When dining at WDW what drives you to choose a restaurant?

[Lord Starwalker]

With all of the various dining options offered to a guest visiting WDW, what drives you to choose a specifc restaurant?

 

[RememberWhen]

Reviewing our past dining choices, we definitely lean toward character dining. They’re often buffets (or used to be) which means we all have choices, and it lets the kids (and adults) see our friends in a cool place without a giant line.
Of course, those days seem to be over for now.

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

The actual food on offer is the biggest thing for us. But I didn't see that as an option.

 

[Hakunamatata]

I voted theme because its the biggest driver. The menu and quality would be next, but not as big an impact because frankly over the years the actual quality has dropped some.

 

[belledream]

If the theme appeals to me, that would sway me over the location/price/food. I go to Disney to be immersed in another world. Ex: San Angel Inn. Can’t say I’ve LOVED any of my meals there but dining “under the sky”, by the water, gazing at a Mayan temple and volcano makes me want to go again and again.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

I am a sucker for themed restaurants regardless of food quality and reviews. I love Be Our Guest, Sci-Fi Cafe, and the Rainforest Cafe.

 

[SteveAZee]

On my recent trip with family (Oct/Nov 2019) we loaded up our agenda with many sit-down restaurants... at least one and sometimes two per day. In retrospect, I don't remember the taste and quality of the food as much as the experience of spending the time with my family, interacting with the servers, and enjoying the ambiance and locale of the restaurant itself. All of the food was tasty and great, which is a good thing, but it doesn't make the 'experience to remember'. I suppose if it was a bad meal, it would be remembered, but clearly for the wrong reason.

 

[Lord Starwalker]

I am a sucker for themed restaurants regardless of food quality and reviews. I love Be Our Guest, Sci-Fi Cafe, and the Rainforest Cafe.

The theme at Sci-Fi Dine-In is soo cool. I know that he food there is fast casual quality, but the milkshakes are awesome. The theming is out of this world fun!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Since I could not choose multiple things and some of my reasons are not on the list I did not vote.

I base it on..
-Location (I like to dine in or near the park I'll be at)
-Price (If I'm paying OOP)
-Theme (Come on its Disney. They come up with some amazing themes that you just gotta check out)
-Menu (There has to be something on the menu that sounds appetizing or I won't enjoy it no matter the quality)

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Theme is my first priority. I go to Disney to get experiences that are different from the "real world".

It's not the only factor. I've also booked restaurants based on the menu offerings.

If the restaurant has an interesting theme (Sci-Fi or 50's Prime Time) I'll go regardless of the overall menu. For something less themed I'm going to more closely peruse the menu as part of the decision making process.

 

[Jon81uk]

In regards to the poll, all of the above.

We go to Cali grill for the view and the food quality, but we go to Garden Grill for the characters, or Boatwrights for the type of food offered, or Teppen Edo for the experience, and the food court at the resort for the ease of location

 

[Club Cooloholic]

In regards to the poll, all of the above.

We go to Cali grill for the view and the food quality, but we go to Garden Grill for the characters, or Boatwrights for the type of food offered, or Teppen Edo for the experience, and the food court at the resort for the ease of location

Sometimes you can cover a few things. Skippers has a decent theme, great location and good food.

 

[JIMINYCR]

The quality of the food comes first. Its the most important part of dining. If the food isnt up to par or the chef has changed and the menu item that once was fabulous is now meeeh, it ruins the entire experience, When the food is low quality, no matter how great the theming is, what the cost was, how the meal was served or what characters were present, nothing can make up for bad food.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I usually let park hours/schedules dictate where we are at WDW. So, location is my leading factor. After that, it's a blend of food and experience. I may suck it up and eat dinner at Chef Mickey's or Tusker House (we've had a number of bad ones here) if seeing a particular character and the location of that restaurant is a big enjoyment factor for the trip. I consider characters part of the experience, so I never separate them in my mind. Past experiences also play heavily into decisions. Nostalgia factor wasn't noted above, but I've seen so many "we always go here" posts over the years, that it can't be ignored. I'd like to think the "we always" factor means that food, service, and experience has been consistently decent, especially since some people will turn their trips upside down and sideways just to make a meal at certain places work in their plans.

 

[Hockey89]

Food quality. If it stinks, it doesn't matter how good the server or theme is....

 

[westie]

I read all the menus way ahead of time for something that sounds like I can't resist and make my choices from there. Some are unexpectedly great and others are let downs. But I try them none the less.

 

[nickys]

It would be the menu.

But that isn’t listed, which is odd. I would have thought that would be a significant factor in many people’s decision. Any reason for that @Lord Starwalker?

 

[harryk]

Quality, theme and menu make the determination. Dining experience overall. Want something that I can't easily get at home.

 

[Archie123]

Food quality by a mile. If the restaurant has a great theme then even better but why would I pay Disney prices for lousy food with a great atmosphere???

 

[HollyAD]

I voted quality of food but I also look at the variety on the menu. It is nice to see a good variety to make sure everyone can find something they like.