Bad restaurant experience -- how long to return?

[Luv2Roam]

If you have had a bad WDW restaurant experience, how long does it take you generally to return to that restaruant?

 

[lovmy2girls]

Depends what kind of bad experience you are talking about really.

Food, server?

If I had rude server I would still return if I loved the resturant.

If I had bad food I would try it again and order something else.

 

[dixiedizfan]

I'm just wondering, if you'd had a bad dining experience at a particular restaurant, why you'd even want to return.

 

[dznymom1]

It definitely depends on the experience. I have had lousy service or food here and there and returned after a relatively short period of time. However, after eating in one restaurant where everything was so-so, I got really ill. I have no idea if it was the food or if it was just my time to get a violent stomach bug, but I haven't been able to go back since, and this was at least 8-10 years ago. I actually get waves of nausea just riding the boat ride through this restaurant!

 

[Luv2Roam]

I was curious if people just did not like a place at all, but eventually give them another chance.

For me, in some cases, whether it be a bad server, food, etc, I just figure it was an off night, and would sometime return.
In a case of getting ill afterwards (POR food court) yes, I write it off and now choose food from a counter service area more wisely and with less blind trust.
In 2001/2002 We were underwhelmed by CA Grille, Artist Point, and Mama Melrose's. Just never have bothered to return, even though those may just have been off nights. Those three restaurants are some who others rave about, and they should be good dining places.
Some day I will probably give them another chance. But not in any rush to return.
And at Wolfgang Puck Cafe we had underwhelming experiences twice and probably have just written that place off for good. Unless 5 years from now I decide to give them another chance.

 

[bicker]

I readily acknowledge the nature of personal service, in that any superlative experience, whether excellent or abhorrent, is as likely as not to be a random-chance event. I had a bout with food poisoning, the evening after a meal at my favorite restaurant, yet went back there on our next visit and had perhaps the best meal we ever had at WDW. "Stuff happens." Two or more bad experiences in a row -- now you're beginning to get some hard data on which to perhaps avoid a restaurant. That's the case, for me, with Nine Dragons. I won't go back until I read a consistent set of reviews indicating that the restaurant has substantially changed, so that the negative aspects I noted on my prior visits (the bad food) have been obviated.

 

[goofydad621]

For me I think it would be a number of factors, was it a food problem, was it a service problem etc.

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

it all just depends .. here are some examples..

Ohana .. we went 3 times over a 10 year period. The service was fine, that was never a problem. The food on the other hand was just bad. We kept thinking we were having an off night, but after the 3rd try, it's off our list.

Alfredo's .. went once .. will not be back. The tables are waaayyyy too close together. Kids at the next table hitting me in the head with their napkins while I try to eat bad food is not for me!

Sci Fi - went once .. traveling companion got angry at hostess for spilting up our group of 7 and this set a bad tone for the whole meal. We were a large group .. what could they do?? We may go back there again .. with a smaller group.

 

[chigirl]

Like any service industry, it is all about the management. If I encountered a bad server and the manager did nothing about it, I'd never return. Same with the food, etc....
the times I have NEVER returned to a place were always based on poor management. A bad server could just be inexperienced or having a bad night, bad food (unless it is food poisioning) can just be an off night in a kitchen or not to my liking...but if the atmosphere is bad and the management is bad, I'd never return, or if the place was just a rip-off for the money.

Places I'd never return at WDW:

Pizza Planet...dirty, poorly run, horrible food, waste of CS credit
Cosmic Rays..too loud, poorly run, horrible food
Chef Mickeys..too loud, poorly run, dirty buffet, over-booked

See...it all, to me, has to do with how the place is run. Being busy has nothing to do with it, that is not an excuse. There are places here in Chicago that are ALWAYS BUSY like Portillo's (a hot dog/burger/ribs regional joint) and I have never, ever had a bad experience there at any location I went to...but WDW places seem to fair poorly when they are busy and that is just bad management.

 

[Amyrlin]

I think it depends how bad it is. We went to H&V in 2003, it was not good, but poor choice and medicore food. We are trying it again this year, the restruant has started doing breakfast and lunch so we figure with it being busier the food quality may be better

We had a truely bad meal at Narcosse, bad food and service, it wil take a few years befire I will consider that one agian, and some menu and chef changes. So it depends really, on how bad and what was wrong.

 

[HOGFAN]

Biergarten-almost immediate diarrhea
havent been back

Nine Dragons-delayed diarrhea
dont plan to go back

 

[Cool-Beans]

It depends. I won't go to Tony's or Alfredo's again unless some other adult is being very adamant about dining there. It isn't the "experience" so much as the food and, to a lesser extent, atmosphere.

But we had a really lousy server once at 50s Prime Time, and I chalked it up to *one* bad server and went back the next time (love me those PB&J shakes. )

Whispering Canyon Cafe, though, is about to be put on my "No Go" list. The fun part gets less fun all the time...and the food was a little dry on both our last visits...especially the corn. If it doesn't get better, it'll get scratched.

 

[desperate housewife]

We generally have a two times rule. We figure most every one deserves a second chance.
The only exception has been Alfredos. We had reservations back in the day when they took real reservations. We were treated very poorly. We had to wait about 45 minutes and were taken to a back room in the corner. I was under the impression they did not welcome children even though - DUH - it's WDW. Our three children were very well behaved that evening so their behavior was not a factor.
When we were finally seated, our waiter spent most of the evening complaining about how hard they worked and how he was sorry he was working there. It was a terrible program for the employess, etc. We did have sympathy for him BUT it did not help make the evening improve. Then to add injury to insult the food was cold and tasteless. Even though that was about 14 years ago or so we have NOT forgiven. If I so much as mention another chance now that we are empty nesters, my DH has elevated blood pressure on the spot.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

We went four years between visits to Alfredo's. The first time we ate there we just hated it. Lousy food & service. When we went back last December we just loved it. We will be dining there again in a few weeks.

 

[AKLRULZ]

Probably never.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

I clicked never.....we had a bad experience at the Flying Fish, which I know people love.....we have never gone back. It was undercooked food, bad service and then arrogance on the part of the manager....we have never gone back.

 

[DVC Grammy]

I voted "1-3 years", but that's ONLY if the bad experience was in the service, not the quality of the food. If it's the waiter, we watch what's going on in the rest of the restaurant; if most of the waitpeople have the same approach, we give the place another chance after a year or two, hoping that they've had an employee turnover! . If it's the food, we don't go back unless we hear that they've gotten a new chef!

 

[NC State]

I voted never, unless the menu changes. It was the LTT.

 

[Laurajean1014]

I would never say never.

However, it's been over 4 years since we have been at: Tony's, Mama Melrose, Planet Pizza, Brown Derby and Hollywood and Vine.

We have no plans to return to these restaurants, but we may go back.

However, after 3 meals at Alfredo's with the service and food worse each time, we will never go back there. (10 years ago they had a fabulous chef, now ???)

I hear that MM is going away and being replaced by a themed restaurant, which will be a refreshing change.

 

[Houston_Disney_Fan]

We also will never, ever go back to H&V. Bad food and atmosphere.

We gave 50's PT another chance, tho, after getting a bad (no fun) server. and were very glad we did.