Disney Dining Plan was the worst thing to ever happen to Disney restaurants. By getting suckers to prepay for way more food than they'd eat on their own, Disney can trim costs, homogenize menus and make the whole experience as bargain bin as can be. By turning every meal into a mass-produced buffet extravaganza, your profit margin increases exponentially.
Some friends really wanted a last-minute character meal, so we wound up at Chef Mickey's for dinner not too long ago. My memory of it from the mid-2000s was that the food was pretty decent. I was shocked at what it is now. Other than the carved meats, it all looked like prison slop. Just horrid all around. Even the signature stuff they had for years, like the famous parmesan mashed potatoes, were removed in favor of pre-made nonsense.
Ate at Yachtsman the other day, by comparison, it was pretty good. However the server lamented about how they're one of only three restaurants on property that are allowed to make their own bread. Everything else is procured from service vendors. This wasn't the case 10-15 years ago. Even 'Ohana, which was one of my favorite restaurants, used to have this trio of amazing homemade sauces is now relegating to serving two store-bought sauces, not to mention their menu reductions (five meats to three, removal of the side dishes, etc).
