Personal Opinion: I HATE family style meals

[LadyPink]

Okay, maybe I'm being too dramatic.
But I miss the buffets! Don't get me wrong! I don't hate them all. I like and understand why Garden Grill, and Liberty Tree are family style. I love these places.

If family style meals make sense for the resurant and that isn't the only option in the parks.

But with COVID and it's overall changes to the park. I miss buffets! I mean, sometimes I just want to eat a full plate of brownies. Yes I know you can ask your server for more. But it's always so little and it's pained to track them down and wait for a second serving. Also, half the food on the plate, I'm not interested. When I go to the buffet, it's fun to pick and choose what I like and how much I like. The family style doesn't offer this flexibility.

Last trip we went to Ohana. It was great, but, the waiter was so fast! We couldn't order seconds. Our waiter just kept bringing our entrees and didn't asked if we wanted more and we were desperatly trying to keep up. I think Ohana would have worked better if it was a buffet.


My point is! If I have to pick between family style meals or buffets. I would pick buffets.

BTW, super depressed about trail's end! LOVED. THEIR. BUFFET! THEIR DESERTS!!! FRIED CHICKEN!!!

 

[John park hopper]

Don't like Family style meals then don't go to the Garden Grill ------terrible

 

[Splashin' Ryan]

When I go to the buffet, it's fun to pick and choose what I like and how much I like. The family style doesn't offer this flexibility.

Completely agree. While I'm a little wary of going to buffets now after everything that happened in the last 1 1/2 years, they offered the absolute best selection of food because you chose it yourself!
In fact, I'd rather just order off a menu. Unless you really love all the dishes I don't see value in family-style meals, it's just food being thrown at you that you may not even like.
Unfortunately, Disney probably sees the value in family-style meals being that they know exactly how much of which dish they're going to serve each night, reducing overordering costs.

I wonder how many people will now avoid locations that switched over to family-style, which will in fact lower Disney's revenue but I guess they didn't think that one through.

 

[crawale]

Okay, maybe I'm being too dramatic.
But I miss the buffets! Don't get me wrong! I don't hate them all. I like and understand why Garden Grill, and Liberty Tree are family style. I love these places.

If family style meals make sense for the resurant and that isn't the only option in the parks.

But with COVID and it's overall changes to the park. I miss buffets! I mean, sometimes I just want to eat a full plate of brownies. Yes I know you can ask your server for more. But it's always so little and it's pained to track them down and wait for a second serving. Also, half the food on the plate, I'm not interested. When I go to the buffet, it's fun to pick and choose what I like and how much I like. The family style doesn't offer this flexibility.

Last trip we went to Ohana. It was great, but, the waiter was so fast! We couldn't order seconds. Our waiter just kept bringing our entrees and didn't asked if we wanted more and we were desperatly trying to keep up. I think Ohana would have worked better if it was a buffet.


My point is! If I have to pick between family style meals or buffets. I would pick buffets.

BTW, super depressed about trail's end! LOVED. THEIR. BUFFET! THEIR DESERTS!!! FRIED CHICKEN!!!

Totally agree. So much food is wasted since you have no choice on what the 'family style' contains. Waste food just adds to the cost. I hope these 'family style' restaurants go back to buffets.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Okay, maybe I'm being too dramatic.
But I miss the buffets! Don't get me wrong! I don't hate them all. I like and understand why Garden Grill, and Liberty Tree are family style. I love these places.

If family style meals make sense for the resurant and that isn't the only option in the parks.

But with COVID and it's overall changes to the park. I miss buffets! I mean, sometimes I just want to eat a full plate of brownies. Yes I know you can ask your server for more. But it's always so little and it's pained to track them down and wait for a second serving. Also, half the food on the plate, I'm not interested. When I go to the buffet, it's fun to pick and choose what I like and how much I like. The family style doesn't offer this flexibility.

Last trip we went to Ohana. It was great, but, the waiter was so fast! We couldn't order seconds. Our waiter just kept bringing our entrees and didn't asked if we wanted more and we were desperatly trying to keep up. I think Ohana would have worked better if it was a buffet.


My point is! If I have to pick between family style meals or buffets. I would pick buffets.

BTW, super depressed about trail's end! LOVED. THEIR. BUFFET! THEIR DESERTS!!! FRIED CHICKEN!!!

We miss the buffet at Germany’s Biergarten. Besides being a buffet which we love, there is live entertainment; it’s a buffet with an attraction. The long adjoining is not for everyone but we always manage to strike up conversations with folks at the table, also fun.

I have a feeling it will be back to normal eventually but who knows, Disney will do what Disney will do.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I like that the food is brought to me but yeah I'm not a fan of set menus.
I'm eating at Garden Grill in August and like most things but I'm not a fan of turkey/gravy but my sister is so it will be brought to the table but then I feel bad because some will go to waste.
At least at a buffet when there's something I don't want I simply skip over it instead of feeling bad that I'm not eating it lol.
And yeah I've never been to Trails End and had made an ADR for last August but of course that didn't pan out and now I could go this August but ugh the menu. And one of the biggest reasons I was going was dessert and now you're sticking me with a plain old fashion sundae???? No thanks.
I do wonder if Disney is trying to use this opportunity to transition some of these menus permanently in order to make them less popular?

