Why doesn't Disney rethink recipes at the few consistently bad restaurants?

MatzoBelle · May 5, 2015

Most restaurants at WDW are good or very good. Why do you think Disney allows the few that get consistently poor reviews (like Tony's) to continue as they are? Why don't they bring in some accomplished consultants and chefs to turn things around? It's the same places year after year that get panned.

3Gsandme · May 5, 2015

Not everyone agrees they're awful. I'm with you on Tony's, but I see plenty of people who love it and would probably be upset about menu changes.

MatzoBelle · May 5, 2015

Maybe that's why. But they could make the identical items taste better.

kastoney · May 5, 2015

I think the only way they will ever make changes if it impacts their bottom line, i.e. no one comes. But as long as people are willing to pay for mediocre food, why not keep profiting on what has to be pretty high profit margins.

Alesia · May 5, 2015

MatzoBelle said:
Maybe that's why. But they could make the identical items taste better.

But they don't need to. Those restaurants are consistently booked up. There are people who really do prefer bland, boring food.

mistysue · May 5, 2015

I wish they would do something with Tony's though. My family is extremely forgiving, we can and do appreciate bland food. My kids will eat plain meat with steamed rice all day and some of their items just cross the line. A great example is the last time I got the cannelloni. I'm not sure there was seasoning of any sort in there. It really did taste like it was just ground beef (and a LOT of it) stuffed into a thin noodle with some sauce and mild cheese on top. I may have eaten over a full pound of ground beef. It was a lot like eating a brick. There was nothing wrong with it but it needed something to break up eating a plate of ground beef even if it was just a light side. They wouldn't need an overhaul, just a little freshening up of what's there and maybe switching a source or two.

Alesia · May 5, 2015

mistysue said:
I wish they would do something with Tony's though. My family is extremely forgiving, we can and do appreciate bland food. My kids will eat plain meat with steamed rice all day and some of their items just cross the line. A great example is the last time I got the cannelloni. I'm not sure there was seasoning of any sort in there. It really did taste like it was just ground beef (and a LOT of it) stuffed into a thin noodle with some sauce and mild cheese on top. I may have eaten over a full pound of ground beef. It was a lot like eating a brick. There was nothing wrong with it but it needed something to break up eating a plate of ground beef even if it was just a light side. They wouldn't need an overhaul, just a little freshening up of what's there and maybe switching a source or two.

There's a simple fix for that: don't go back. Not every restaurant will be to your taste, and that's okay. There are plenty of people who love Tony's (I'm not one of them.) Hell, just look at the Olive Garden - I think it's every bit as bad as Tony's and it makes billions of dollars every year. The one near me is packed every single night. There are so many restaurants in WDW that there is (and should be) something for everyone.

Jadyreen1282 · May 5, 2015

Remember when the best food you could get at Disney World was a small grey hamburger and a handful of fries? I don't think I've ever had an issue with Tony's. I am an advocate of updating menus from time to time.

minnie mum · May 5, 2015

I don't like Tonys , you don't like Tonys, but there are actually people who do like it. There are also people who think pasta sauce made with canned tomato soup is good. :sad2:

Then there are all those people who really don't care one way or another.

Disney isn't going to go to the expense of bringing in new chefs to overhaul a menu when the restaurant is consistently well booked and is consistently bringing in a profit.

There are other alternatives with better food. Go there. Problem solved.

Nancyg56 · May 6, 2015

WOW! LOL! My family does not like bland food, but we must have been very lucky. WE all enjoyed our dinner at Tony's. It is not often all 8 of us agreed that we all liked the food.

Nancyg56 · May 6, 2015

Jadyreen1282 said:
Remember when the best food you could get at Disney World was a small grey hamburger and a handful of fries? I don't think I've ever had an issue with Tony's. I am an advocate of updating menus from time to time.

Oh gosh yes!!!!!!! We were feeding a hungry bunch and those burger and dig baskets were terrible!

Crystal824 · May 6, 2015

We were just at WDW last week. We haven't been in 2 years, but we generally go every year. I have to say I was disappointed with a lot of our meals this time around. We didn't eat at Tony's because we knew better from past experiences. I have to say about 10 years ago, we had an excellent meal at Tony's. The next year we ate there and the food was terrible. We haven't been back since that trip.

Other places we enjoyed on our last trip were not so great this time around include Garden Grill and Chef Mickey's. We have had decent meals at both in the past. They were both awful this time around. We weren't expecting gourmet food by any means, but we were expecting something edible. The food was cold and bland at both. It will be a while before we go back to either.

The thing is Disney knows how to operate a restaurant. Be Our Guest was amazing. Definitely the best meal of this trip. I'm not sure why Disney doesn't step it up at other restaurants too. We did the dining plan this trip. This was the first time in 5 years we have done the dining plan. DH and I decided we won't be doing it again. On our next trip will likely include only a few sit down meals. The food at most places just wasn't good overall and far worse than our last trip. I don't' mind paying Disney prices for quality food, but what we got this time around was not worth it. I will say some of the highlights of the week include: Be Our Guest, Yak & Yeti, and Tusker House. I could have done without all the other meals.

Nancyg56 · May 6, 2015

It's funny that some of the restaurants are hit or miss. Coral Reef is a never return for me. It was awful 2 years ago, so i skipped it in October. Too many reviews all over te place and then reinforced but having the worst meal of our stay.

Hopefully · May 6, 2015

I agree with the posters who have said that many, many folks like the food at the restaurants you feel should be overhauled. Different tastes for different folks. We have choice.
Choose what you like

AlohaAnnie · May 6, 2015

Hopefully said:
I agree with the posters who have said that many, many folks like the food at the restaurants you feel should be overhauled. Different tastes for different folks. We have choice.
Choose what you like

I completely agree!

.

L&Lfan · May 6, 2015

Considering all the posts from picky eaters, adults wanting to order from kids' menus, folks wanting the names of places that aren't "adventurous", etc I'm sure places like Tony's, Chef Mickey's, Coral Reef and Hollywood and Vine (all 4 pretty consistently named as the worst at WDW) will never lack for customers. There are also those who would be absolutely delighted if all they served at WDW were burgers, fries, pizza and chicken fingers/nuggets. I think many of the restaurants at WDW are deliberately aimed at the blandest palates especially since the DDP took over.

Mikie · May 6, 2015

I agree that it's a combination of "something for everyone" and dumbing down the flavor for the pickiest eaters. I truly enjoyed Boma and found it flavorful and unique, but by no stretch "spicy" or "too much", yet I see others say the spices are overwhelming.

I haven't eaten at Tony's in about 7 years, but we didn't have any complaints there. Maybe we're so hot and tired by dinner that any food in a cool chair seems great! Or maybe their bad reviews are all more recent. I don't have super-high expectations for theme park food, but I do expect more that a grey hamburger and a handful of greasy fries, and I feel we get that at every Disney restaurant we've been to. (About 25% of them based on the "golden spoon" thread)

mylittlebuttercup · May 6, 2015

People are still coming and spending money, so they don't have much incentive to change.

mrzrich · May 6, 2015

For kicks, I checked for an ADR for tonight. Earliest I could get in is 830 pm. Since the place is pretty consistently booked, they have no reason to change it

MakiraMarlena · May 6, 2015

Because Tony's is still packed to the gills, so why should they change it? even though I don't go there, someone else does. There is a market for very basic, bland Italian food.

Why doesn't Disney rethink recipes at the few consistently bad restaurants?

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