Beirgarten - Communall seating

[dunbarfamily]

I've always been nervous about sitting with others. I tend to be shy in person and get very nervous. We have only ate there once. We had a party of 6, so we were sat with a retired couple. They were very kind, and included my children in coversation. We didn't talk a whole lot, but it was pleasant.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

OP, since this family spoke french maybe this was their first time at Disney and did not know that they were "supposed" to make conversation with strangers at this restaurant. Or, maybe they just were not comfortable with YOU! Either way, why did you allow the attitude of complete strangers to dictate your enjoyment or lack thereof of your meal? It was not their fault that you were solo and had nobody to speak to. Would it have been nice to have a conversation, yes, but it is definitely not a pre-requisite in order to dine at Beirgarten. People who are not extroverts (like myself) do not always find it easy or enjoyable to have conversations with strangers. I don't know if that was the case with them but they were certainly not rude to you. As for speaking french, myself, dh, dd(13) and ds(10) are fully trilingual and when we speak we often go back and forth on all 3 languages. Sorry, but from your post the only people at your table being rude and judgmental was the couple who "rolled their eyes."

 

[catne]

I see absolutely nothing wrong with OP requesting a move should the people at the first table seem to be unsociable towards her. She's paying for the experience of communal seating...and from what I've been told by people who travel frequently throughout Germany, this type of communal seating is the norm, and people in general expect to have conversation with tablemates. I even know people who spoke no German whatsoever having a wonderful time In Germany at a real Beer Garden...chatting via rudimentary sign-language & drawing pictures on paper napkins to convey meanings. Never heard any stories about people having a bad time at communal seating in the real Germany...friends always said it was more like a "party" atmosphere, like sitting with distant relatives at a wedding reception...no strangers, just people you don't know yet, lol.

That said, yes, some people don't realize that's what is expected with communal seating at the Bier Garten in Epcot's Germany. (And some are actually shocked that BEER is served at BierGarten...apparently not understanding the translation.) And then, there are some people who just are not comfortable chatting with strangers anywhere (even if they know they'll be seated with others does not change basic personality or inclination.) If that family couldn't/wouldn't converse with tablemates, there's no reason for the tablemates to stay if alternative seating is available.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

I don't really understand the issue? I don't think they were rude - they just wanted to talk amongst themselves and weren't under any obligation to speak English at the table. Just because they were capable of ordering in English doesn't mean that the were comfortable having a conversation in English. Have you ever had a conversation in a foreign language - it's work! Maybe they just wanted to relax and enjoy each other's company.

I guess I didn't realize you were supposed to really talk to the other families at Biergarten. I think our tablemates may have hated us. DH and I sat and talked to each other only after the perfunctory hello to the people seated near us. I never expected to talk to them and I don't think they expected to talk to us.

 

[skater]

A little OT, but one year at Teppan Edo, my DS was being dramatic and started very loudly stating that he felt sick and almost yelling, "Daddy, take me to the bathroom now! Please!" I knew he really wasn't sick, but was tired, hungry and hot - he didn't have to throw up, he had to use the toilet. The poor couple at our table had a baby back in their room with a babysitter. It was their one night out and they figured they were sitting next to a kid with a stomach virus .

I would not have blamed them one bit if they had asked to be moved, but after a while, I was able to convince that my son was not sick, and they loosened up a lot and even talked with the drama King beside them . This is the same boy who knocked over GlendaMax's dole whip float and had to be "rescued" by a disney lifeguard. Life is still an adventure with him .

 

[prittfamily98]

OK Now My 2 cents...Our family of 5 has eaten at the Biergarten more than 15 times. We have ALWAYS been seated with people we didn't know.
ONLY ONCE did we have a not so good experience. It just so happened to be with French-Canadians. Yes, We said hello and how are you and where are you from... then they started talking in French to each other and didn't talk to us the rest of the dinner. They said goodbye at the end and left.
ON THE UPSIDE... In October, I took my mom and gma(a first for both) and we were seated with a single older lady(she was celebrating her birthday and her wedding anniversary by herself.)
She looked at our waiter and told him (Jannick ) she didn't think we wanted her there. I immediately told her please stay and eat with us. I asked my mom to move next to her. My 3 kids moved down to the end of the table by the rail. We got our food. We just started idle chit chat which turned into full blown conversation.
To end a long story...I bought her dinner without her knowing. When the check came to me and she didn't get her bill, she was shocked. She asked and I just smiled, we all gave her a hugs and said Happy Birthday. She walked away with a huge smile on her face. And my mom and Gma were please with my generosity.
Don't let one family ruin a fun food experience.

