Bad Food

[enchantingodin]

Personally I've never had food at Disney that was horrid. If I had to pick my "worst list" It would be Chef Mickey for Dinner. Not really because the food was bad per se. But I found the selection VERY lacking and not replenished enough for the demand. And Garden Grill. Unfortunately this is the best character interaction I've found - so we will go back. But the food is like wedding catering. Meh.

But on to my point. I've read a lot of reviews on here recently and I'm curious. Do those who have had bad experiences ever called over a manager? I mean when I'm at home I won't stand for bad service or food. If there's a problem - I tell someone. Don't other people do this?

I guess I'm confused. If your food was really THAT bad - why didn't you SAY something? Even at a CS restaurant. I mean if I go to McDonald's and ask for a burger with no ketchup, and they still give me ketchup I ask to speak to a manager and make sure they fix it. I'm not rude or nasty about it. I just want what I ordered.

Basically what I'm saying is that while at Disney I would do the same thing. Wouldn't you?

Discuss.

 

[Plumeria9]

After I read your post I had to think if DH or myself has ever complained about something we were served at WDW. I can't think of anything, but believe me, if there ever was something wrong w/ my DH's food, he would not hesitate to call over a wait-person. sort of OT, when we stayed at the Poly, we got glass cups in our room, I think they come w/ the little paper covers over them, kinda fancy. One of the cups was dirty and he set it in the back of the set of cups. When we came back to our room at the end of the day, that cup was still dirty. I said something about our stay costing us over $300 a night, which somehow he didn't know (hello, he was there when we made the plans!) and he made a call to the desk and a housekeeping mgr. was up pronto. After exchanging info on what happened, the mgr. offered us a 20% discount on our night's stay. That is a lot of money (~$60!) so it pays to speak up if you have a valid complaint.

 

[TDC Nala]

I don't recall complaining about food, but about service, yes.

 

[canopynut66]

Personally I've never had food at Disney that was horrid. If I had to pick my "worst list" It would be Chef Mickey for Dinner. Not really because the food was bad per se. But I found the selection VERY lacking and not replenished enough for the demand. And Garden Grill. Unfortunately this is the best character interaction I've found - so we will go back. But the food is like wedding catering. Meh.

But on to my point. I've read a lot of reviews on here recently and I'm curious. Do those who have had bad experiences ever called over a manager? I mean when I'm at home I won't stand for bad service or food. If there's a problem - I tell someone. Don't other people do this?

I guess I'm confused. If your food was really THAT bad - why didn't you SAY something? Even at a CS restaurant. I mean if I go to McDonald's and ask for a burger with no ketchup, and they still give me ketchup I ask to speak to a manager and make sure they fix it. I'm not rude or nasty about it. I just want what I ordered.

Basically what I'm saying is that while at Disney I would do the same thing. Wouldn't you?

Discuss.

Agree with you if there is a problem address it when at the restaurant. also agree CM has really went down hill for both breakfast and dinner and we did address that in 2009 and have not been back as we have found other character interactions at Tusker House at Donald's Safari and Hollywood and Vine and 1900 Park Fare and our favorite of late Cape May's for breakfast but also we like dinner there if we have a Friday nite open. Personally I think all food places have a day when not to par but all in all Disney does a good job.

 

[tony67]

Over the years (30+ stays) I have spoken to managers at several of the places.

First it is not always that the food is bad, but that it is disappointing compared to previous experiences.

France, Mexico, and Italy (Alfredos).
They basically agreed with everything I said about the food and the changes.
It seemed that for the most part they had given up.

Also at Jiko I had several issues and they gave us back our TS credits, not that that makes the meal any better.

At some point I just gave up. I do not want to spend my vacation complaining about the poor quality in Disney.
Now I do mostly QS or La Cava or the places in the Swan and Dolphin.
In the past I would have two TS meals a day and rarely eat at QS.
In the end I was very impressed with the quality at the QS location (as long as you plan)

I have also sent letters to Disney and they tend to respond with a very generic canned answer.
As long as the majority are happy they won't change it and I understand that.

As for the table service it is usually not an issue, sometime it is only average, especially when the tip was part of the DDP.

The only time I had a table service issue that was unacceptable was at Alfredos (not the same time I discussed the food with the manager).
The waiter refused to give my wife grated cheese for her meal.
He said that the chef had put the perfect amount of cheese on it and she did not need more.
So I had to get up and take the cheese and pepper from him.

