California Grill to debut new fixed price three course menu.

[monothingie]

They are trying to eliminate people taking up tables and only ordering dessert

I don’t know if I’m buying this …. seriously how many tables are just ordering dessert? I have yet to ever see that in there….

If this is a problem, then bring back the lounge area in front of the bar. In my observation, if table turnover/utilzation is the issue, then the biggest issue is that most people go there around 7 and try to hold onto a table for 2-3 hours until fireworks. A prix fixe menu won't solve that problem.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

So there is no regular menu option. Just this?

Yep…I have that fire extinguisher ready if you want to self-immolate

Well, that's it for us dining at Cali Grill. None of the appetizers appeal to us. I'm tired of the prix fix menus.

What’s sad? It hasn’t even actually “started” yet

Are we talking about two different things? The Celebration at the Top is $129 per person; the prix fixe dinner menu is $89 per person.

Thank you…I swung at that curveball and missed too

What's ridiculous is that IF I had the interest to go to the California Grill after this idiotic prix fixe stupidity, I would actually be spending LESS with the new scheme than I would ordinarily. I'm not sure why they can't have this special dinner menu IN ADDITION TO a regular menu. It just cheapens the whole experience.

You mad, bro?

and you know why they’re doing it: capitalizing on the “unwittingly willing” that will go for the high profit, guaranteed out of pocket prices.

 

[monothingie]

It happens. Also “I’ll have an app as my dinner.” People will just order a flatbread.

At the cost of the people who go there and routinely splurge on food and drink who will be ed off at the restrictions.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It happens. Also “I’ll have an app as my dinner.” People will just order a flatbread.

It’s a highly exaggerated problem. The Emperor doesn’t need his guard on this one…

no losses have ever been posted in that room since 1994…quite the opposite

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

At the cost of the people who go there and routinely splurge on food and drink who will be ****ed off at the restrictions.

In my mind…this is where you’re at:

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

They are trying to eliminate people taking up tables and only ordering dessert

Was that on the board backstage next to the osha stuff?

I don’t know if I’m buying this …. seriously how many tables are just ordering dessert? I have yet to ever see that in there….

You probably shouldn’t…buy the excuses or pay the ransom. The two are married

It happens. Also “I’ll have an app as my dinner.” People will just order a flatbread.

So that’s something that is “wrong” and has to be legislated out?

so if a person gets an appetizer and dessert (not everyone can take the entree salt)…and buys/downs two bottles of high mark up wine…how much profit is made?


people need to stop making excuses for a company that isn’t in it looking for excuses. Be “subjectively objective”…

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think that sounds fantastic…

And it is a signature restaurant. Although I’m assured adults can order from the kid menu for $89 Mac n cheese. If they really want the off-center fireworks view.

It’s a cost saving measure…

“duck” made in batches and divided up to put on fairly inexpensive pizza is far less costly than made to order birds…

…but how do you think the service will be? All Sorbonne trained? Or 20 year vets out of casting across from vista way?

…and since you brought it up…what’s “signature” these days?…I have my kicker lined up but he can’t get a fix on the target

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Was that on the board backstage next to the osha stuff?

*mic drop*

 

[Admiral01]

Wait, what is this mess? California Grill is our big meal each trip - usually around $400 for two of us. We get apps, spicy Kazan rolls, dinner, drinks, dessert…. This isn’t anything that we want! How long is this trash going to last?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Wait, what is this mess? California Grill is our big meal each trip - usually around $400 for two of us. We get apps, spicy Kazan rolls, dinner, drinks, dessert…. This isn’t anything that we want! How long is this trash going to last?

Likely forever…I’m sad to say.

this is just the natural progression from dining plan IMHO - it’s just guaranteeing costs and revenues even more.

“cuisine” is just not a concern anymore. And it’s a shame…you can still have good food…but “exceeding expectations” was one of those frequent things that really made/gave wdw the unique reputation it has enjoyed.

