BOG: Vindication for those of us against table-saving!

[GBBTomorrow]

Anyone who has been to Be Our Guest at lunchtime can tell you that no matter how crowded the restaurant, you can always find a place to eat for your party. No more trolling around with your tray of food, trying to guilt someone who is finished into getting up for you. No more rushing for a table as soon as someone stands up.

The system WORKS: nobody is allowed to save tables due to the way the traffic flow of the restaurant is set up. This proves what many on the DIS have been saying for a long time, that saving tables is a bad idea, and waiting to sit until you have your food makes more tables available for everyone. Yippee!

To those who complain that they don't want their kids waiting in the line, all the kids were waiting in the line with their families and present at ordering when we were there on Sunday, and nobody appeared too upset about it.

I am happy, and hope all CS restaurants implement this policy during peak use.

(Ready for flames. I understand there's a lot of difference of opinion on this subject.)

 

[disneyworld1977]

I have no fuel to add to the possible fire. I find it interesting. Honestly, I go either way on this deal. If you can save sits in a restaurant great, if you can't, then no biggie, life goes in.

 

[floridagirl61]

No flames from me. I am glad that everyone chooses a table after they order. I think it works even with kids because you are not juggling trays of food and your kids. I like that they deliver your food to your table.

 

[party-of-five]

No flames from me. I am glad that everyone chooses a table after they order. I think it works even with kids because you are not juggling trays of food and your kids. I like that they deliver your food to your table.

This is the big difference... they bring the food to you. At other CS restaurants, that is not the case. It is much easier, for us, to have DH (and maybe an older child to help) go get the food while I sit with the little guys. If food was brought to us, I would have no problem with the whole family waiting in line. The kids are in line with us for the rides. . The problem is trying to juggle food, drinks, toddlers, strollers, etc. and many times there is a crowd at the counter waiting for the food.

 

[JulieBR]

This is the big difference... they bring the food to you. At other CS restaurants, that is not the case. It is much easier, for us, to have DH (and maybe an older child to help) go get the food while I sit with the little guys. If food was brought to us, I would have no problem with the whole family waiting in line. The kids are in line with us for the rides. . The problem is trying to juggle food, drinks, toddlers, strollers, etc. and many times there is a crowd at the counter waiting for the food.

This!!

 

[vanl0003]

Totally agree with party-of-five. Not having to wait at a counter for food and then finding and delivering it to your table with family in tow is a game changer.

 

[GBBTomorrow]

I definitely see the point about how nice it is to have the food delivered, but don't think it really applies to the issue of seat-saving. If somebody didn't want the kids in the line, why do they need to wait at a table? Couldn't they wait off to the side or on a bench? If the restaurant isn't crowded, go anywhere, but if it is crowded, why take seats from people who already have food?

 

[Mkrop]

No flames from me. I am glad that everyone chooses a table after they order. I think it works even with kids because you are not juggling trays of food and your kids. I like that they deliver your food to your table.

That changes everything...you can not compare other CS to BOG than.

 

[GBBTomorrow]

That changes everything...you can not compare other CS to BOG than.

Why not?

 

[gtpoohbear]

I definitely see the point about how nice it is to have the food delivered, but don't think it really applies to the issue of seat-saving. If somebody didn't want the kids in the line, why do they need to wait at a table? Couldn't they wait off to the side or on a bench? If the restaurant isn't crowded, go anywhere, but if it is crowded, why take seats from people who already have food?

Exactly!! I still don't understand the argument that it's too hard to have your kids in line anyway, they spend a large part of the day standing in line for rides, why is a meal any different?

And if it's a matter of having to handle your trays with kids in tow, I don't see how it's any different still. One adult would have had to be at the table with the kids, leaving the other adult (in a typical 2-adult party arrangement) to manage the trays on their own. So if everyone is in line, one adult wrangles the kids, the other adult carries the trays. You are no worse off than you would have been otherwise, in fact unless your kids are completely out of control, the second adult could likely carry something in one hand too, helping you out.

I just don't have a lot of sympathy for the "it's just easier for me" excuse. Sure, LOTS of things would be easier for me, like leaving my shopping cart in the empty parking spot next to my car when I'm done with it, instead of taking to the appropriate location. Do I do it? Because, hey, that's just easier, I've got my kids already in the car, it's cold, etc etc etc. No, of course not, because that would be rude and inconsiderate. Same principle here. Something being easier for you doesn't make it okay.

The seating in CS restaurants is designed to be able to handle the load that will flow through when all registers are busy and in use. When people start taking tables before they've gone through the line, it totally messes up the system. As BOG is showing, there wouldn't be a problem finding a table if everyone followed the system as it was intended.

But anyway, this is one of our main frustrations with CS, and why we almost never visit CS places anymore. If more of them went the way of BOG, we might start giving them a shot again.

 

[Mkrop]

No flames from me. I am glad that everyone chooses a table after they order. I think it works even with kids because you are not juggling trays of food and your kids. I like that they deliver your food to your table.

Why not?

Because they are not set up the same way, I am assuming since I have not been in BOG, that there is plenty of room for everyone to wait, not so in other CSs.

When my kids were younger, DH would go and ordered the food, I would take the kids, the bags, the stroller and get out of the way at a table. I would have the tired, overheated kids out of line instead of whining in a line which I would never have them in a ride line if they were that meltdowned bc they needed air and food. I would get all the condiments, napkins, and straws. Have all the kids wipe their hands, clean the table off. By the time I was done this, DH would be back with the food and we would not be crowding up the line.

