I surprised my wife with dinner reservations at Le Cellier Steakhouse for our 6th Wedding Anniversary. What's posted below is a legitimate guest complaint I e-mailed Disney when we got back from our weekend:
"Hello,
I would like to bring to your attention about the treatment we received at Le Cellier Steakhouse (Canada / Epcot) on Saturday, March 9th. I made dinner reservations at Le Cellier in September for March 9th at 6:20pm for my wife and I for our sixth wedding anniversary. The reservations should be under <name withheld> (address: address withheld).
We were at Epcot at around 4:30pm and arrived at Le Cellier at 5:15pm to let the hostess know we were there. She looked at the computer, saw our reservations, and said to come back at around 5:45 and they'll check us in. So, we hung around the Canada Pavilion for a little bit, returned at 5:45pm. We approached the hostess and she said come back at 6:15pm and they'll check us in. At this point, we were starting to get a little bit aggravated over the fact that she told us to come back and then turned us away. We came back at 6:15pm to check in again. She checked us in and then proceeded to tell us that there was a 30 minute wait.
If our reservations were for 6:20pm, then why were we waiting until almost 7:30pm to have dinner? It makes no sense. I've made reservations at other dining establishments and if there's a 5 or 10 min wait outside of the reserved time, I'm fine with that. But 30 mins upwards to an hour? Unacceptable.
The situation my wife and I were up against was the issue of a long wait time, watching tables that had later reservations get sat before us, and since when does Disney practice the art of breaking up large parties? I was talking to a gentleman in the lobby who had a party of 10 guests. I saw in the menu that parties of six and more are subjected to an automatic 18% gratuity added in the check. He said that the hostess took the party and split it down the middle (5 at one table and 5 at the other). Two tables. One party. This screws up the works and it's extremely irritating for those who are still waiting to have dinner. I've worked in the restaurant industry for approximately ten years. I've seen the effects of splitting parties up. It's not a good idea, especially in a high volume environment like Disney restaurants.
I find your dining reservation system to have some flaws in it. If anyone shows up at a restaurant before their check in time, your system should allow the hostess to know that you are in the area and the hostess should not be sending away guests only to come back again. A pager/notification system would work well for Le Cellier. That way, when the customer checks in, they're given a pager, and when their time is available, the pager goes off and they can be seated. The current way, based on what I observed, was that your guests show up, check in five minutes before their reservation time, and disappear. Instead of the hostesses going out to find the party, they should call the name three times. If they don't answer...move on to the next reservation.
Just thought you would like to know."
The next day, I received a phone call from Kimmie Dupont (Guest Experience Services) and she was very professional over the phone. Based on the experience I had with Ms. Dupont, customer service is far from dead. Below is what she e-mailed me as a follow up to our phone conversation:
"Dear Mr. <lastname withheld>,
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me about your visit to the Walt Disney World® Resort.
Again, I apologize for your last visit to Le Cellier at Epcot. As we discussed, I have arranged a priority entrance for three attractions during your next visit to our Theme Parks. Upon your arrival, please visit any Theme Park Guest Relations location and present Case ID Number <case number withheld> and photo ID. They will make the necessary arrangements for you and your party to visit the attractions of your choice where Fastpass® Service is available. Please know, Theme Park admission is required.
I hope your next visit is filled with special memories.
Sincerely,
Kimmie DuPont
Guest Experience Services
Walt Disney World Resort
407-xxx-xxxx"
Would we go back to Le Cellier? With no hesitation.
"Hello,
I would like to bring to your attention about the treatment we received at Le Cellier Steakhouse (Canada / Epcot) on Saturday, March 9th. I made dinner reservations at Le Cellier in September for March 9th at 6:20pm for my wife and I for our sixth wedding anniversary. The reservations should be under <name withheld> (address: address withheld).
We were at Epcot at around 4:30pm and arrived at Le Cellier at 5:15pm to let the hostess know we were there. She looked at the computer, saw our reservations, and said to come back at around 5:45 and they'll check us in. So, we hung around the Canada Pavilion for a little bit, returned at 5:45pm. We approached the hostess and she said come back at 6:15pm and they'll check us in. At this point, we were starting to get a little bit aggravated over the fact that she told us to come back and then turned us away. We came back at 6:15pm to check in again. She checked us in and then proceeded to tell us that there was a 30 minute wait.
If our reservations were for 6:20pm, then why were we waiting until almost 7:30pm to have dinner? It makes no sense. I've made reservations at other dining establishments and if there's a 5 or 10 min wait outside of the reserved time, I'm fine with that. But 30 mins upwards to an hour? Unacceptable.
The situation my wife and I were up against was the issue of a long wait time, watching tables that had later reservations get sat before us, and since when does Disney practice the art of breaking up large parties? I was talking to a gentleman in the lobby who had a party of 10 guests. I saw in the menu that parties of six and more are subjected to an automatic 18% gratuity added in the check. He said that the hostess took the party and split it down the middle (5 at one table and 5 at the other). Two tables. One party. This screws up the works and it's extremely irritating for those who are still waiting to have dinner. I've worked in the restaurant industry for approximately ten years. I've seen the effects of splitting parties up. It's not a good idea, especially in a high volume environment like Disney restaurants.
I find your dining reservation system to have some flaws in it. If anyone shows up at a restaurant before their check in time, your system should allow the hostess to know that you are in the area and the hostess should not be sending away guests only to come back again. A pager/notification system would work well for Le Cellier. That way, when the customer checks in, they're given a pager, and when their time is available, the pager goes off and they can be seated. The current way, based on what I observed, was that your guests show up, check in five minutes before their reservation time, and disappear. Instead of the hostesses going out to find the party, they should call the name three times. If they don't answer...move on to the next reservation.
Just thought you would like to know."
The next day, I received a phone call from Kimmie Dupont (Guest Experience Services) and she was very professional over the phone. Based on the experience I had with Ms. Dupont, customer service is far from dead. Below is what she e-mailed me as a follow up to our phone conversation:
"Dear Mr. <lastname withheld>,
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me about your visit to the Walt Disney World® Resort.
Again, I apologize for your last visit to Le Cellier at Epcot. As we discussed, I have arranged a priority entrance for three attractions during your next visit to our Theme Parks. Upon your arrival, please visit any Theme Park Guest Relations location and present Case ID Number <case number withheld> and photo ID. They will make the necessary arrangements for you and your party to visit the attractions of your choice where Fastpass® Service is available. Please know, Theme Park admission is required.
I hope your next visit is filled with special memories.
Sincerely,
Kimmie DuPont
Guest Experience Services
Walt Disney World Resort
407-xxx-xxxx"
Would we go back to Le Cellier? With no hesitation.
