What’s Wrong With Disney World Restaurants...

[dieboy]

Its like no one knows there is a Moes right outside the property mmmmm Moes ... sry have not eaten solid food in week. I'm friggen starving.

Let's be honest here. As a rule, Disney's cuisine has become decidedly average while being sold at exorbitant prices.

I think the majority of the folks who go on the regular have pretty much accepted that as fact. I do stress .. there are diamonds in the rough. Otherwise i wouldn't go as often as I do Trick is finding them among all the garbage.

 

[larryz]

There is nothing wrong with Sysco anything, per se. What I have a problem with is a restaurant charging $10 for a cup of soup that came in a 2 gallon bag delivered by a semi trailer all while billing it as some scratch made "artisinal" (Man, I hate that word) creation.

-dave

The "artisinal" is the fresh green onion tops thrown in as they leave the prep station...

 

[dhuff]

My biggest complaint is that you get so much food and pay so much money. I'd like to see them add an option of a smaller size main portion, like what a few places call "senior portion", for those of us with smaller appetites.

That's my biggest suggestion, too. We just returned from a trip to WDW last week, and generally found the dining to be good to very good. But esp. at the table service restaurants, I often finished feeling "over-stuffed". I would have appreciated smaller portion options on the adult menu at reduced prices. Favorite was still the Marrakesh, but Teppan Edo was very accommodating with my vegetarian* daughter, and the walk-up meal at Katsura Grill was also quite good.

* there's a second suggestion: more & better options for vegetarian diners.

 

[Ouray]

The shining star in this entire debate is V&A.... elevated by an incredible Manager that bucked the system, and won BIG TIME.

Again - All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong.....

I don’t think VandA’s manager so much bucked the system as the company realizes that certain formulas can’t be tinkered with and when you have a restaurant that aspires to be an Alinea or Le Bernardin or the like where folks are literally dropping thousands on a single meal or even bottle of wine, it’s far too risky to try to menu clip. As your prices increase, the more scrutiny your menu will be subjected to and the more imperative it is that you get it absolutely right or people will flee quickly. Although, it’s not entirely out of the question. For example, I was told that V&A’s no longer uses Frette table linens, having switched to something less luxurious. I don’t know though as I’ve never been and probably never will go for fear of spotting efficiencies and being disappointed that I paid so much only to have a value engineered dining experience.

 

[Phonedave]

I don’t think VandA’s manager so much bucked the system as the company realizes that certain formulas can’t be tinkered with and when you have a restaurant that aspires to be an Allinea or Le Bernardin or the like where folks are literally dropping thousands on a single meal or even bottle of wine, it’s far too risky to try to menu clip. As your prices increase, the more scrutiny your menu will be subjected to and the more imperative it is that you get it absolutely right or people will flee quickly. Although, it’s not entirely out of the question. For example, I was told that V&A’s no longer uses Frette table linens, having switched to something less luxurious. I don’t know though as I’ve never been and probably never will go for fear of spotting efficiencies and being disappointed that I paid so much only to have a value engineered dining experience.

Last time I ate at V&A I noticed there were more additional charge items than before. Now maybe it was just that night, and maybe they got a good deal on some good items and decided to add them, but there were about 5 or 6 additional charge items. Oestra Caviar and Waygu Beef is almost always on the menu as an up charge, but if I recall there were a few others - some wild game, foie gras was on there, and there was also Dover Sole (That I remember, because I think I paid $30 extra for it - but it was Dover, Dover Sole, as in from the English Channel) and maybe some other things.

I don't know if it is an indicator of "value" pricing or not.


-dave

 

[Ouray]

Last time I ate at V&A I noticed there were more additional charge items than before. Now maybe it was just that night, and maybe they got a good deal on some good items and decided to add them, but there were about 5 or 6 additional charge items. Oestra Caviar and Waygu Beef is almost always on the menu as an up charge, but if I recall there were a few others - some wild game, foie gras was on there, and there was also Dover Sole (That I remember, because I think I paid $30 extra for it - but it was Dover, Dover Sole, as in from the English Channel) and maybe some other things.

I don't know if it is an indicator of "value" pricing or not.


-dave

I'm not talking about value pricing I'm talking about value engineering, aka, offering less of an experience for more or equivalent money over time in the hopes that your consumer won't notice it or care. Firstly, value doesn't mean cheap necessarily. To me, value means that you're simply getting your money's worth or more. The point of my original post was that that the manager of V&A's isn't engaged in some noble fight against the corporate forces that have watered down the Disney Dining experience over the last decade or so, rather, the corporate folks know they have little room to tinker with (aka value engineer and economize to the benefit of the company) the V&A's experience without totally destroying its reputation so they don't. If they lost that five diamond award, I guarantee it would be in the sentinel as a news story. None of their other restaurants have such a high perch to fall from.

 

[Phonedave]

I'm not talking about value pricing I'm talking about value engineering, aka, offering less of an experience for more or equivalent money over time in the hopes that your consumer won't notice it or care. Firstly, value doesn't mean cheap necessarily. To me, value means that you're simply getting your money's worth or more. The point of my original post was that that the manager of V&A's isn't engaged in some noble fight against the corporate forces that have watered down the Disney Dining experience over the last decade or so, rather, the corporate folks know they have little room to tinker with (aka value engineer and economize to the benefit of the company) the V&A's experience without totally destroying its reputation so they don't. If they lost that five diamond award, I guarantee it would be in the sentinel as a news story. None of their other restaurants have such a high perch to fall from.

My comment about the add on's was me wondering if V&A is trying to hold a price point despite rising food costs. Where before a meal was $150 and there may have been one or two additional cost items, a meal is still $150, but there are a lot more items that are now up charged.

Lets say they had a beef dish, using Niman Ranch beef and it was included in the pre fix. Maybe Niman ranch beef has gone up, and now they cannot use it without an up charge, They could do one of three things. Go with cheap beef, which I doubt they would. Add on a $5 or $10 up-charge for Niman Ranch beef, which frankly makes them look like they are nickel and dimeing you. or use Waygu beef instead and make it a $30 up charge. Doing the last options holds the $150 price point, covers the cost of the beef dish, and makes the up charge seem special.

I dont know for sure if that is what is happening, but I hope not.

-dave

 

[Lyman]

Buffets--- looks like Golden Coral can give them a run for there money.... and that's not saying much

 

[Tom P.]

Buffets--- looks like Golden Coral can give them a run for there money.... and that's not saying much

I'm not sure what Disney buffet you've eaten at, but if you think the Disney buffets are on par with Golden Corral then you have either had unusually bad experiences at Disney or unusually amazing ones at Golden Corral. I just don't see how there could be any comparison between the two.

 

[Lyman]

I'm not sure what Disney buffet you've eaten at, but if you think the Disney buffets are on par with Golden Corral then you have either had unusually bad experiences at Disney or unusually amazing ones at Golden Corral. I just don't see how there could be any comparison between the two.

Quuality going down and prices going up