Declining food quality.

[DisneyJill]

I have to agree with Alexandra on the Cape May Cafe. My family always stays at the Yacht Club and we always go there (usually for breakfast and dinner) and while it is still good, the selection, if not the quality, I think has diminished over the years. It's a clambake...and there is less seafood offered than anything else. *shrugs* Yet, we still continue to go there! :lol:

 

[PhotoDave219]

The only problem with Cape May Cafe is their corn on the cob. Its not Sweet Jersey Corn. What theyhave is total crud by compairson.

Other than that, i have no complaints. I enjoy it. :-D

 

[jordanyosh]

We have not experienced a decline in quality overall. Always very consistent. In fact, since our first visit in 1991, we feel like that food has improved by leaps and bounds. There are so many more selections than just hamburgers and fries. Where else can I get grilled salmon at a quick service restaurant? Or get a tabouleh wrap at the ABC Commissary....It's great.
We always eat both quick service and table service meals and are surprised how wonderful the food is. We had great food at the Tusker House this past year. It's hard for us to try another restaurant at AK because we like the Tusker House so much.

This last visit I had alot of Filet Mignon at many of the restaurants. There was a difference in quality between the Filet at California Grill and the Filet at Brown Derby. I think that has more to do with the Chef than WDW as a whole. Both were good, but the one at CG was crazy good.

I feel bad for the original poster.

 

[Pippa]

Yes, that is a good sign that neither are truly Disney owned, I guess. But I still feel that the quality is a representation of Disney since they are on property. They did say that Planet Hollywood at DTD is the only one left open in the world. I wonder if that is true.

I don't think so as the one over here in London is still going strong and I ate at the one in Times Square last year but my mum got sick after eating the prawns there.

 

[forbidden donut]

Last December I stayed at All Star Music and I generally disliked the food court meals.
I think my main complaint with the food was that everything was served lukewarm and by the time you were half finished eating the food was stone cold.
Now I saw cooking thermometers sticking out of almost every warming tray, so it seems they ment to serve the food at that temperature.
Are they afraid of getting sued over it being too hot? (ala Mc-Donalds coffee).
Is this just me or has any one else regularly recieved tepid food?

 

[cherrynegra]

Personally, I think the food is hit and miss at different parks on a daily basis. Quality tends to fluctuate a lot. Something I remember being really good one day isn't so appealing the next, and vice versa.

However, I still firmly believe that there are certain items that don't maintain their quality in taste due to the fact that it's produced in mass quantities to feed thousands of people. An example would be the burgers and hot dogs. They're okay. It's just that the burger patties are obviously prepared in large amounts and set aside to fill the orders as they come in. This cuts down on the waiting. And if you come from an area where they do certain cuisines in their sleep, Japanese and Chinese to name a few, you may find the quality of the food offered to pale in comparison. But I did do the character meal at the Crystal Palace and found the food quality there to be quite good for in-park eating.

I think the food quality of the restaurants in the resorts is surprisingly excellent!! I cannot recommend enough trying the food offered at California Grill, Jiko's, the buffet at Boma, and Spoodles at the Boardwalk. Kona Cafe at the Poly is hit and miss. If you stick to basics, they do it well, but if you venture off the path, it can be disappointing.

Oh, and people, the zebra domes at The Mara at Animal Kingdom Lodge is worth the travel. And regardless of how I feel about Pop Century as a resort, they serve a treat called Twinkie Tiramisu that is so awesome!! :slurp:

 

[colliera]

Resturant Quality

[Sorry for the length of this post. I know it turned into a resturant review so if it is off thread I expect one of the moderators to move it to the appropriate location.]

My wife and I did what I'm calling the "dinning trip" from Sunday-Wednesday, (9/19-9/22/04), and here's a quick assessment of the food quality and locations.

EPCOT/Resturant Marrakesh: Appetizers, the Chicken Bastilla would have been worth the trip to this resturant alone. Drinks, Casablanca Sunset was very good if you like sweet and fruity (which I do). The Tangier Cofee was plenty strong but had a suprise chocolate ending in the bottom of the cup. Entrees, I had the Chicken Couscous which was OK but the couscous was on the bland side. I have a better receipe that I make where I use chicken stock instead of water and I add dates, raisins and nuts. The wife had the Lemon Chicken but the green olives overpowered any lemond taste it should have had. Dessert, we shared a Crepes Atlas and noticed how well the toasted almonds brought out the flavor of the apples. Verdict: Main dishes need to spice it up. Can you say "BAM!"

