyland. Never a bad time at Le Cellier. Via Napoli pizza is always great. The rest of the places we usually dine range from good to great. 50s is always above average as with Liberty Tree Tavern. I never go into meals thinking this is going to be the best meal of my life. That would just be crazy. But for as many people as a table service restaurants feeds in a day, things could be worse. I will say that I think the quality in food has gone down over the last few years (mostly since Free Dining really became a thing)

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

To paraphrase an old song “We’ve had good meals, bad meals and going half mad meals” at WDW. Generally we like the food there but have noticed that a number of our favs have taken a turn for the worse of late, especially in the World Showcase. Spice Route Table used to be a definite to-go place but after 2 bad meals there it is off the list for now. We went back to Marrakesh last time as an alternate and it was pretty bad as well. (The chicken bastilla was as dry and dense as a hockey puck). Le Cellier is now half as good and twice as expensive, etc. it used to be that on a 10 day trip at least half of our meals would be in the work showcase but for our upcoming trip, just 2, Rose and Crown to see the new show, and Via Napoli for the Pizza. The only table service restaurant in the other parks we will go to is Tiffins at AK. It just seems table service quality in the parks has slid quite a bit in the last few years. Having said that, we have found a number of new places in Disney Springs we really like (Maria and Enzo’s, Art Smith’s and Morimotos), enough so that we are staying part of our trip at Saratoga Springs this next time. We also tried Ale and Compass at BC last trip and were pleased with that find. The AK resorts restaurants are holing in there but Jiko has come down a notch of late.

I think Disney Springs has REALLY stepped up their table service game over the last couple years. Maybe because most of the restaurants are owned by people other than Disney? We've been to Homecomin a couple times and loved it and we're trying Maria and Enzos in January.

 

[Phonedave]

I have the opposite problem. One look at my blonde hair and blue eyes and no Indian restaurant will serve me an authentic vindaloo . .

I have a friend - an extremely Caucasian looking friend - who spent 10 years in Japan. 3 or 4 in the Air Force and the rest just living there. He is not super fluent, but does pretty good with the language. We used to go to Japanese restaurants, and the menu and dishes totally changed once he began to order in Japanese.

-dave

 

[danyoung56]

I'm sorry... The opinion Applebbes is bad is a fact not an opinion...

For every person who believes this you'll find at least one who disagrees. So no, it's not a fact - it's an opinion.

(Not like us to disagree, no?)

 

[Hockey89]

For every person who believes this you'll find at least one who disagrees. So no, it's not a fact - it's an opinion.

(Not like us to disagree, no?)

And that would be wrong. That’s a fact. The food blows.

 

[danyoung56]

Opinion.

 

[OneofThree]

Here's a fact (albeit one perhaps only understood by those with a decent education): If all opinions are equal, then no opinions have value.

Ask any chef worth his or her salt -there are objective criteria for evaluating food and restaurants. If you like something that is objectively trash, your opinion is likely the problem.

 

[412]

Here's a fact (albeit one perhaps only understood by those with a decent education): If all opinions are equal, then no opinions have value.

Ask any chef worth his or her salt -there are objective criteria for evaluating food and restaurants. If you like something that is objectively trash, your opinion is likely the problem.

It's generally a waste of time trying to convince people that they shouldn't like the things that they like.

Obviously there are countless restaurants that serve more skillfully-prepared food than Applebee's. But that doesn't mean that Applebee's is objectively "bad" as you said. What does "bad" mean anyway? Sure, if I am looking for a high-quality steak, I will leave Applebee's disappointed. But if I want some inexpensive chicken wings or beer-cheese pretzels after 9 pm on a weeknight, Applebee's is one of the best places I can go.

No one goes to Applebee's because of its Michelin stars. But there are other reasons to go to a restaurant.

 

[Raineman]

Two people order the same item on the menu at a restaurant.

Fact: This food item's internal temperature is 100 F.
Opinion 1: This food is too cold.
Opinion 2: This food is the perfect temperature.

Even if the majority of people pick opinion 1, or opinion 2, it still does not make it fact. Fact is not reached by consensus. The only fact is the actual quantifiable, measurable temperature of the food. Opinion is reached from applying personal preference to the fact. I don't know why some people don't get it.

 

[Chi84]

Two people order the same item on the menu at a restaurant.

Fact: This food item's internal temperature is 100 F.
Opinion 1: This food is too cold.
Opinion 2: This food is the perfect temperature.

Even if the majority of people pick opinion 1, or opinion 2, it still does not make it fact. Fact is not reached by consensus. The only fact is the actual quantifiable, measurable temperature of the food. Opinion is reached from applying personal preference to the fact. I don't know why some people don't get it.

They know the difference Just having some fun.