There was also a time when I would sit at the table and if time allowed I would give younger DS a bottle or a jar of baby food so that by the time the other food arrived I could actually eat my food warm.


If they seat you and than bring the food, we can have all the same stuff accomplished by the time the food arrives

 

[Figment2101]

Anyone who has been to Be Our Guest at lunchtime can tell you that no matter how crowded the restaurant, you can always find a place to eat for your party. No more trolling around with your tray of food, trying to guilt someone who is finished into getting up for you. No more rushing for a table as soon as someone stands up.

The system WORKS: nobody is allowed to save tables due to the way the traffic flow of the restaurant is set up. This proves what many on the DIS have been saying for a long time, that saving tables is a bad idea, and waiting to sit until you have your food makes more tables available for everyone. Yippee!

To those who complain that they don't want their kids waiting in the line, all the kids were waiting in the line with their families and present at ordering when we were there on Sunday, and nobody appeared too upset about it.

I am happy, and hope all CS restaurants implement this policy during peak use.

(Ready for flames. I understand there's a lot of difference of opinion on this subject.)

No flames from me. I totally agree with you.

 

[owl0306]

maybe bc it was thanksgiving week but Pinocchio haus and the pizza place in AK were not letting you enter the seating area without food.

 

[Peter Fan]

Well i saw adults and kids saving tables while we were eating. We ate our meal and sat and talked for a little while and when we were ready to leave those same people were still waiting for there food. As other people are walking around with food unable to find a table!

 

[Peter Fan]

What exactly is the grey stuff?

 

[rk5798]

Last Christmas, the pizza place at AK wasn't letting people sit without food then either...and you know what? We found a seat as soon as we got our food!

 

[Mkrop]

maybe bc it was thanksgiving week but Pinocchio haus and the pizza place in AK were not letting you enter the seating area without food.

We went to Pinocchios over the summer, we at early, 11:30 ish. DH and DS15 went and got the food, DS9 and I went and got a table. By the time we left, the CMs were now directing traffic and making people wait in theback far exit where the bathrooms were. It blocked the other tables. People and CMs were gettting extremely frustrated. It was a mess. I went out that way to use the bathrooms and guests were not happy. I was super glad to get out of there

 

[party-of-five]

Exactly!! I still don't understand the argument that it's too hard to have your kids in line anyway, they spend a large part of the day standing in line for rides, why is a meal any different?

And if it's a matter of having to handle your trays with kids in tow, I don't see how it's any different still. One adult would have had to be at the table with the kids, leaving the other adult (in a typical 2-adult party arrangement) to manage the trays on their own. So if everyone is in line, one adult wrangles the kids, the other adult carries the trays. You are no worse off than you would have been otherwise, in fact unless your kids are completely out of control, the second adult could likely carry something in one hand too, helping you out.

I just don't have a lot of sympathy for the "it's just easier for me" excuse. Sure, LOTS of things would be easier for me, like leaving my shopping cart in the empty parking spot next to my car when I'm done with it, instead of taking to the appropriate location. Do I do it? Because, hey, that's just easier, I've got my kids already in the car, it's cold, etc etc etc. No, of course not, because that would be rude and inconsiderate. Same principle here. Something being easier for you doesn't make it okay.

The seating in CS restaurants is designed to be able to handle the load that will flow through when all registers are busy and in use. When people start taking tables before they've gone through the line, it totally messes up the system. As BOG is showing, there wouldn't be a problem finding a table if everyone followed the system as it was intended.

But anyway, this is one of our main frustrations with CS, and why we almost never visit CS places anymore. If more of them went the way of BOG, we might start giving them a shot again.

I still don't see your point. If there is an empty table, I'm going to sit there with my young children while DH and older children get food. When they are done getting food, they join us, we eat, we go on with our day. It has nothing to do with the kids being in line or not. It has to do with the lines at the counter being too crowded.

I'm happy to hear that Disney has worked out some of the existing CS kinks with BOG. But until they change the configuration at the current CS restaurants, we will continue to hold a table.

FWIW, I return the cart when grocery shopping too.

 

[bumbershoot]

What works is when everyone is doing the SAME thing. What doesn't work is when some people wait with family while ordering, and others sit at tables before eating. So when the CMs make everyone do the same thing, that's when you find it works best.

 

[nanienamou]

Let's take Columbia Harbour House as an example - I have three boys, ages 8, 6 and 4, plus DH. I just can't imagine all 5 of us fitting in the stalls after you ordered your food and waiting for it at the counter. The space is ridiculously small and honestly, for safety and efficiency issues, there should not be more than one our two people for each party in the stalls.

For now, DH and I go as a couple, and we wait together, but when we go as a family, if the configuration of the qs places are the same, I'm sorry, but I would not want my kids in there. However, if they change the configuration, we would have no problem waiting for the food together and getting a seat once we have our trays. It's a space issue for us, plus I prefer that other keep their kids out of the line too, because people are carrying out trays full of food and beverages (sometimes hot), and you have spillage risk.

The BOG example is not relevant, since you don't have to wait in a cramped stall at the counter for your food. It's a much better system. If Disney wants the complete family waiting in line and not hogging tables, fine, but give them the space to do so.