 

[dunbarfamily]

OK Now My 2 cents...Our family of 5 has eaten at the Biergarten more than 15 times. We have ALWAYS been seated with people we didn't know.
ONLY ONCE did we have a not so good experience. It just so happened to be with French-Canadians. Yes, We said hello and how are you and where are you from... then they started talking in French to each other and didn't talk to us the rest of the dinner. They said goodbye at the end and left.
ON THE UPSIDE... In October, I took my mom and gma(a first for both) and we were seated with a single older lady(she was celebrating her birthday and her wedding anniversary by herself.)
She looked at our waiter and told him (Jannick ) she didn't think we wanted her there. I immediately told her please stay and eat with us. I asked my mom to move next to her. My 3 kids moved down to the end of the table by the rail. We got our food. We just started idle chit chat which turned into full blown conversation.
To end a long story...I bought her dinner without her knowing. When the check came to me and she didn't get her bill, she was shocked. She asked and I just smiled, we all gave her a hugs and said Happy Birthday. She walked away with a huge smile on her face. And my mom and Gma were please with my generosity.
Don't let one family ruin a fun food experience.

That's very kind of you! Thanks for posting your story!! I bet you made her day!

 

[brunette8706]

Wow! I don't understand why a few of you are demonizing the OP! Sheesh!

OP- Yes, those french people were rude. Most people would have spoke to a solo diner sitting at the same table. It would have been nice to at least acknowledge you and said a few nice things. It doesn't mean that they had to entertain you with conversation for the duration. It's obvious the other couple had the same sentiments as you did regarding this rude family. Bottom line some peoplel just do not have any manners.

I hope you have better luck on your next visit.

 

[brunette8706]

OK Now My 2 cents...Our family of 5 has eaten at the Biergarten more than 15 times. We have ALWAYS been seated with people we didn't know.
ONLY ONCE did we have a not so good experience. It just so happened to be with French-Canadians. Yes, We said hello and how are you and where are you from... then they started talking in French to each other and didn't talk to us the rest of the dinner. They said goodbye at the end and left.
ON THE UPSIDE... In October, I took my mom and gma(a first for both) and we were seated with a single older lady(she was celebrating her birthday and her wedding anniversary by herself.)
She looked at our waiter and told him (Jannick ) she didn't think we wanted her there. I immediately told her please stay and eat with us. I asked my mom to move next to her. My 3 kids moved down to the end of the table by the rail. We got our food. We just started idle chit chat which turned into full blown conversation.
To end a long story...I bought her dinner without her knowing. When the check came to me and she didn't get her bill, she was shocked. She asked and I just smiled, we all gave her a hugs and said Happy Birthday. She walked away with a huge smile on her face. And my mom and Gma were please with my generosity.
Don't let one family ruin a fun food experience.

*
YOu seem like a very nice, and respectable person. May lots of pixie dust come your way!

 

[CruznLexi]

Ever been on a cruise? They sit you this way. This is one of my favorite places to eat. It is a must do. We ate there tonight and the food was good and the people we sat with were nice.

 

[Dizzyworld]

Some "blind dates" just don't work out.

 

[disfan07]

We went there on our last trip this past december. Our first time and we had a wonderful time!!

We were a group of 5 (all adults) and we were sat at a table with a family of 4 with 2 little girls who were 1 and 4.

My brothers fiance adn I spent more of the meal playing with the little girls than we did eating. Both of us love kids and have worked at preschools and daycares so having two little kids at the table was heaven for us.

The parents were so grateful. They spent most of the time talking with my parents while we entertained the kids. They thanked us so many times for entertaining the kids while they were eating. They were finally able to get through an entire meal without interuptions. They were on day 6 of an 8 day trip (their first trip) and teh 4 year old wanted to talk about everything they had done the past 5 days. They were so cute.

 

[smidgy]

the "possible" problems with Beirgaten can go either way.

some people don't really like the communal seating and keep to themselves. they are not obligated to make instant friends with the others at their table.

other people kind of expect, becasue of the communal seating, that it will be a friendly, kind of "party" atmosphere. adn are disappointed when it isn't.

should they have "friendly" and "not-so-friendly" seating requests?

the first time we ate there, hubby and I were seated by another family who were very friendly. they mostly chateed with themselves, but chatted a bit with us, too.

the next time, we had asked to be seated with dissers who were already there. well, they ended up beig seated at another table. since it was our first meeting, we ended up going back and forth to each others's tables to chat.

