So when people complain about the standard of food within the parks .........

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thomas998

Well-Known Member
CaptainAmerica said:
See my prior post. I'm not sure what "real world" everyone lives in that I don't, but a bacon burger with regular fries from my local Five Guys is $12, which is actually MORE expensive than what I'd pay at Backlot Express.
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Frankly I never cared for Five Guys because it was so expensive for what it was. I can get a burger and fries equal to the Five Guys version for about half the price in simple local burger places, not chains just some burger joint... To me Five Guys is some attempt at the equivalent of going to Wolfgang Pucks for pizza... Sure you can get a pizza from Pucks but your paying a premium for it which is what Five Guys is for burgers. Shoot I would rather have an In-N-Out burger than a Five Guys and its about half the price.
 
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Surfin' Tuna

Well-Known Member
Hold up....five guys has gotten to the point where it is twice the price (or close) of In-N-Out? Not really on topic, but that's ridiculous is true.
 
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ljransom

Member
Maybe being from the UK I have a different view on the food, but compared to theme parks and other attractions here, the food is great value for money and tastes great. I love the quick service "restaurants". Here you may get a measly burger (flat as a pancake), chips(fries) and a drink for £10+ (roughly $13.) For $13 in Disney I'm getting double the food which tastes so much better. And don't get me started on the Salads. In the UK it's a bit of wet lettuce which you wouldn't feed to the pet rabbit, so be happy with what they have as it could be a lot worse :)
 
Goofyernmost

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
thomas998 said:
Frankly I never cared for Five Guys because it was so expensive for what it was. I can get a burger and fries equal to the Five Guys version for about half the price in simple local burger places, not chains just some burger joint... To me Five Guys is some attempt at the equivalent of going to Wolfgang Pucks for pizza... Sure you can get a pizza from Pucks but your paying a premium for it which is what Five Guys is for burgers. Shoot I would rather have an In-N-Out burger than a Five Guys and its about half the price.
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I used to like 5 guys a lot. We don't have an In N Out around here. What made their burgers great was that they were soft molded, they now have seemed to go to the traditional restaurant, smaller, hockey puck type burger. More chewy but way less flavorful. They also advertise "old fashioned" milkshakes. They are not. They are the same soft ice cream in a cup that will easily break a number of blood vessels trying to use a straw with. I long for the type I grew up with that you could actually drink and not chew. Who decided that milkshakes should be solid? Anyway, their new policies have lost one loyal, if not frequent, customer. They still do give a large quantity of fries, but, sadly I don't order fries anymore as I am attempting to get my girlish figure back.
 
M

Mickey5150

Well-Known Member
ljransom said:
Maybe being from the UK I have a different view on the food, but compared to theme parks and other attractions here, the food is great value for money and tastes great. I love the quick service "restaurants". Here you may get a measly burger (flat as a pancake), chips(fries) and a drink for £10+ (roughly $13.) For $13 in Disney I'm getting double the food which tastes so much better. And don't get me started on the Salads. In the UK it's a bit of wet lettuce which you wouldn't feed to the pet rabbit, so be happy with what they have as it could be a lot worse :)
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I think that's something that any of us in the U.S. forget about when looking at food. WDW is an international vacation destination and unlike Disneyland it doesn't cater to the locals.
 
jloucks

jloucks

Well-Known Member
Goofyernmost said:
I used to like 5 guys a lot. We don't have an In N Out around here. What made their burgers great was that they were soft molded, they now have seemed to go to the traditional restaurant, smaller, hockey puck type burger. More chewy but way less flavorful. They also advertise "old fashioned" milkshakes. They are not. They are the same soft ice cream in a cup that will easily break a number of blood vessels trying to use a straw with. I long for the type I grew up with that you could actually drink and not chew. Who decided that milkshakes should be solid? Anyway, their new policies have lost one loyal, if not frequent, customer. They still do give a large quantity of fries, but, sadly I don't order fries anymore as I am attempting to get my girlish figure back.
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Soft serve icecream as a base for a shake has never worked for me.

