Opinions about Hollywood Brown Derby at Hollywood Studios

[PeterGriffin]

I just got back from a Disney trip where we ate at 6 table service restaurants. The experience at the Brown Derby was by far the worst. The food wasn't that bad, but the service was so slow, that I almost walked out of the restaurant. When we sat down it took 5 minutes before our waitress walked by and told us that she would be back with water. 5 minutes later she came back and took our order. 10 minutes after that she brought bread. So we had been sitting for 20 minutes before actually eating something. I ordered a salad and my other half ordered a sandwich. 20 minutes after getting the bread, our meals came. When we were done eating, we were already in the restaurant for over an hour. I was getting sick of the slow service, so I skipped dessert and asked for the bill. It took our waitress 10 minutes to bring the check. I immediately handed her my credit card and it took her 10 minutes to come back with my card. Overall, it took 90 minutes to eat a salad and sandwich. I don't see myself ever going back. All of the other meals I ate were great. They included Ohana, The Boathouse, Ale and Compass, Wolfgang Pucks and La Hacienda.

 

[Minnie Mum]

Just one question. Did you at any point mention to your server that you were in a hurry? We enjoy HBD, in part because it, like most of the signature restaurants pace, their meals more slowly. It's a matter of dining versus eating. I'm sorry that your experience was unsatisfactory. Sounds like you're better off choosing non signature restaurants, or be prepared to inform your server when you are seated that you are limited to time.

 

[larryz]

We always plan on spending 2 hours in a TS meal. If for some reason we can't, we always let the server know and they've never failed us yet. HBD is good at the longer, lingering meals; I'd never go in there for a quick meal.

 

[StarshipDisney]

Our experience was exactly the opposite. We ate there in Dec 2018 only because we took some tours and I had the DDP credits to kill.

Service was great but food was bad. I had the "charred filet of beef" and I thought it tasted...well....the only word I can come up with is "soggy". It was tasteless and had no consistency. Wife did not like her dish either.

Dessert was good but could not make up for the bad dinner.

Hollywood Brown Derby was definitely a "once and out" for us. Hollywood and Vine beats the crap out of it for half the DDP credits.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

I love the Cobb salad. Hour time doesn't seem crazy , it's a table service, I have been at taco bells that took an hour to eat at lol. Everything you laid out did not seem too crazy unless it was not a busy at the time

 

[Prince-1]

Sorry but an hour at a signature restaurant is not unusual at all. I would be upset if I am paying that much money and I am in/out in less than an hour unless I specifically tell the server I am in a hurry.

 

[Hockey89]

I just got back from a Disney trip where we ate at 6 table service restaurants. The experience at the Brown Derby was by far the worst. The food wasn't that bad, but the service was so slow, that I almost walked out of the restaurant. When we sat down it took 5 minutes before our waitress walked by and told us that she would be back with water. 5 minutes later she came back and took our order. 10 minutes after that she brought bread. So we had been sitting for 20 minutes before actually eating something. I ordered a salad and my other half ordered a sandwich. 20 minutes after getting the bread, our meals came. When we were done eating, we were already in the restaurant for over an hour. I was getting sick of the slow service, so I skipped dessert and asked for the bill. It took our waitress 10 minutes to bring the check. I immediately handed her my credit card and it took her 10 minutes to come back with my card. Overall, it took 90 minutes to eat a salad and sandwich. I don't see myself ever going back. All of the other meals I ate were great. They included Ohana, The Boathouse, Ale and Compass, Wolfgang Pucks and La Hacienda.

I always find the service there slow as death and pretty average food. I only go for lunch so we order just a meal and it takes and hour and 20 to get just a salad....

 

[danyoung56]

I've had many great meals at the Brown Derby, but I did have one meal that was basically ruined by poor service. And the waitress wasn't all that busy - she was just slow and unorganized.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Just ate there on Valentine’s Day. Busy, but no issues. Food was great. I wouldn’t expect it to come out as fast as McDonald’s.

 

[MacVenture]

My experience has always been on the slow service side. When we do plan to eat there, I typically plan to be there at least 1.5 hours. The food has always been good to fair. I have noticed my service time was different for being on the DDP vs NOT being on the plan (only one data point). I guess they assume if you are on the DDP then you have time to kill since you get appetizer, drink, main and dessert.

 

[danyoung56]

I wouldn’t expect it to come out as fast as McDonald’s.

I wouldn't expect it to, either. But when it takes 10 minutes to get a drink, and another 25 (!) to get another, that's just too slow.

 

[PeterGriffin]

I wouldn't expect it to, either. But when it takes 10 minutes to get a drink, and another 25 (!) to get another, that's just too slow.

Thanks for making my point! The first 10 to 20 minutes of the meal are always key to me. I was hungry and waiting 20 minutes for bread drove me nuts. I also stated that I ate at 5 other TS meals. All of the other meals took about an hour. It was only me and 1 other person. No appetizers or desserts. Also, waiting 10 minutes for the waitress to come back with your credit card is a little ridiculous. I have eaten at California Grill, Le Cellier, Yactsman Steakhouse and Artist Point. All of those meals took about 2 hours and I didn't mind because the courses were spread out and I wasn't waiting more than 10 minutes for a new course.

 

[danyoung56]

I guess I can be a bit of a snob when experiencing "fine dining". Your appetizer should never show up before your wine, for instance. And there should be a nice, comfortable pace to the meal, and you should never have to have your head on a swivel looking for your waitperson to get more wine / the check / water.

 

[BASS]

I haven't eaten there in several years, but the last time I recall enjoying the food. IIRC, they had a shrimp n' grit dish that was really good. However, I tend to skip it. There's better restaurants outside the parks and it's always packed (which likely explains the delay). Not one of my must-dos.

 

[Maelstrom Troll]

I used to love HBD and even when we werent dining there, would ask the maitre’d if I could buy a piece of grapefruit cake to go. I would give the server or maitre’d a big tip and I did this for several years. The staff was always happy to do it and mentioned they do it all the time.
However this last trip all of a sudden they stopped doing this I asked if I could sit outside in the bar area and order it. No go. No open seating inside and no one would give me any answers. Anyway, I missed out on dessert and they missed out on my money. Still unsure why but it’s fine, there are other things to eat.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

On our last HBD visit, we were seated about an hour after our ADR time and the meal was painfully slow. We had a 7pm ADR time and it was almost 10pm when we were leaving. The meal was OK, but no real wows either.

 

[JusticeDisney]

I always find the service there slow as death and pretty average food. I only go for lunch so we order just a meal and it takes and hour and 20 to get just a salad....

Stick to Burger King.

 

[Bullseye1967]

We have dined at HBD many times over the years. We have always loved the food and have only had bad service once. At that time, three years ago, the service during the meal was top notch, but when it came time to get our check, our server was no where to be found. After asking several other servers and not receiving our bill, we asked for a manager. It turns out that our server had gone on break and the one who was supposed to cover for him didn't. It doesn't make it right, but at least we understood what happened. The manager did take our appetizer off the charge. We have been back twice since then, and all was great.

 

[MichiganDisneyDad4]

One of the reasons we look forward to HS is to specifically eat at the HBD. I love sitting there, taking it all in. I have a smile on my face from the minute I sit down, until the minute I leave.

 

[MrTomHamilton]

HBD has always been a favorite for me. Service may be slower than many TS spots, but TBH, if I’m shelling out Signature prices, I may as well really linger and enjoy it. The atmosphere at HBD is probably the biggest selling point for me, save for the one time we were seated in that back room they tried to sell as “special” and “private” as they guided us past the main dining room.