 

[ppete1975]

they could easily fix this btw. They could go to cafeteria style serving. So you walk through the line, point at what you want and the disney employee puts it on your plate. At the end of the line are the deserts with saran wrap covering them or some other option.

They could even give you checklists ala a suishi restaurant if they dont want you even close to the food (i want 3 of this 2 of that 12 brownies etc) and in the back have it still set up buffet style.

There are ways to get around this, think furrs or the school cafeteria.

Remember this is Disney they could do anything they wanted.

If i was them I would take one of the old school eateries (sci fi or 50s) and install an automat. You could just grab what you want and the kitchen refills the slot. Heck that would be an awesome new restaurant and would work amazing in todays time.

 

[John park hopper]

Years ago the Garden Grill was The Good Turn Restaurant and the menu was a la carte and the food was great they had a seafood pizza that was outstanding and the restaurant revolved so you could see living off the land. It then changed to character dining and no choice as to the menu and static displays. IMO it went down hill after that

 

[EnjoyingLife]

Can you request that certain foods be excluded from the meal?

 

[ppete1975]

Can you request that certain foods be excluded from the meal?

I am sure you could, same as asking for no onions or lettuce on your food. I know that several have some options as well such as green beans or potatoes (example only). But if you want a 2 chicken fried steaks gobs of gravy no veggies and 3 different desserts, buffet works better.

 

[ppet]

I don't mind family style, but I gave up buffet's several years ago. After watching too many unsupervised children and too many adults that need supervision show an incredible lack of sense. I've seen children and adults grab an item with their hands put it on their plate, then lick their fingers before grabbing more items or handling the serving utensils. No more buffets please.

 

[LittleBuford]

Years ago the Garden Grill was The Good Turn Restaurant and the menu was a la carte and the food was great they had a seafood pizza that was outstanding and the restaurant revolved so you could see living off the land. It then changed to character dining and no choice as to the menu and static displays. IMO it went down hill after that

It still revolves.

 

[ladydi]

We were at Biergarten a few weeks ago. I actually enjoyed the family style much more than I expected. Our waiter was very attentive and even my picky eater got enough for her liking.

 

[ppete1975]

I don't mind family style, but I gave up buffet's several years ago. After watching too many unsupervised children and too many adults that need supervision show an incredible lack of sense. I've seen children and adults grab an item with their hands put it on their plate, then lick their fingers before grabbing more items or handling the serving utensils. No more buffets please.

ive seen people drop rolls on the ground and put them back

 

[ShookieJones]

I do not have an issue with the family style. I am weighing the bad server in a family style situation vs. the way guests handle their business in a buffet situation and in that case family style wins.

In the case of Biergarten I did miss the buffet a little, but in the case of Crystal Palace, the food selection, was so dang good. That was a HUGE improvement.

Also for the record, you can ask for more of specific item in the family style scenario. So it's not really a 'waste of food' in that regard.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Years ago the Garden Grill was The Good Turn Restaurant and the menu was a la carte and the food was great they had a seafood pizza that was outstanding and the restaurant revolved so you could see living off the land. It then changed to character dining and no choice as to the menu and static displays. IMO it went down hill after that

Have you looked at the menu lately? I went in 2014 and I was quite good. Then they changed the menu for a bit and I was not happy. Beef is back so I'm happy again lol.
Also it still rotates.
Also, also... its called Living With The Land.

 

[John park hopper]

Ate there in 2017 the menu was pot roast (very fatty), turkey (very dry) and sausage, mac and cheese (swear it came out off a box). The place still rotates but you can no long see the behind the scenes like you see on the Living With The Land boat tour. I was not impressed possible if you had kids the characters would make up for the ho hum food @ $49/per person I expected better food.

 

[James J]

Ate there in 2017 the menu was pot roast (very fatty), turkey (very dry) and sausage, mac and cheese (swear it came out off a box). The place still rotates but you can no long see the behind the scenes like you see on the Living With The Land boat tour. I was not impressed possible if you had kids the characters would make up for the ho hum food @ $49/per person I expected better food.

You most definitely can see into Living With The Land. Are you sure you ate at the right restaurant?

 

[JIMINYCR]

I also prefer the buffet style over family style. I like choosing my items and the quantity of items on my plate. The things I know I will enjoy will be what I inow will be eaten entirely. DW has dietary issues and cant eat certain foods so its also better for her. Being in a w/c , she cant always reach the items, so I carry her plate as we go down the line. She tells me exactly what item she wants and I add it to her plate.
We also dined at LTT and GG on our recent trip, which we enjoyed but we also much prefer buffets.

 

[John park hopper]

Absolutely sure as the restaurant revolves this is what you see static displays not the actual area they are growing plants

this isn't all the scenes