Are you a guest or a customer?

[JimmyV]

It's like some here believe so strongly in their theory that Disney's method of preventing people from sitting until they have their food and then directing them when a seat is available is the superior method, that they refuse to even hear what the rest of us are saying. I mean, I can understand loyalty to Disney from Castmembers to a point, but Disney is not always right, regardless of their "research".

And yet many of these same people come here and tell us of the wonders that is Be Our Guest where you ORDER YOUR FOOD AND THEN GRAB A TABLE BEFORE YOU ARE IN POSSESSION OF YOUR FOOD!!! Wow. Mind blown. It is a very narrow mind that perceives a difference between...

Restaurant A where you order your food, have one person remain at the counter for said food while the rest of the party finds a table, and then the one person brings the food when it is ready.....

Restaurant B where you order your food, the entire party goes to find a table and a CM brings you your food when it is ready......and

Restaurant C where you order your food, the entire party goes to find a table and a CM calls your number when your food is ready and one person from the party leaves the table to pick up the food.

Somehow, when you wear your Disney goggles, Restaurant B (Be Our Guest) is a marvel of efficiency, but Restaurant A is a crime against humanity. Securing a table and having a CM bring you your food is great. Having Dad wait for the food and then bring it to the table is an abomination. CM=good. Dad=bad.

 

[JimmyV]

This never seems to happen.
We've been at Pecos Bills when they have the system in place and we are normally directed to a table without waiting. We have also been there when no one is monitoring the seating and that is when we tend to wander for a while and our food gets cold.

Maybe we should avoid Pecos Bills...

You could be right. I take no position on whether this actually happens or not. I was just addressing the situation that other posters say they have encountered where no tables are available and people continue to get hot food with no place to sit. Honestly, I have only had this happen once at Tomorrowland Terrace and we found a seat in about 3 minutes. My post was simply addressing the efficiencies and posibilities of a scenario that others say happens often. Of course, if the other posters are all exaggerating and this never happens, then no "fix" is needed.

 

[wyurm]

As for my family we all wait in line but not because we think there is some sort of moral issue with table holding. No we just aren't good at making our minds up real fast so we tend to use the time in line to decide on what to order. I do think it's being very nit-picky to complain about table holding though.

Some will argue otherwise but I've noticed that when it comes to line holding or table holding each person has their own views and since they differ so wildly I know I will never please everyone. Some would be mad that I don't hold a table and have my two year old in line while others would praise me for doing that.

I remember last trip when a friend of ours ran ahead of us for the Magic Carpets. She got in line an older man and (I assume) his grandson got in line right behind her. When we caught up with her the man kept talking to his grandson about how rude we were to just cut in line like that. His grandson eventually said something to me with a tone that made him sound like he was striking a blow for justice and really on the side of what is right. First I was annoyed that his grandfather was using a kid to fight his battles and second the argument was pointless. If our friend had to ride alone and we got in line behind the man then we would make the wait longer for everyone else. Riding with her kept us together and used one less car. Logic fails people often with these arguments about line behavior.

I do believe that if there were no rules for lines the situation could get out of hand but I also believe that if we personally take them too seriously we are only going to give ourselves a bad time. Life's too short to sweat the small stuff.

 

[RealBlast3]

The thing is, when they do hold the tables for guests who already have food, your food is less likely to be cold by the time you eat than it is if a bunch of tables are already taken by those not eating.

I'm not sure why it doesn't make sense, it seems really simple. And honestly, you are not a guest of that quick service restaurant until you have your food. Otherwise you are just a potential guest at best.

Alot of us disagree with this though. Here's the thing. If I see a place that is entirely filled up, I just won't dine there. So it doesn't matter why anyone is sitting at those tables, I know that's one place that is too crowded, so I won't bother - period. If a place is that crowded, nothing is going to work, no mathematical formula, nothing. The problem is there aren't enough tables.