Animal Kingdom/Flame Tree Barbecue: This was our only fast-food counter service but I have always had good food and service in the past. Our expectations for pork BBQ are pretty high from living in West Tennessee where it's considered an art form. The wife had the Pork Sandwich Meal which was good but a little on the salty side. I had the 1/2 slab Rib Meal and found the ends of the slab to have been overdone and tough but the middle ribs were tender and moist. Slower and more even cooking is needed here. The corn on the cob was good and the beans had a dark smokey flavor I really liked. For dessert we both had the Key Lime Pie which was very good for a mass produced product. Verdict: Flame Tree needs to watch the seasonings and moderate the cooking time & temperature.

Animal Kingdom/AK Lodge/Boma: I had heard such good reports for Boma it was a prime target for this trip. I now have a new favorite drink, Victoria Falls Mist. It's a mixture of orange, banana, and melon liqueurs with a splash of Sprite. Best soups were a toss up between the seafood gumbo and the Mulligatawny Soup with Mulligatawny taking the edge. Best salad was the Watermelon Rind Salad. The roasted meats were a dissapointment across the board. None of the offerings were worth the dollar value. The dessert buffet's stars were the Payapa Mango Tarts and the nut roll. I found the highly praised Zebra Domes to be an over sell. Not that they weren't good. Just that I'm mystified why people go on and on about them. Verdict: It's an expensive buffet for soup, salad, and dessert. The meats are unremarkable.

Magic Kingdom/Liberty Tree Tavern: Appetizers, Tavern Fried Cheese with marinara sauce - very good with a sauce that was thicker and more flavorfull than most. The New England Clam Chowder was very creamy, served hot, and had plenty of clam. Most yummy! Entrees, My wife had the Pilgrims' Feast - traditional roast turkey with herb bread dressing, mashed potatoes and green beans. Everything you'd expect from an abberviated Thanksgiving dinner - very good. I had the New England Pot Roast - braised beef in a cabernet wine and mushroom sauce served with mashed potatoes and green beans. I'm not normally a pot roast fan but was presuaded by our server who mentioned the meal had been on the menu for the past thirty years. It was excellent. One word about the Sweet Iced Tea. It is prepared in the manner you would expect Southern Sweet Ice Tea to be made. Expect it to be sweet to the point of being syrupy. Not a fault - just the way it is supposed to be prepared. Verdict: Consistently high quality in an unexpected place at 1/2 the cost. :sohappy:

Magic Kingdom/Cinderella's Royal Table Dinner: The wife was still overwellmed from lunch at Liberty Tree so she just had the Crispy Crab and Seafood Spring Roll with sweet chili sauce which she liked very much. I had the Seafood Cioppino of scallops, mussels, fish and crisp soft-shell crab in a white onion and garlic broth. The soft-shell crab is almost impossible to deal with in this fish stew and would have been better replaced with the out of shell crab meat. Other than the presentation it was good but I'd give Bomb's seafood gumbo higher marks. We skipped dessert here as we had other plans for a late dessert after Wishes! Verdict: Good service and food but we didn't give it much of a chance because of the heavy lunch at Liberty Tree.

Contemporary Resort/California Grill: Dessert time! My wife had Fluffy Vanilla Sponge Cake with honey-scented cream, Nectarines and Crunchy Candy Crumble which was very good but the Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Molten Center and White Chocolate Ice Cream I had was the star dessert here. Verdict: We will be going back again for a full course meal. (NOTE: We were at the CG two years ago for a full meal with kids but had to satisify them with the flat bread pizzas. They were very good but it was a compromise on my part to what others in the party wanted).

