1) I will assume you did book a breakfast and not a holiday brunch.
2) The character HANDLER (aka, "Character Assistant") makes sure the characters hit every table, but they do not stay out until all guests have left.
3) So, you do get to see the characters, but the time at the table is limited/controlled by the HANDLER.
4) The food will remain on the buffet, but some of the items might not be replenished when gone.
. . . long-cooking items won't be made in-bulk, in order to save waste
. . . 1900 throws away about (5) 40-gal trash cans of uneaten food, daily, and they want to cut this back
. . . this trash is not food that came form guest plates, but is left on the buffet or in the kitchen
. . . total daily waste is usually 8-10 40-gallon cans
5) Now, we haven't even mentioned kitchen and clean-up personnel time/payroll.
NOTE1: So, to answer in more general terms, you do get to eat and see characters, but "rushed" is a pretty subjective term. Please remember, that characters, wait-staff, and kitchen-staff, and cleaning crews do have work schedules and want to get home for their private time. Without trying to be snide, although this is YOUR vacation, this is THEIR job. And, like most employees anywhere, they do like to get out on-time to be with family or do other activities.
NOTE2: For every character, it takes three (3) CM's . . . one HANDLER and two characters, as one character is on break while the other is On Stage. So, staying overtime costs more money than just one character. And, with all the new WDW Labor Dept methods and rules, a Manager must approve all overtime, or any CM does not get paid. And, Disney does not like to pay overtime.