In the end if the customer wants catsup for their pasta then give it to them.
It may be disgusting, but if that is what they want than fine.

 

[MusiqChic99]

Never complained.

You know the only thing I ate last year that I didn't like was a CS pizza. I wasn't really expecting much since I'd heard they weren't good but I ordered it because I shared it will my young son.

As for service, I thought we had great service everywhere we went!

 

[princssdisnygina]

I love this thread because I must say I have heard MANY complaints but no one has ever said anything... with the exception of a select few.

We love Disney and everything about it. We don't complain much especially when it comes to buffets. We just accept that Disney is feeding thousands of people a day from many different restaurants and it is in fact a tourist destination so we don't expect the creme de la creme. However, we do expect good service and decent food.

We have complained about service before after waiting on a bill for 20 minutes or waiting on our food for 45 minutes. It is Disney, they are supposed to be top in service. We know things happen and understand so we try not to get to huffy but sometimes you just have to speak up.

When it comes to the food... if it is just a place we don't like or didn't care for the flavors of the food then we just don't return. Like 1900 Park Fare, we hate the food there even though we love the character interaction so we only go once every few years. Now if our meal is brought out to us wrong or undercooked or something like that then sure... we will complain.

Everyone has a different taste for things and has different opinions on places. I never take too many to heart before I try it for myself because I may love it and you may hate it. I love Chef Mickeys, Les Chefs de France and 50's Prime Time Cafe while others on here do nothing but complain about them. It will not keep me from going there or even trying someplace new.

Yes, I do say if there is something wrong then tell the management. Don't expect anything out of it... they may or may not do something for you. We never expect anything but also know it is not the management who made my meal and if they can fix it they will. I believe in complaining in a nice way. It is Disney after all and the last thing I want to do is ruin my day or anyone elses!

 

[trac96]

I'm not shy about complaining when things are bad. I do it at home and have done it on vacations. We ate at espn club on the boardwalk in 2008 and it was horrible. Food and service. We spoke to the manager and they blew us off big time. They never resolved anything for us or even said they were sorry. we payed the bill {not sure why but we did} and we left saying we will NEVER go back there again. We are going in November and we know one place we won't be eating at.

 

[matheke]

I have only had what I would call 2 horrible meals at WDW in 15+ years of going to the parks annually.

One was at the castle for lunch. I had some type of pasta dish that actually made me phyically ill. I complained and of course it was taken off the bill.

Last year we ate at Mama Melroses and the pasta sauce was horrid. You know how sauce burns to the botton of the pot if you don't stir it? And then you think you can still save the rest of the sauce because only a little bit was burnt, but then when you taste the rest of it, it all taste burnt. THAT is what they served me. Again it was taken off the tab, not that I was going to pay for it in the first place.

I really get a kick out of reading reviews also. Most people are disappointed at San Angel because they think Mexican food is Taco Bell or Chi Chi's style of food. Folks that is TexMex not Mexican.

I also love the "I have two kids that are fussy eaters and we went to eat at Morocco". Really? Didn't forsee any problems with that choice???

Almost every buffet style place gets bad reviews. Folks it is a buffet and the food is prepared for a wide variety of people. Being in the Military for 20 years has taught me what a really horrible meal is.

Dan

 

[disney-super-mom]

We've had a few great meals, many okay meals, and my husband had one REALLY BAD steak. The bad steak was at the Turf Club at SSR. We didn't complain because, well, our waiter was such a nice guy and we didn't want to hurt his feelings. Kind of silly I know, but gosh....he was just so sweet. We just couldn't get ourselves to do it.

I really don't think my husband's steak was actually steak. It tasted like liver and had the texture of liver. I just think the chef or one of his helpers somehow accidentally cooked up and served a piece of liver, because there was no way that was steak. No biggie though. The rest of our food was lovely and we still left so full that we thought we were going to explode.

 

[eliza61]

I have only had what I would call 2 horrible meals at WDW in 15+ years of going to the parks annually.

One was at the castle for lunch. I had some type of pasta dish that actually made me phyically ill. I complained and of course it was taken off the bill.

Last year we ate at Mama Melroses and the pasta sauce was horrid. You know how sauce burns to the botton of the pot if you don't stir it? And then you think you can still save the rest of the sauce because only a little bit

Almost every buffet style place gets bad reviews. Folks it is a buffet and the food is prepared for a wide variety of people. Being in the Military for 20 years has taught me what a really horrible meal is.Dan

LOL.

