Am I Alone... WDW Food is BAD

[piglet21]

I don't know....I typically enjoy 90% of my dining experiences at WDW. My expectations aren't sky high as I'm ultimately in a theme park and not in a trendy neighborhood in NYC. And to that point, I've had food in NYC that everyone goes nuts for online only to be disappointed when I actually try it.

I think in the digital age, we're conditioned to think everything is epic and awesome and delicious by looking at instagram and twitter food accounts. And when you finally get to try the treat you've been drooling over for a year you're like "meh". I'm fully prepared to be disappointed in the Cheshire Cat Tail when I try it in January lol.

The Cheshire Cat Tail is the most disappointing hyped up thing I've ever eaten at Disney World before! I was so excited to try it and my husband thought it looked good so he ordered two and we ended up throwing 1.5 of them away

 

[NCO91590]

The Cheshire Cat Tail is the most disappointing hyped up thing I've ever eaten at Disney World before! I was so excited to try it and my husband thought it looked good so he ordered two and we ended up throwing 1.5 of them away

SEE! I KNEW IT WOULD BE lololol! I'm sticking to the cronut and dole whips.

 

[HansGruber]

I don't mind paying more, but for such cheap labor and cheap utilities....I'd expect a better product.

The beverage offering at the quick serve places is also inconsistent. One place allowed refills, others don't; but both charge the same price.
Again, don't mind paying $3.99 for a drink but at least allow me unlimited refills since the heat index is 105 and I down 2-3 drinks per meal on a regular basis.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

After our last trip, I realized that we've had too many sub par to average meals at WDW. It's certainly not a you get what you pay for either, as some of those meh meals were signatures. I've really tried to stay away from reviews of late because last trip, we tried (or gave second chances to) too many places that were reviewed as "amazing," but wound up being mediocre at best (and just plain awful in a few cases). Dining is also such a subjective thing. I refused to give my friend food opinions for their recent trip because she might end up loving places we found to be shamefully bad...which did end up happening.

It's sad, but I've come to the point that I just book meals for the non-food experiences, since I might as well have fun or be in a neat setting if I'm playing roulette with food quality. I also now have several food intolerances that limit what I can order, so the food part of dining out has lost its luster.

 

[mouse_luv]

Depends on what you are eating and where.

 

[Benjamin_Nicholas]

It's all crap. Disney folk will convince themselves it's great because they're held hostage in the park.

 

[mmnw]

I can even get a Dole whip here!

May I ask where? I can think of one place.

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

Do I hear crickets....

Those are only available at select locations.

 

[FutureCEO]

When you have 5 million restaurants, all of them are not going to be great. If you think they are all going to be great, your expectations might be a tad too high.

With that being said - there is a lot of terrible fast food in the parks. Crazy Milkshakes with the donut or cake on top. funnel cakes, the list goes on.

 

[epcotisbest]

It's all crap. Disney folk will convince themselves it's great because they're held hostage in the park.

You ever actually ever been to WDW?

 

[RustySpork]

If you go to WDW expecting fine dining, you're probably going to be disappointed..with a few exceptions. If you go to WDW expecting to find slightly higher than theme park grade food offerings, you won't be disappointed. After all, WDW is just a collection of theme parks.

 

[Heppenheimer]

My experience visiting every few years since the 70s has been this: quick service food has gradually improved over the years, while full service restaurants have always been inconsistent, tend to start out a little more ambitious before fading to generic, familiar and bland (which seems to be what Disney's audience prefers). Most of the World Showcase restaurants have followed this long-term trend. Le Cellier, Biergarten, Chefs du France and Akershus have particularly let their game slide since they opened in the 80s, whereas Nine Dragons and the Italian restaurants were never particularly good in the first place.

 

[Jon81uk]

The menus at the TS and Signature dining have also become limited. I had planned on Jiko, but their menu was down to 4 entrees since they have the Lion king fixed menu.

Techically there is seven entrees, three on the Prix Fixe menu and four a la carte options. I usually expect signature dining type or better to have limited menus of a few dishes done well rather than a huge list of bland options.

 

[Ricky Spanish]

May I ask where? I can think of one place.

Menchie's.
Also heard there is a small ice cream shop in Edison Park that has it but I have not been there.

 

[Stellajack]

I confess that I don't expect a lot from the food at Disney. I actually get a little cranky in planning ADR's, since we prefer to focus on our activities. We "eat to live, not live to eat" at Disney. I resent myself for scheduling a 1-1.5-2 hour sit down while thinking about other things we could be doing. That's why we no longer schedule them OR we limit them. I only have Boma's (non-park arrival day) and the TTF Dessert Party scheduled for November. I don't criticize anyone for their food quality opinions since they are personal .

 

[HansGruber]

When you have 5 million restaurants, all of them are not going to be great. If you think they are all going to be great, your expectations might be a tad too high.

If that's the case, then don't charge exorbitant prices for every meal. Disney is suppose to be the gold standard. If they decide to sacrifice quality for quantity, then price it as such.

 

[Benjamin_Nicholas]

You ever actually ever been to WDW?

Home in Golden Oak, so yes.

 

[Phonedave]

Value is subjective and varies from person to person but I’ve never had a meal at WDW that left me with a “wow, that’s the best (blank) I’ve ever had” or “wow, I’ve never had that before”.

Let’s hear it... am I alone or not?!

I have said this many times. I no longer find food at WDW (V&A is an exception) to be a good value. At the prices WDW charges, even considering a "theme park mark up" it not worth the price. Food at WDW has become extremely mediocre. I understand why, they are victims of their own success. DDP and the popularity of the "foodie" (I hate that word) culture, has created restaurants that are packed to capacity day in and day out. When you are doing that kind of volume you need to move so suppliers that can supply you with massive quantities of food on a consistent and regular basis. Food needs to be prepared quickly, consistently, and in large amounts. There is no time to innovate, create specials, or put something on the menu in limited quantities. You are not going to see something like zucchini flowers on the menu at WDW - the season and supply is too short.

Adding to all of this is the DDP. Dishes must come in below a specific food cost because of the DDP, that also hamstrings creativity.

 

[Phonedave]

Not at all but I do think people "forget". you read it all the time on this site. we constantly compare the resorts to the four seasons. so insightful or not, we do it. op himself mentioned that he's used to the meals he gets from living in a big city.
Is there a litmus test a post must pass to be considered worthy?

Here is what I do. I take the prices at local restaurants around me. (I live near NYC, but not in NYC. We are talking middle of northern NJ.) I then add %15 to the prices to account for the captive audience pricing factor at WDW. That means that the innovative, locally sourced, flavorful and innovative dish I get at say the local family owned Italian place for $30 should compare to a similar dish at WDW that costs $39. A similar dish at WDW is well north of $39, and it is made on an assembly line, with food service ingredients. WDW is not a value to me anymore. Either lower the prices or bring the quality back up.

 

[Heppenheimer]

Value is subjective and varies from person to person but I’ve never had a meal at WDW that left me with a “wow, that’s the best (blank) I’ve ever had” or “wow, I’ve never had that before”.

Let’s hear it... am I alone or not?!

Back in the 1980s, Akershus really was a relevation to me. The food was delicious and at the time, was relatively exotic for the typical US palate. The venison was the best I had eaten up until that point (have since eaten better in Belgium and Germany), and my meal that night ignited a love of smoked and pickled fish that I maintain to this day..

But perhaps the fact that I have to reach all the way back to the 80s to find a counter-example probably supports your general point. And several years ago, when I treated my nieces to a meal here, mainly because of the princess overlay, the actual meal had taken a precipitous decline since my last visit.