I felt bad for this older (well, older than us) couple who were seated across from us. she said "well, we might as well be friends" and introduced themselves. we did likewise. but then, between going up for food, and trying to chat a bit with the family we were hoping to sit with (our first "meeting") this couple were kind of left out. I felt bad for them. but I wanted to talk to the people we were meeting up with, too. plus, I wanted to see the show, and , of course, we DID want to eat, also.

another example is Teppan Edo. it seems they try their best to put adults only groups with each other.

the first time we ate there, it was all adults. we were on the end, with a young couople next to us. the other 2 couples at the other end chatted it up, even though they didn't know each other. but this young couple between us and the "fun" group didn't talk... at all.. not even to each other. we still had fun, but felt kinda left out.

the next time we were seated with a family of 6, with kids. they were all kinds of fun!!!

so, with communal seating, you never know. it's a luck of the draw.

and some might think it's good luck to be with people who mind their own business. others might think it's good luck to sit with chatty people.

remember when restaurants had "smoking" and "non0smoking"? maybe the hostess could ask: "chatting" or "non-chatting"?

 

[auntfrannie]

Some "blind dates" just don't work out.

I love it!

 

[NMW]

See this is exactly why we have never eaten lunch at Biergarten. We have gone back and forth about trying it for years, but the seating with stranger thing stops us every time.

Our family of 5, not unlike the French family, would prefer to speak with each other and not feel obligated to make small talk with strangers. Does that make us rude? I guess according to how the OP defines rude. We are not rude! We simply would rather spend our meal as a family and not be pressured to become instant friends with strangers. A polite hello and goodbye is pretty much all I would expect from strangers.

After reading this thread I'm pretty sure we will never try Biergarten. Who knows if a person seated next to us that we greeted with a polite hello and then spoke among our family would post about how we ruined their ambiance.

I think we will just stick with meals that don't come with that kind of pressure.

 

[mimmi]

And by the way: I live near Germany and we have those "Biergarten" in Austria as well. It is perfectly normal just to sit and eat and not to talk to the other people. Sometimes we do and sometimes not, there is absolutely no obligation just because you sit together that to talk to each other. "Hello" and "good bye" is very much ok.

 

[Hardy]

When we have eaten there (2 or 3 times) we have always been seated alone as a group of 6 (my parents were with us)....however when we were last there in October, there was a man with his family...I think they were a family of three, maybe four? This guy completely flipped out over the communal seating. His poor server didn't know what to do with him, they were trying to explain that's how it works and they didn't have extra tables etc...this is 6 pm or so during food and wine so pretty busy....he was just ranting and raving and storming around, I wish they had kicked him out, but no that jerk got to take up an entire table with just his family....not that I would suggest subjecting another family to him, but I don't think they should have accommodated him in a fully booked restaurant.

I'm kind of disappointed that we've never met other people there, we have met lots of great people in various places in the world and it always adds to our vacation. We've also been in other situations where we have sat with strangers an there is no conversation, not really a big deal to me.

 

[DonaldTDuck]

I've eaten at Biergarten about a dozen times and always had pleasant chatty folk except the first time(pre-buffet) when we were seated with a drunk. Glad it was us(2 single guys) and not some poor family. But last December was the best. My buddy and I were seated with 2 families of 3. Turned out both were Canadian, making us the foreigners. They were from 2000 miles apart and didn't know each other , and both had a son named Ethan. Everybody was ready for fun and the boys hit the dance floor for the show while us old folks got to do some serious gabbing. Large quantities were consumed by all.

 

[prittfamily98]

This guy completely flipped out over the communal seating. His poor server didn't know what to do with him, they were trying to explain that's how it works and they didn't have extra tables etc...this is 6 pm or so during food and wine so pretty busy....he was just ranting and raving and storming around, I wish they had kicked him out, but no that jerk got to take up an entire table with just his family....not that I would suggest subjecting another family to him, but I don't think they should have accommodated him in a fully booked restaurant.

To add to your comment: It clearly states that you will be seated with other people at your table. Even at the podium they say it. If you don't listen or read the review then that is your own fault.
I agree that he should have not had special treatment, yet if he was causing such a rauchous I can understand why they did what they did.
I will eat there again and again because I love the powdery goodness of that delicious cake... YUMMY

 

[dipin]

I just want to make it clear that the children spoke english as well. Referring to things with words such as "Cool", "awesome" "rad" etc etc.

No it was not their responsibilty to speak to me. I just thought it odd that they would not even respond with a hello. Actually they looked at me as if I had one eye in the middle of my forehead.

My lunch was over $30.00 plus tip. Yes my choice. I have eaten here MANY times, and this was my first anti social experience. It simply caught me off guard. I see no reason to be judged as feeling I am owed or anything else that has been referenced in this thread. My goodness!!

Saying stuff like "cool," "rad" and "awesome" are hardly an indication of one's ability to speak English, as those have become almost universal slang terms.

The bottom line is that because they decided to speak to each other in their mother tongue, they've been called "this type of people" by you, and the other couple rolled their eyes at them. And yet somehow they seem to the "rude" ones?