Yeah but you didn't have to pay for the military food. I weird with my complaints. I always send cold food back, I hate cold food. My major problem is the food is mediocre at best and it's very expensive. I laugh when people say "if you do the dining plan it's not that expensive" so let me get this straight, lousy food is ok as long as it's cheap? how sad is that.

Now I totally admit part of my problem is that I'm an "old timer" so I remember when the quality was great and it's hard not to say "man, 2 years ago this restaurant was fantastic"

So yes, I have sent food back but for the last 2 years it's been more of just a feeling of mediocre at best.

You know when you leave a restaurant and every one is saying how great a meal that was? That use to happen a lot for my family. Now when we leave a disney restaurant and some one ask how was the food, we usually say "it was ok," rarely do we say "it was great" and for a 35 dollar steak at le Cellier that is sad. Like I always say when you ask people about a steak house and the best thing they talk about is the breadsticks.... that's an indication to me of a problem.

 

[tony67]

Folks that is TexMex not Mexican.

I'm getting very tired of hearing this one.
If your charging $24 for a very average chicken Mole and serving chips from a bag and salsa from a jar there is an issue.

I have two kids that are fussy eaters and we went to eat at Morocco". Really? Didn't forsee any problems with that choice???

I agree, people do make bad choices and that is not the restaurants fault.
Unfortunately lot's of the changes to menus have occurred over the years to accommodate people like this. Part of the problem.

Being in the Military for 20 years has taught me what a really horrible meal is.

I'd still choose meatballs and barbecue sauce or chicken ala king from an MRE over the last meal I had at San Angel Inn.

 

[matheke]

LOL.

Yeah but you didn't have to pay for the military food.

Trust me some of those meals I PAID AND PAID FOR!!!


Thanks for understanding my weird sense of humor. And I agree with most of what has been posted here. The quality has gone down hill for the price you pay especially at the buffets. We will be down in December and are looking forward to trying some of the retaurants we haven't been to yet.

Take care

Dan

 

[dixonsontour]

I'll start by saying i'm english and certainly for me it would take a heck of alot to complain. We usually just never go back.

So you should get a manager. Do you say to the server i'm really not happy with this can I speak to the manager..do you give the server chance to rectify first then if still not right speak to the manager. What is the etiquette?

 

[rsimon]

I have talked with managers at Chefs de France, San Angel Inn, Tutto Italia, Wolfgang Puck, and some others about issues.

Chefs de France - Served a piece of meat that was supposed to be a filet that was tough as nails and was not a filet. Manager just offered to cook another one and insisted it was a filet. Sorry - I am not stupid and I know my cuts VERY well.

San Angel Inn - Ice tea is the fountain variety and not brewed. Tastes horrible and I have told them every time we have been there that it should be changed. The chips and salsa used to be a joke (they have fixed them) and we had a meal that was horrible - Charred meat and cold reheated food. The manager never did anything other than appologize and offer a free desert (we were on dining plan and that didn't do us any good). We have been back since, and the changes have been welcome.

Tutto Italia - served rancid olive oil to the table. When I called them on it, they appologized and served us some very good olive oil from the chef. It was much better and higher end than the normal olive oil.

Wolfgang Puck - The "Angus Burger" there is NOT a hamburger. It is not even 100% beef. It is a frozen patty of maybe some beef and filler. It is one of the worst burgers I think I have had at disney and when I called them on it and asked if they served a frozen patty and was it 100% angus beef, they said it was frozen and didn't know. Of course they offered to cook me something else, but I declined because I had lost my appetite at that point.

I will say that most of the bad experiences (with the exception of Wolfgang Puck) we have had were while we had the dining plan. We have since stopped doing the dining plan and it is amazing how few issues we have had since. I am convinced when they ask if you are on a dining plan, the server, kitchen, etc all treat you as a second class customer and try to cheap out on you.

 

[rsimon]

I really get a kick out of reading reviews also. Most people are disappointed at San Angel because they think Mexican food is Taco Bell or Chi Chi's style of food. Folks that is TexMex not Mexican.

Apparently you don't know what Tex-Mex is if you think that taco bell and chi chi's style food is what we eat here. That's insulting actually because what I call that food is junk food. It has absolutely nothing in common with what we eat down here.