 

[monothingie]

It’s a cost saving measure…

“duck” made in batches and divided up to put on fairly inexpensive pizza is far less costly than made to order birds…

…but how do you think the service will be? All Sorbonne trained? Or 20 year vets out of casting across from vista way?

…and since you brought it up…what’s “signature” these days?…I have my kicker lined up but he can’t get a fix on the target

Take a large menu which changes frequently based on season and cut it down to about a dozen generic things that can be made cheaply on the assembly line.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Take a large menu which changes frequently based on season and cut it down to about a dozen generic things that can be made cheaply on the assembly line.

We’re sympatico here…

it makes us look cheap…which I know isn’t my case. Many a large bill has and will be covered…but I don’t need a hedge fund manager trying to grab my wallet as I pass him coming off the elevator entering the restaurant.

the “short terming” is taking me back to my dark “LOL” days (some here know where that goes…and it’s not good for anyone)

the timing and aloof nature of the management is stretching even the “skeptical diehard” in me.

 

[Chi84]

I wonder how people are going to respond to this. I don't like the prix fixe menu because it puts more food in front of the two of us than we will actually eat. At most, we split an app and each order a dinner. If there's something light on the menu, we may split a dessert. We more than make up the difference with a bottle of wine and there are many less expensive options for us to choose on that score. If we're not getting the kind of dinner experience we want, we're much less likely to splurge on the wine. It's not a way of getting even with Disney or trying to even up the spending - we've been known to do the same if we don't like the table we get.

I prefer a little more choice when it comes to dining, and WDW is moving toward too many restrictions with this prix fixe nonsense. We love our meals at WDW, but they don't compare to what we can get at home. So maybe it will be Polite Pig for the first time in October for some good barbecue. We can leave the fancy stuff for restaurants that do it better.

 

[zombiebbq]

I'm sure Disney would do this with every restaurant if they could (and maybe they will?). Let's them reduce costs and use cheaper ingredients.

 

[WDWTrojan]

It’s a highly exaggerated problem. The Emperor doesn’t need his guard on this one…

no losses have ever been posted in that room since 1994…quite the opposite

Losses? No. A revenue dip of close to 30% once fireworks came back? Yes.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Losses? No. A revenue dip of close to 30% once fireworks came back? Yes.

…ok…this penetrated the shields…but I’m intrigued…

lay this out for me?

 

[UNCgolf]

I prefer a little more choice when it comes to dining, and WDW is moving toward too many restrictions with this prix fixe nonsense. We love our meals at WDW, but they don't compare to what we can get at home. So maybe it will be Polite Pig for the first time in October for some good barbecue. We can leave the fancy stuff for restaurants that do it better.

The food at Polite Pig is better than what you can get at the vast majority of Disney TS restaurants anyways. I've eaten there three times, and all three meals were higher quality than the last meal I had at the California Grill.

And it's not like Polite Pig is the best BBQ in the world. It's good and much better than I expected, but there are several better BBQ restaurants in Atlanta. It should not be better than most Disney TS restaurants.

 

[monothingie]

Losses? No. A revenue dip of close to 30% once fireworks came back? Yes.

…ok…this penetrated the shields…but I’m intrigued…

lay this out for me?

They have not put back all the tables taken away by the Ronna.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

They have not put back all the tables taken away by the Ronna.

So credit for a temporary problem?

…right

Btw…I was in the “wave” for breakfast on 8/30…didn’t notice much open ground…just saying

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The food at Polite Pig is better than what you can get at the vast majority of Disney TS restaurants anyways. I've eaten there three times, and all three meals were higher quality than the last meal I had at the California Grill.

And it's not like Polite Pig is the best BBQ in the world. It's good and much better than I expected, but there are several better BBQ restaurants in Atlanta. It should not be better than most Disney TS restaurants.

And this is the problem…across all Disney business units - actually

they are relying more and more on people “buying the D” with no concern to quality and longterm appeal.

it may be a glass ceiling…but it still will hurt it and when they hit it