"Not Playing" at 50's Prime Time

[BudgieMama]

DH and I are killing the time before we can book our trip by talking about ADRs we want and checking out menus. We both LOVE the look of the food available at 50's Prime Time, but would hate the kind of interaction that goes with it. I read somewhere that if you don't want them to treat you like that, you can tell them you're not playing or something like that.

I'm just wondering what people's experiences of that are... Will they actually honour your request not to be treated like that? If we know we'd be able to go and not have the banter, this will be a must do for the food, but if there's a chance they won't listen, it's not an option.

Thanks in advance!

 

[5kidsmommy]

Good question. That is one reason we've avoided it. Too stressful on my husband.

 

[Hopefully]

What does "Treated like that" mean to you? What do you fear? It is all in good fun and not bad at all.
I think they are pretty sensitive to knowing who is interested in engaging and who is not. However if you are really worried about it, perhaps it is not the best choice for you.

 

[BudgieMama]

We don't want to be treated any differently to any waiter in any restaurant. Polite and professional.

We don't want to be brought our leftovers in a dish with cream, or told off for getting our phones out at the table, or to be teased about anything, or asked questions about the colour of the soap or anything like that. My husband is painfully shy (and VERY British!), and would find that kind of thing mortifying. Even reading the accounts of people on the DIS and other places make me uncomfortable. I understand other people find it fun and that's fine, but we wouldn't... so much so, if it were a problem that we didn't want that, we'd eat somewhere else.

 

[nat8199]

I agree. I eat a TS meal for peace and relaxation. I would want interaction with the staff to be just enough to have good service, not to have to have conversations with. Luckily, DH would handle the reacting to the "show", but I would just find the whole thing annoying. Hopefully we won't ever decide to eat there.

 

[mastermind307]

I've eaten her twice and had no problems either time. We are a rather quiet family and I was worried about the antics before we went the first time, but I'm glad we did because we had great experiences both times. The first time I had a really bad sore throat and our waitress was super nice and offered to get me some soup. The second time, our waitress made a comment (all in fun) about me not eating my collared greens, but wasn't mean about it or anything. There was a guy going around with a long stick poking people. I felt something poke me and I turned around, but there wasn't anybody there. It happened again, my mom and DD were laughing and I finally saw him. Everything they do is all for fun, if you don't want to participate, you don't have to. The servers are pretty good about know whether or not the guest are interested in the antics.

 

[robndani]

Go somewhere else. You already have the negative thoughts in your head and you know it's their "gig" so why risk not having fun. That being said, we were there last year and weren't really "picked on." We actually wanted more fun and games, that's why we went there.

Have fun, there are SOOOOOO many other great places to eat in Disney!

 

[lilclerk]

We LOVE the fun here, but I totally understand if it's not your thing. I haven't personally tried it, but I'm sure you could tell your server you aren't into playing along. They can kind of read you too. We once had a really fun, loud waitress and she played it up with us, but the table next to us was clearly not into it, and she was totally different with them.

If you're a small party, 1 or 2 people, you could also try getting a seat at the bar. You can order from the full menu, and you're not in the actual restaurant. It's just tiny, so it can be tough to get a seat.

 

[jenjersnap]

Tell the host/ess when you check in that you aren't interested in the shenanigans. They will honor your request.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Eat at the bar. You can order from the full menu and no shenanigans.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

A good waiter/waitress or "cousin" at 50's is a lot like an entertainer - they should be able to read their audience.

We had a waiter during our first visit that was fun and just jumped right into his routine with my family. Sitting next to us was a woman and her older father. He joked with us, but was all business with the guests next to us.

On our most recent trip, the waitress threw a few jokes at us but didn't pull off any shenanigans until we starting giving her reasons to. We purposely had our phones out and called it out to her. Otherwise, she was a delight. She threw in a few jokes here and there. She forgot our onion rings and when we told her she replied jokingly as if we were bothering her - but she brought them back out and didn't charge us.

I'd definitely just tell the hostess when you arrive. The food is really good there - don't skip it!

On a side note... you can choose to eat at the bar. I believe they have the same menu at the Tune-In Bar and without the shenanigans.

 

[Hopefully]

We don't want to be treated any differently to any waiter in any restaurant. Polite and professional.

We don't want to be brought our leftovers in a dish with cream, or told off for getting our phones out at the table, or to be teased about anything, or asked questions about the colour of the soap or anything like that. My husband is painfully shy (and VERY British!), and would find that kind of thing mortifying. Even reading the accounts of people on the DIS and other places make me uncomfortable. I understand other people find it fun and that's fine, but we wouldn't... so much so, if it were a problem that we didn't want that, we'd eat somewhere else.

This is not what 50's PTC is. The antics are part of the experience. Knowing that I think you have 2 choices. You can eat at the bar as suggested, but there are no ADR's you would have to wait for a spot to open, or just go elsewhere where you are cofortable. It is not for everybody. There are many, many restaurants that will meet your needs
Good Luck

 

[minnie mum]

This is a reverse on another frequent question we see on this board: "I really want to eat at XYZ restaurant to experience the ambiance, but there's nothing on the menu that I like. Would they make me a dish of ABC even though its not on the menu?" My advice is the same- find another place that fits your needs.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

I really think the antics have toned down since many people agree with the OP. Makes me sad, because we have a great time with the antics. I would probably go elsewhere OP, because you just never know whether your server will get the hint or not that you are not wanting to be a part of it. I have read you can REQUEST a less *fun* experience, but not sure I would rely on that feeling the way you do about it.

 

[sweetnjmom]

Tell the host/ess when you check in that you aren't interested in the shenanigans. They will honor your request.

That's what I was told by a friend who took her 3 year old in 2013 (and she is a picky eater). I am going to let the hostess know that my son is a bit sensitive, so the servers have care with how they interact with him. I am looking forward to the interaction, however.

 

[BudgieMama]

Those of you suggesting not going- @minnie mum , @disneyfantotheend , @Hopefully @robndani - can you recommend somewhere with a similar menu range? We love the look of the food, and it's not stuff we tend to get at restaurants here in the UK.

 

[Pucka1378]

I have eaten there twice and both times I was disappointed with the interaction. It seemed like just regular service to me... a little bit of play... but that is about it. Nothing that far out of the ordinary for us. All around us the play was much better. Not sure if we just look like not fun people or what

We are going again in June with another family we will see how it goes then. We only made the ADR because the other family loves it there. We were going to skip it.

 

[L&Lfan]

I would also say that the better one's table manners are and if you tend to be a polite group there'll be much less for the servers to rag on. We don't mind the shtick but we are not fans of the menu (to us it reminds us of Swanson frozen dinners) so we avoid the place.

Having said that I have also heard that the antics are MUCH toned down than say, even 10 years ago when we last ate there. Our server was over the top (think Paula Deen or Flo from the TV show Alice) and an absolute delight!

 

[sullyfam]

My son is very shy and 50's is one of his favorite restaurants! We've never had a problem!

The servers are entertainers and they read their audience's cues. Yes, there are some that play it up more than others. And they seem to take it the furthest with the guests that are obviously having a lot of fun with it. As others have said, I've seen servers being really silly with one table but maybe not silly at all with the table right next to them. They read your cues and act accordingly. They have never bothered my son or made him uncomfortable even once.

If you are really worried, say something up front but I honestly don't think you'll have a problem. 50's is a great Disney experience not to mention awesome food (IMO) so I say take a chance and go with it! If you really don't care for it, don't go back - but I'm all for trying things at least once

 

[smcabee]

So just ignore the antics if you want to eat there. I like the Fried Chicken there so I go and get it and just ignore them if Im not up to the show.