 

[larryz]

If you like something that is objectively trash, your opinion is likely the problem.

Does that include those who eat snails, poi and sea cucumbers?

 

[Hockey89]

Does that include those who eat snails, poi and sea cucumbers?

Why do you hate some cultures

 

[Lilofan]

I have a friend - an extremely Caucasian looking friend - who spent 10 years in Japan. 3 or 4 in the Air Force and the rest just living there. He is not super fluent, but does pretty good with the language. We used to go to Japanese restaurants, and the menu and dishes totally changed once he began to order in Japanese.

-dave

Similar, we went to an Indian restaurant and the food somehow did not taste the same. When we questioned the manager about the quality of the food, he advised he thought that we did not like it as spicy as his Indian regulars who eat there.

 

[unmitigated disaster]

It's not true that all people who don't eat fish, spicy food, what have you don't eat it because they won't get out of their comfort zone.

I don't eat seafood because it all tastes the way dead seaweed smells, and I've had everything from a typical Friday Night fish fry to fresh shrimp and clams in coastal states to fresh caught that day Andean trout. Dead seaweed smells. So I gave up.

Lots of people I know have a low tolerance for spicy food - I do, for example, but my siblings love extremely spicy food - which isn't the same as disliking it. I like the medium spiciness at my local Indian restaurant, but I can't tolerate it.

At WDW we've had good luck at Harambe, Flame Tree BBQ, Tangierine Cafe - although my father was sad they added falafel to the vegetarian platter as he does not like falafel - and the Columbia House. We thought Pecos Bill was awful.

 

[John park hopper]

It all boils down to

"You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time."

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

It's not true that all people who don't eat fish, spicy food, what have you don't eat it because they won't get out of their comfort zone.

I don't eat seafood because it all tastes the way dead seaweed smells, and I've had everything from a typical Friday Night fish fry to fresh shrimp and clams in coastal states to fresh caught that day Andean trout. Dead seaweed smells. So I gave up.

Lots of people I know have a low tolerance for spicy food - I do, for example, but my siblings love extremely spicy food - which isn't the same as disliking it. I like the medium spiciness at my local Indian restaurant, but I can't tolerate it.

At WDW we've had good luck at Harambe, Flame Tree BBQ, Tangierine Cafe - although my father was sad they added falafel to the vegetarian platter as he does not like falafel - and the Columbia House. We thought Pecos Bill was awful.

THIS is what I was trying to get across. Just because some people don't want spicy foods, doesn't mean we are uneducated dullards who don't want to get out of our comfort zones. LOL, said in jest! I can't tolerate spicy, and like you, can't stand the smell or taste of seafood. I love fish from the lakes around here though. So, thanks, UD, for posting what I was trying to say.

 

[OneofThree]

THIS is what I was trying to get across. Just because some people don't want spicy foods, doesn't mean we are uneducated dullards who don't want to get out of our comfort zones. LOL, said in jest! I can't tolerate spicy, and like you, can't stand the smell or taste of seafood. I love fish from the lakes around here though. So, thanks, UD, for posting what I was trying to say.

And, this is the absurdity of it. One of the biggest issues is that suddenly, everyone calling themselves a "foodie" is an authority (likely in part due to the universal platform otherwise known as the internet). Again, not all opinions are equal -they never have been, with anything. People who actually know food (whether because they are chefs or critics by profession) are able to get this, objectively evaluate food aside from their own preferences. Food doesn't fail to suck just because you can find some random calling it "great", "amazing", or some other overused expletive.

 

[ddbowdoin]

Applebee’s is bad... are we even discussing this? I have a microwave at home, that’s 50% if Applebee’s right there (and a visit to my grocery store frozen aisle)

 

[Heppenheimer]

Applebee’s is bad... are we even discussing this? I have a microwave at home, that’s 50% if Applebee’s right there (and a visit to my grocery store frozen aisle)

I had a meal at Applebee's once that changed my opinion of the restaurant. It really was tasty and well prepared.

Then, I ate there again. Same old Crapplebee's. I won't return unless I'm on the road and can't find anything else.

 

[John park hopper]

I had a meal at Applebee's once that changed my opinion of the restaurant. It really was tasty and well prepared.

Then, I ate there again. Same old Crapplebee's. I won't return unless I'm on the road and can't find anything else.

It is unfortunate that some Disney table service are no better. We ate at Coral Reef in 2017 and it was very good, great service. On our 2019 trip we made it a point to return with my son/wife and granddaughters OMG it was worse than horrible the service was non existent--we literally waited over an hour for our food ( was not crowded) I had the same thing as I ate in 2017 (think it was leftover from 2017) Needles to say we will never go back. It is issues like this that leave a bad taste and guests remember.