Disney Studios/The Brown Derby Resturant (Dinning with an Imagineer): Introduction: Creamy Potato Leek Soup with Tillamook Smoked Cheaddar and Toasted Chive Oil. This was great, (can I have another bowl please)? For the salad they served the signature Cobb Salad in an individual portion. Did you know they have to follow the receipe exactly on this salad and the Grapefruit Cake in order to license the "Brown Derby" name? Center Stage: I had the Grilled Filet Mignon with Boniato Mash, Crisp Peppered Onions and "Chimichurri" Aioli and Rich Cabernet Reduction. The Grilled Filet Mignon was good but not spectatular. I actually liked the Crisp Peppered Onions, (a.k.a. fried onion rings), better. Most every one else had the Thai Noodle Bowl with Barbecue Breast of Chicken, Sugar Peas, Bok Choy and ake Mushrooms in a Red Curry Broth and commented that it was good. For the Finale Bananas Foster Mascarpone Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce and Bailey's Ganache was serverd. I'd place it second only behind the Valrhona Chocolate Cake at CA.

Synopsis: The weakness most of the WDW resturants have are their main courses. Not that most of them aren't good but for the value for the dollar they are underwellming with the notable exception of the performance of the Liberty Tree Tavern, (CA omitted as it was dessert only).

 

[NemoRocks78]

They did say that Planet Hollywood at DTD is the only one left open in the world. I wonder if that is true.

Not true....they are still open. Many of them have closed in the US over the past couple of years (according to the official website, there are only six locations open), but they are still going strong internationally.

As for a decline in food quality....I have noticed it. I don't really care about the prices, but the quality in food at both table and counter service restaurants around the Resort has declined very much (just like the service, attractions, theming.... :lol: ).

 

[signerdreams]

The only place i was dissapointed at was Cindi's castle. i love the atmosphere but the food wasnt that good. i liked the salad and deserts but nothing else.

 

[scorp111]

Where did you eat?

I have personally never had a less than an outstanding meal at the following:

Cape May (Character Breakfast)
Chef Mickey's
Epcot WS Restaraunts
The Brown Derby

I have had sub-par meals at:
Tony's
Crystal Palace(Breakfast)

Again, individuals opinions will always vary. My wife, BIL, and Daughter and I loved the CP Breakfast!

Overall I was pleased with the quality of the food. We did several buffets, a few sit-downs, and several counter service, and most met or exceeded expectations.

 

[Mom's the word]

I agree with the thought that meals can be hit and miss. We had a fabulous buffet at Hollywood and Vine with our Fantasmic priority seating booking but I know others that have found it less impressive. On the other hand, we took family to 50's Prime Time and the meal was barely average. I felt bad since we had raved about our previous meal there. My pot roast tasted burnt, I could tell no one was thrilled, only the theming and the service made it partly worthwhile. I'll give this place another shot though, we get such a kick out of eating there. Hopefully the chef will be watching the pots more closely.

 

[tecowdw]

OKay. I'll chime in here too. Keep in mind that I like home cooked type plain food (Bob Evans sort), not fancier, adventurous fine dining food.

I've never really been that impressed with the food at Disney. The fast food is okay but the other restaurants have never really wowed me. A couple places have gone downhill for me, mainly because of menu changes. Carribean Beach food court is one. Plaza Restaurant has been one that has been consistently good throughout the years.

Prices are of course high and the higher prices affect some of our dining decisions. The filet at Concourse Steakhouse has sky rocketed (forcing me to visit Sizzler more often). What scares me is how so many of us have gotten so blase to it. "Hey, it's Disney and I'm on vacation" - does that really mean it's okay for the high food prices?? I don't know how families do it..it must cost $40 just to feed a family of four one time at the food courts.

Troy

 

[AEfx]

It really depends on where you are from.

For me, the prices for food at WDW are pretty reasonable, and actually rather close to what I'd pay for the comparative meals at home. I'm from New England, and $7 for a burger and fries at a counter service place and entrees at $15-20 at a fancy restaurant are what I'd expect to pay (though I don't do the latter very often).

For comparison, look over at AllEars for the prices of food at McDonalds at DTD. I've heard people say that prices there are high, but comparing the prices to my local McDonalds I've found they are virtually identical (within a dime either way).

It all depends on your perspective, in this case, where you come from. If you are used to Manhattan (where a pack of smokes runs over $7, and you are lucky if you find a burger for under $12 anywhere but fast food), WDW must seem like a bargain. Another aspect that makes WDW dining seem so expensive, especially to resort guests, is that most people aren't used to buying their families three meals a day out.

AEfx

 

[mrtoad]

Personally I find the non counter service restaurants to be excellent for the most part. Yes they are expensive but as mentioned by others it is not more expensive than eating out somewhere else. I think it just seems expensive because you are doing it every day for a week or what not.