I will continue on my search to a place that at least has some open tables. Or just grab something from a vendor and sit on a bench. From the point of view of the guest, they walk into a place, see an open table, they grab it, and have one person order the food - that is GUARANTEED seating! Are you really going to argue that the other system, where you order the food and wait for a castmember to direct you to an open table, which could take upwards of 5, 10, 15 minutes - who knows, is superior? Simply because some mathematical formula found that Disney was able to sit more parties at the end of the business day that way, therefore make money? And how many of those parties had cold food? Does Disney care about that? No. They care about their bottom line. A family simply cares about ordering their food and having a table to eat it at while it's hot, not that Disney was able to make a few extra bucks by forcing people to eat cold food.

Customer satisfaction should not lose out to this degree to the great money-making machine.

 

[JimmyV]

Logic fails people often with these arguments about line behavior.

Ahhhh. Line cutting. That is a surefire way to get this thread to page 30.
As someone who understands your point very well, let me butt in and say this...

While it is true that if there is a single person is in line at Pooh and she is set up to get Honeypot #4 and my family is set up to get Honeypot #5, it doesn't slow me down on millisecond if three more people meet up with the person ahead of us to join her in Honeypot #4. My wait will be identical if Honeypot #4 takes of with one or four people. And there are many here who simply do not understand the math and physics of the situation. That said, WDW can be a hot and sweaty place and even though my wait will not increase if three more people weave their way through the line past me to get in Honeypot #4, I truly would not appreciate 3 hot, sweaty strangers squishing past me to join the single rider. Even though my wait won't change, I just don't appreciate the close contact of people squeezing through the line. So please don't do that unless you ask permission. And if you are denied, respect that, even if the math says that the person who denied you wouldn't have been effected.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

As for my family we all wait in line but not because we think there is some sort of moral issue with table holding. No we just aren't good at making our minds up real fast so we tend to use the time in line to decide on what to order. I do think it's being very nit-picky to complain about table holding though.

Some will argue otherwise but I've noticed that when it comes to line holding or table holding each person has their own views and since they differ so wildly I know I will never please everyone. Some would be mad that I don't hold a table and have my two year old in line while others would praise me for doing that.

I remember last trip when a friend of ours ran ahead of us for the Magic Carpets. She got in line an older man and (I assume) his grandson got in line right behind her. When we caught up with her the man kept talking to his grandson about how rude we were to just cut in line like that. His grandson eventually said something to me with a tone that made him sound like he was striking a blow for justice and really on the side of what is right. First I was annoyed that his grandfather was using a kid to fight his battles and second the argument was pointless. If our friend had to ride alone and we got in line behind the man then we would make the wait longer for everyone else. Riding with her kept us together and used one less car. Logic fails people often with these arguments about line behavior.

I do believe that if there were no rules for lines the situation could get out of hand but I also believe that if we personally take them too seriously we are only going to give ourselves a bad time. Life's too short to sweat the small stuff.

I can see it from that guys perspective. He might have thought your group instructed your friend to run ahead to get in front of any riders who were walking there.

Using the kid to fight the battle is total weak sauce though.

 

[Oodalally13]

I was recently at WDW June 23-26 and then US/IOA the 27th.

At disney we experienced:
23rd---bog lunch where you are told to get drinks and sit and they bring food (we had the pre-order fp email) and we still sat and cooled off for 15-20 minutes before food came. So why complain about it when disney themselves enacted a similar procedure?

24th---sunshine seasons----one person held table while others got their food, then table holder went and got their food----crowded but several people were lounging around allowing children to nap on the long booth seats....how is that not worse than holding a table before eating?

25th---pizzafar I---same situation ad at sunshine seasons---place seemed deserted

26th---tangerine cafe---same as sunshine and pizza---place was deserted

Now here's where universal came up with something new that I LOVED. We were the the Simpsons/Springfield area for lunch and it was right at lunch time so it was crowded. This place is a lot like sunshine seasons with multiple "restaurants" in one building. There was also a long ride-type line (the snaking kind) with a team member working the front. We were going to do our usual hold a table and wait for some of the group, the. The rest get food but noticed all empty tables have a "reserved" marker on them. We asked another team member and they said open seating was outside, inside was for diners and they sat you after you got your food.the line moved very quickly. The guy working the line would see how crowded the counter/ordering area were and let people in as needed. After you got your food other team members would ask how many in party and direct you to a "reserved" table in the dining room. Others were waiting with cleaning supplies and more reserved buttons. As a table emptied they were quick to clean and put the reserved on it to keep it moving. I think if disney did this it would make a difference. If people were obviously napping or just holding up, hey would watch. While they didn't chase people out or throw them out, they would politely and nicely ask if they were finished by offering to throw their trash away for then comment how busy it was and how many people were still in line to eat.