Or as abase for a rootbeer float.

Goto Braums, if they have them were you are. There you can get a real normal 1950's style milkshake (or float) based on normal ice cream. ...or even malt! *gasp*
 
J

Jabbas

Well-Known Member
The food at WDW doesn't bother me. There are a ton of choices, some great, some eh, and some terrible. Like others said above, this is disneyworld and they can really get away with whatever they want. People will eat regardless. Personally, if I want a good steak I'll have my husband make it.
 
Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
Raineman said:
Let's be honest-if you're a major foodie who lives on the Food Network and has a sophisticated palate, I'm sure a good portion of the food offerings at WDW are going to be below your standards. For the rest of us, including those of us who just like to eat, almost all of the food that is served at WDW is satisfying. You will still get the occasional bad meal, cause every chef has a bad day once in a while. As for the prices, I am expecting a large markup on meals at WDW, so the prices don't shock me at all (and I use the DDP, but let's not go down that rabbit hole). Even at the worst, WDW food is comparable to your average family restaurant, and for me, that's good enough-especially when I am really hungry.
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1) I hate, no detest is better, the term 'foodie'. I like food, I like to eat food, I like to cook food. I don't instagram my food, I don't follow the food network, I don't drive miles out of my way to find 'artisinal' foods. If something appears to be the next new thing, I try it, if I like it, I continue to eat it, if I dont like it, I don't eat it anymore.

I liken it to cars. WDW food is a base line Toyota Camary. It gets you from A to B, and does it's job. However, WDW is charging BMW prices, and I can apreciate a BMW, I can easily tell the difference of fit, finish, and performace when I drive one. On the other hand, I am not expecting a Ferrari. I cant appreciate a Ferrari, its not how I drive. My problem is WDW is serving up a Camary at BMW prices.
 
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Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
Chef Mickey said:
I didn't...the other dude did and I just chimed in because we are talking about food quality. Disney does a GOOD job in food AND has a worldwide destination in their backyard.

Not having to compete for business also means their food quality could be a heck of a lot worse. They do a good job...better than many restaurants in the real world that ONLY serve food and you'd think would have to be better.
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WDW bill itself as a resort. It touts it's dining, people go crazy over dining at WDW. It's just not that good. I never said it was bad. The only time I think I ever had something at WDW that I considered BAD was at Cape May Cafe. But, WDW food is just "good". Nothing special, nothing better than you can get at a decent local place, and most of the time not as interesting. Now some of that is due to the nature of the beast - doing 1,000 covers a night means you have to bang out dishs - no time to try some specials. But call WDW dining what it is, middle of the the road, uninteresting, mass produced food. (of course there are some stand outs that dont apply). The problem is, WDW charges, even considering the them park upcharge, way to much for what they are actually serving up.
 
Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
KBLovesDisney said:
I really only have one complaint and that is how the quality of high-end TS food has become, more specifically Be Our Guest. First opened, payed a hefty price for good quality food. Several years later, still pay a hefty price, but the quality of food is now about the same or less than a QS option. The only good that still exist for me in Be Our Guest food wise is the Gray Stuff. It's still delicious.

And I could seriously go for some right about now...
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I agree - we wrote off BoG after the last time we ate there. The only difference for me is I never liked the grey stuff in the first place.
 
Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
TheGuyThatMakesSwords said:
Worth noting: There are TWO five diamond AAA restaurants within the US. #1 is in Chicago. #2 is V&A at the Grand Floridian.
Yes, V&A will cost you. But cost is a personal choice, not a lack of offerings.
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For the record, whenever I talk about the food at WDW being overpriced and middle of the road - V&A is not part of that discussion. Two of the most stand out dishes I have ever had (Marcho Farms Veal Cheek and Golden Beets Stack & Dover Sole with Meyer Lemon) were from that restaruant. And yes, it was real Dover Sole from Dover. Not flounder from Washington State. Those of you in the UK may not realise it, but getting Dover Sole from Dover in the States is next to impossible, and when you do it is $$$$$ - but at V&A it was so worth it.
 