As for the counter service, they are what they are counter service. Nothing fancy for most but are not bad at all for what they are. Some of the counter service places are very good like the Columbia Harbor House and some are outstanding like the Tusker House. :slurp:

 

[ZHoyt]

I completely agree about things going downhill. Previous favorites have turned out average or even below average meals. Some examples:

Flame Tree- worst corn on the cob I've ever tasted, sandwhich was extremely fatty

Brown Derby- used to be my favorite restaraunt, but it has gone way down hill in recent years. they used to have the most wonderful rolls that are nowhere to be seen, replaced by stale, bland ones.

Cape May- breakfast buffet served lukewarm food, leaving my wife and I sick in bed for most of a day. formerly a staple in a trip, now we'll never go back.

Sci Fi - the food here was never amazing, but now it is not even edible!

Prime Time - pretty average, except for the wonderful s'mores.

Alfredo's - I used to constantly crave their signature dish, but last time it just wasn't the same, and the portion was smaller!

But on the other hand, there is still great food at Disney. Nine Dragons has become a quick favorite, as has the Yachstmen Steakhouse. And while the wonderful meatball subs from the Sunshine Food Fair of a decade ago are long gone, we finally found something that beats out those wonderful memories at Spoodle's take out window on the Boardwalk.

 

[zjer]

Hit and Miss

Well, it seems that although many of you may agree with me, it may of just been a bad week for the resteraunts. Maybe the hurricanes disrupted some of the food deliveries. As far as the price, I can sit down at home and eat at a nice resteraunt and not pay more than $35 for me and the wife with drinks, but I guess I am just at a different part of the country. By the way, I ate at Planet Hollywood, the Italian place @ MGM, the buffet on Main in M.K., Rainforest Cafe, the Mayan, Wolfgang Puck, The Mexican resteraunt (in the temple) and the Italian Resteraunt at Epcot, and Fast stuff. None of them were all that good, but I will still continue to travel to WDW, not even the bad food they throw at me can stop me.

 

[HauntedPirate]

My take:

Prices will go up, that's not going to change. The quality of fast food hasn't changed, IMO. It's decent for what it is. We have done many sit-down meals over the past 5 years, as well as more-than-enough fast food . The sit-down meals rarely disappoint, but the fast food gets old, simply because it's the same thing almost everywhere. And I understand it has to be that way, so that margins can be achieved (not-so-subtle rip). However, in search of something a little different, we are will be looking at other locations during our next trip.

Whether or not the food is worth what you pay is up to the individual.

 

[EpcotGrl]

I've noticed a bit of hit-and-miss in the counter service restaurants...on one visit, Electric Umbrella had the best fries EVER, whereas on another they had soggy, nasty fries *shrug*

Sit-down stuff I've been fairly impressed with, tho. Exceptions are Alfredo's at Epcot (um...Olive Garden anyone?), Coral Reef (Red Lobster!), and Hollywood & Vine at MGM (glorified Furr's cafeteria). The only reason I'd go back to H&V is the seating package for Fantasmic

I adore the ribs at Flame Tree in AK, tho there have been "less than spectacular" meals there Columbia Harbor House was great if only for atmosphere (hardly any squalling kiddos upstairs! *wink*).

I've eaten at all the full-service restaurants at Epcot, and was especially fond of Germany (ate myself sick!), Morocco (more eating myself sick), Japan, and China. Norway I found a little silly, but it wasn't bad

Going back in November, and now I've got some ideas for more places to eat! Thanks guys!

 

[tigsmom]

Oh, and people, the zebra domes at The Mara at Animal Kingdom Lodge is worth the travel. And regardless of how I feel about Pop Century as a resort, they serve a treat called Twinkie Tiramisu that is so awesome!! :slurp:

Anybody you know can bake/cook? Both of these can be made at home and enjoyed anytime. :wave:

(yes I know its the WDW atmosphere, but they are so :slurp: )

 

[HauntedPirate]

Oh yes, I forgot to comment on the Twinkie Tiramisu....

:slurp: :slurp: :slurp: :slurp: :slurp: :slurp: :slurp: :slurp:

:lol:

That is one deeeeeelicious dessert.