Does that make sense?? It was more of a "hi I can take that from you if you are finished. Can you believe how busy it is today? It's amazing how long the line is of people still waiting to get food and be seats" it was more of a hint and people understood!!!

 

[Love Tink]

I'm not one to get too invested in the "courtesy violations" that seem to really matter to many on here. But with MOST of this issues that get people really fuming, I can at least see where the angst comes from. (i.e. pool hopping or party crashers - I "get" that you don't want to pay for something and then have it crowded with people who didn't pay, people who put their kids on their shoulders - selfish, cutting in line - not cool.)

But I just never get these wait-until-you-have-your-food threads. Sitting before you get your food is totally normal everywhere you go in America. If you went to a mall food court or Burger King and someone was standing there, saying you couldn't sit down until you had food in hand, you'd think it was totally bizarre. Why is Disney World different?

My husband and I have a system. He stands in line to get the food because he's usually desperate for 10 kid-free minutes. I sit with the kids because I'm usually desperate to sit down. No plans to alter that plan on our upcoming trip (and have never once had CMs ask us to do so).

 

[TimonMeeko]

Now here's where universal came up with something new that I LOVED. We were the the Simpsons/Springfield area for lunch and it was right at lunch time so it was crowded. This place is a lot like sunshine seasons with multiple "restaurants" in one building. There was also a long ride-type line (the snaking kind) with a team member working the front. We were going to do our usual hold a table and wait for some of the group, the. The rest get food but noticed all empty tables have a "reserved" marker on them. We asked another team member and they said open seating was outside, inside was for diners and they sat you after you got your food.the line moved very quickly. The guy working the line would see how crowded the counter/ordering area were and let people in as needed. After you got your food other team members would ask how many in party and direct you to a "reserved" table in the dining room. Others were waiting with cleaning supplies and more reserved buttons. As a table emptied they were quick to clean and put the reserved on it to keep it moving. I think if disney did this it would make a difference!!

They are doing something similar at The Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley at Universal. You order, get your drink, and then a team member takes you to a table. You're given a number so the food runner knows where to go. Now, it wasn't crowded yesterday when I went but I can see this definitely helping with flow of guests. As I sat there I thought that this may be the start of a new trend at food locations that tend to get very crowded.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I co-sign this post. I don't understand why RustyScrapper (and others) would say they found it impossible to "understand" why people would hold tables when getting their food when many here have explained in detail why they do so.

Because most people are thinking only about their own desires and not what works best overall. And the poster's user id is RustyScupper. That intentional "misspelling" is unnecessary no matter what your opinion of someone.

It's like some here believe so strongly in their theory that Disney's method of preventing people from sitting until they have their food and then directing them when a seat is available is the superior method, that they refuse to even hear what the rest of us are saying. I mean, I can understand loyalty to Disney from Castmembers to a point, but Disney is not always right, regardless of their "research".

Sigh. When the venue is busy, it IS the best method. People without food - entering the building, getting in line, waiting, ordering, paying, waiting again - don't need tables before they have their food. People who have their food, having completed all the above, need tables.

You have many, many people here telling us they have had a tainted experience with cold food and with tables not being available with this supposedly superior Disney method.

No. You have many, many people here assuming they'll have a tainted experience with restricted seating. Postulating without experience. You have other people reporting how well this process works when it's active. You have many people who've been unable to find a table when they have their food because people who walked right in and sat right down.

I mean, let's say you enter a restaurant and do a quick scan before you go on line and there's only maybe 2 or 3 open tables, but there are around 10-15 people already on line. Obviously this is not going to work out to everyone's satisfaction, is it? Weather you have Disney's method, or even holding a table method, some people will not have seat.

What makes you think everyone at every table is glued to the seat and wouldn't possibly be done with the table before each of the people in line needs a table?

Simply saying you have a scientific formula that might be hypothetically able to be more efficient ignores that on the day, that formula might be just as big a failure as the holding a table policy. I feel like that formula simply cares about the bottom line but ignores all the guests whose food was literally left out in the cold.