Raineman

Raineman

Well-Known Member
Phonedave said:
1) I hate, no detest is better, the term 'foodie'. I like food, I like to eat food, I like to cook food. I don't instagram my food, I don't follow the food network, I don't drive miles out of my way to find 'artisinal' foods. If something appears to be the next new thing, I try it, if I like it, I continue to eat it, if I dont like it, I don't eat it anymore.

I liken it to cars. WDW food is a base line Toyota Camary. It gets you from A to B, and does it's job. However, WDW is charging BMW prices, and I can apreciate a BMW, I can easily tell the difference of fit, finish, and performace when I drive one. On the other hand, I am not expecting a Ferrari. I cant appreciate a Ferrari, its not how I drive. My problem is WDW is serving up a Camary at BMW prices.
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I see what you are saying, but let me add this, using your car analogy. If you only drive Honda Fits or Toyota Yaris, buying a Camry is an upgrade. If you have no choice but to pay BMW prices for that Camry, and you are able to afford it, then that's what you do, but you know you are getting a Camry for BMW prices, not a Yaris for BMW prices. Alot of people who go to WDW are used to eating simpler food, so alot of what they eat at WDW is an upgrade. Do I think the food prices at WDW are high for the quality offered? Sure, but industry-wide, food prices are high when it comes to food you buy in an amusement/theme park, so I go to WDW expecting to pay that much. If I couldn't afford it, I wouldn't go. I think Disney could start a trend by lowering their food prices, and, as a leader in the amusement industry, others would follow suit. I just don't think that it's gonna happen unless something drastic happens.
 
E

elhefe4

Member
Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
Raineman said:
I see what you are saying, but let me add this, using your car analogy. If you only drive Honda Fits or Toyota Yaris, buying a Camry is an upgrade. If you have no choice but to pay BMW prices for that Camry, and you are able to afford it, then that's what you do, but you know you are getting a Camry for BMW prices, not a Yaris for BMW prices. Alot of people who go to WDW are used to eating simpler food, so alot of what they eat at WDW is an upgrade. Do I think the food prices at WDW are high for the quality offered? Sure, but industry-wide, food prices are high when it comes to food you buy in an amusement/theme park, so I go to WDW expecting to pay that much. If I couldn't afford it, I wouldn't go. I think Disney could start a trend by lowering their food prices, and, as a leader in the amusement industry, others would follow suit. I just don't think that it's gonna happen unless something drastic happens.
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I think we are on the same page here, but I do think that as of late (maybe over the last 3 or 4 years) the food quality (or maybe not quality, but diversity, or creativity) has gone down. It is still good food - it does not taste bad, but its nothing inspiring. At the same time, the amount of "amusement park markup" has gone up. I am fine with a markup on food at an amusement/theme park. WDW is in business to make money, and when you have essentially a captive market, you can charge more. However the percent markup has gone up over the years.

I dont begrudge WDW for doing this - they are out to make money and will serve and charge what the market will bear. I have two choices, either buy it, or don't buy it. Frankly I have stopped buying it, or at least buying it as much. We used to eat TS meals a LOT at WDW when on vacation. Family of 4 or 5 (depending on what kids were with us) every night, at signatures, apps, entree, desserts, alcohol.. We have scaled that back, because we just do not feel the value is there. There are still a few places we enjoy, and we do find some suprise places here and there where both the food, service, atmosphere, and price suprises us (Trattoria al Forno was one such place last trip). For the most part, however, we have scaled back our dining at WDW. Somtimes we just eat QS. Other times we may juse order an entree and leave it at that (because the menu itself is nothing special) I vote with my wallet, and I also make the reasons I am doing so known, both here and in the surveys WDW sends me.


-dave
 
George

George

Liker of Things
Premium Member
Clammy 4 Fingers brings me his momma's cooking and in exchange he gets to live. Thus, WDW is quite a bit more expensive for me.
 

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