It is very hard to find "Tex-Mex" outside of texas. Cantina Laredo has been franchising and building places around the US, but when it franchised, the food quality went down hill. I would still say that it is probably closer to what tex-mex food is though.

FYI - Taco bell is a california based company.. Chi Chi's was a Minestoa company.

 

[Mickey&JoshNut]

We are currently at WDW on free dining. We have found that this year, the food quality and service is going downhill...we have attributed it to free dining...we did have one bad experience this time and I wish I had spoken to the manager. We had dinner last week at the California Grill which cost us 2 TS credits each. We are not people that drink or who eat appetizers and as soon as our server found out that we would not be ordering drinks, he treated us like 2nd class citizens....I'm sorry but you do not ask me if my "drinkies" are okay or if I need a refill....please I am not 3. I just attributed our servers attitude to us being on the dining plan but I am hearing from serveral people we have spoken to this week that this is happening more and more when the servers find out that you are on the dining plan. Last night we had dinner at Tony's and it was a Halloween party night so they have a special dessert menu...our server knew we were on the dining plan and when we ordered the halloween dessert she informed us that we could not order that dessert as it was not covered by the dining plan ...why didn't she tell us that when she gave us the menu? Also, we have found that Disney is using a lot of salt on items as it seems to give it flavour....the best meal we have had so far is 50's Prime Time...I did talk to the manager there but it was because our server (cousin Jason) was the best!!!!! After reading some of the other posts, I will speak up from now on.

 

[tony67]

We are currently at WDW on free dining. We have found that this year, the food quality and service is going downhill...we have attributed it to free dining...we did have one bad experience this time and I wish I had spoken to the manager. We had dinner last week at the California Grill which cost us 2 TS credits each. We are not people that drink or who eat appetizers and as soon as our server found out that we would not be ordering drinks, he treated us like 2nd class citizens....I'm sorry but you do not ask me if my "drinkies" are okay or if I need a refill....please I am not 3. I just attributed our servers attitude to us being on the dining plan but I am hearing from serveral people we have spoken to this week that this is happening more and more when the servers find out that you are on the dining plan. Last night we had dinner at Tony's and it was a Halloween party night so they have a special dessert menu...our server knew we were on the dining plan and when we ordered the halloween dessert she informed us that we could not order that dessert as it was not covered by the dining plan ...why didn't she tell us that when she gave us the menu? Also, we have found that Disney is using a lot of salt on items as it seems to give it flavour....the best meal we have had so far is 50's Prime Time...I did talk to the manager there but it was because our server (cousin Jason) was the best!!!!! After reading some of the other posts, I will speak up from now on.

I think the majority of the people are on the dining plan, but it could be related to not ordering drinks. I assume most people are getting wine at the CG.
"drinkies" is way over the line for me.

As for food being over salted, to me that is always a sign of poor quality ingredients.

I am very surprised they would not let you order from the special dessert menu.
You should be able to order any dessert. If it was one that is meant to be shared then that is one thing, but not letting you get it is odd.
Especially since Tony’s is one of the cheaper TS locations.
You should really let Disney know about your experiences. They may ignore it, but if they get enough feedback they may fix things.

 

[Mickey&JoshNut]

No...the dessert was not one to be shared...just a special dessert because it was a Halloween Party night....and it was only $0.50 more than the Tiramisu I ended up with so I'm sure that the price wasn't an issue....I am planning to write to Disney about our experiences, both good and bad, when we return home.

 

[tony67]

I'll start by saying i'm english and certainly for me it would take a heck of alot to complain. We usually just never go back.

So you should get a manager. Do you say to the server i'll really not happy with this can I speak to the manager..do you give the server chance to rectify first then if still not right speak to the manager. What is the etiquette?

Same thing in Ireland, it has to be really really bad for someone to complain.
I have had some bad meals in Ireland and the people with me don't want to complain.
It's just not done for some reason.

If there is a problem let the waiter know and try to be nice about it.
Remember they will be dealing with your food.

In most cases they will try to fix it, if it is just the way the meal is then they should let you get something else.

One of the issue is the food is just average. Kind of hard to complain to the waiter.
If it is a place I ate at years ago that was really good then I will talk to the manager on the way out.
If you don’t have a previous experience to compare it to it is hard to discuss it with them.