When tables are restricted by the venue to people entering the dining room with their just-bought food, no guest's food was left out in the cold.

 

[shepd]

The thing is, when they do hold the tables for guests who already have food, your food is less likely to be cold by the time you eat than it is if a bunch of tables are already taken by those not eating.

I'm not sure why it doesn't make sense, it seems really simple. And honestly, you are not a guest of that quick service restaurant until you have your food. Otherwise you are just a potential guest at best.

I think what's being missed is that guests who feel the restaurant is already full don't bother to dine in the first place.

If those tables aren't being held, then guests make a terrible guess at how many people are in the line (we've already seen examples here of how 100 guests are estimated as 2000 guests by board members, it can also work the other way around) and get in line despite no way to obtain seating. This means more upset customers and a poor distribution of customers to other restaurants which may have enough seating available.

I know myself I'd be happier with taking a second choice in restaurant (due to my primary choice being too busy) than standing around trying to eat with no seats in sight. In the first case I'd come back and try again, and I'm not particularly unhappy. In the second case I'm unhappy and I won't return to that restaurant.

When one considers this human element, holding tables to guarantee that guests in line can sit there is the correct choice. Not holding them just increases the misery level of travellers.

 

[kaytieeldr]

But I just never get these wait-until-you-have-your-food threads. Sitting before you get your food is totally normal everywhere you go in America. If you went to a mall food court or Burger King and someone was standing there, saying you couldn't sit down until you had food in hand, you'd think it was totally bizarre. Why is Disney World different?

Depends on the someone. Another diner, yes it'd be bizarre. A mall or Burger King staffer? Nope. Their 'house', their rules.

 

[RealBlast3]

And the poster's user id is RustyScupper. That intentional "misspelling" is unnecessary no matter what your opinion of someone..

I didn't intentionally misspell his name. I was just going by memory what it was as I didn't quote his post since it occurred earlier in the thread. It isn't as if what I posted instead was somehow an insult. It was just an accident.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I was recently at WDW June 23-26 and then US/IOA the 27th.

At disney we experienced:
23rd---bog lunch where you are told to get drinks and sit and they bring food (we had the pre-order fp email) and we still sat and cooled off for 15-20 minutes before food came. So why complain about it when disney themselves enacted a similar procedure?

24th--- Sunshine Seasons----one person held table while others got their food, then table holder went and got their food----crowded but several people were lounging around allowing children to nap on the long booth seats....how is that not worse than holding a table before eating?

25th--- Pizzafari---same situation ad at sunshine seasons---place seemed deserted

26th--- Tangeriene Cafe---same as sunshine and pizza---place was deserted

Disney's food delivery design at a single counter service restaurant doesn't affect how they control seating - which, again, they do only when needed - at other restaurants. BOG FP holders effectively do have a reservation for a time window (the window being why your food isn't ready the instant you sit).

The other three locations, tge key word is "deserted". Aside from these not being locations where Disney needs to restrict seating, you state each was effectively empty. There wouldn't be restricted seating at Pecos Bill's or Cosmic Ray's when they're empty either.

Now here's where universal came up with something new that I LOVED. We were the the Simpsons/Springfield area for lunch and it was right at lunch time so it was crowded. This place is a lot like sunshine seasons with multiple "restaurants" in one building. There was also a long ride-type line (the snaking kind) with a team member working the front. We were going to do our usual hold a table and wait for some of the group, the. The rest get food but noticed all empty tables have a "reserved" marker on them. We asked another team member and they said open seating was outside, inside was for diners and they sat you after you got your food.the line moved very quickly. The guy working the line would see how crowded the counter/ordering area were and let people in as needed. After you got your food other team members would ask how many in party and direct you to a "reserved" table in the dining room. Others were waiting with cleaning supplies and more reserved buttons. As a table emptied they were quick to clean and put the reserved on it to keep it moving. I think if disney did this it would make a difference. If people were obviously napping or just holding up, hey would watch. While they didn't chase people out or throw them out, they would politely and nicely ask if they were finished by offering to throw their trash away for then comment how busy it was and how many people were still in line to eat.

Does that make sense?? It was more of a "hi I can take that from you if you are finished. Can you believe how busy it is today? It's amazing how long the line is of people still waiting to get food and be seats" it was more of a hint and people understood!!!

Disney restricting counter service seating differs from the Universal system you love only in that Disney doesn't put "reserved" signs on the tables.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Alot of us disagree with this though. Here's the thing. If I see a place that is entirely filled up, I just won't dine there. So it doesn't matter why anyone is sitting at those tables, I know that's one place that is too crowded, so I won't bother - period. If a place is that crowded, nothing is going to work, no mathematical formula, nothing. The problem is there aren't enough tables.

I will continue on my search to a place that at least has some open tables. Or just grab something from a vendor and sit on a bench. From the point of view of the guest, they walk into a place, see an open table, they grab it, and have one person order the food - that is GUARANTEED seating! Are you really going to argue that the other system, where you order the food and wait for a castmember to direct you to an open table, which could take upwards of 5, 10, 15 minutes - who knows, is superior? Simply because some mathematical formula found that Disney was able to sit more parties at the end of the business day that way, therefore make money? And how many of those parties had cold food? Does Disney care about that? No. They care about their bottom line. A family simply cares about ordering their food and having a table to eat it at while it's hot, not that Disney was able to make a few extra bucks by forcing people to eat cold food.

Customer satisfaction should not lose out to this degree to the great money-making machine.

Can I ask what there is about counter service restaurants that causes people to think the current diners are never, ever, ever going to move? Why do people think all the people who are eating when you walk into the venue will still be eating when their own orders are ready?

 

[itchin2go]

Can I ask what there is about counter service restaurants that causes people to think the current diners are never, ever, ever going to move? Why do people think all the people who are eating when you walk into the venue will still be eating when their own orders are ready?

The problem is that you don't know for sure whether there will be a table for you when your food is ready. So you're taking a chance.

My dining experience is greatly enhanced by sitting down. I have stood up and eaten at Disney World plenty, and I know I'd rather sit.

So if there's a choice between some place with lots of empty seats and a packed place, I'd opt for the emptier one, all other things being equal (and they seldom are ).

 

[RealBlast3]

Many people in these threads have already recounted their experiences of having to eat cold food or having to eat standing up because there were not enough tables available. The fault is Disney's not, the guests.

And if I understood that poster who was talking about what Universal does, it sounded to me, if I got it right, that they make sure there are tables available before they take people's orders. Unless, I misunderstood that post, it sounds like Universal has a system that makes sure that there is an open table available for the guests to be escorted to when their food is ready. This does not seem to be the case at Disney's QS (not counting Be Our Guest).

 

[Oodalally13]

Many people in these threads have already recounted their experiences of having to eat cold food or having to eat standing up because there were not enough tables available. The fault is Disney's not, the guests.

And if I understood that poster who was talking about what Universal does, it sounded to me, if I got it right, that they make sure there are tables available before they take people's orders. Unless, I misunderstood that post, it sounds like Universal has a system that makes sure that there is an open table available for the guests to be escorted to when their food is ready. This does not seem to be the case at Disney's QS (not counting Be Our Guest).

You are correct about universals system. The staff communicates to each other and knows what is available. If there was a line to be seated they held the line of people going to get food. VERY organized.


As to the person commenting on where I ate being deserted it's not as if we picked gross unfrequented places. After the first day we learned to not eat lunch until LATE in the day. We even gave up those precious FPs we had at that time to not fight people for a place to sit or see them sprawl out and nap or play on iPads or do their makeup. We planned to go to pizzafari at lunch time and the line extended out the door. Sure there is a person at most places controlling who goes to what order window, but it seems they could care less if there is a place for you to sit and enjoy it

 

[kaytieeldr]

As to the person commenting on where I ate being deserted it's not as if we picked gross unfrequented places.

Right, they aren't gross infrequented(?) places. They just weren't busy at whatever time you ate, so even if these were locations where seating access is restricted - which they're not - that wouldn't have been in effect.

 

[ericstac]

we will not eat at overly busy places because it is just to dang stressful but I was wondering..

if everyone waits in line, gets the food, then goes to sit and eat.. once done and it is ice cream time does everyone have to clean up and leave the table and then relocate to a new table when they get their ice cream?