Best time of day for sit down reservations at Big Thunder BBQ?

[mamaofthree]

We only have a couple park days this next trip, but we really want to try Big Thunder Ranch BBQ. I figured we should schedule it for a time we would be taking a break anyway. Might be nice to sit down and rest a bit, after an early EMH opening. This is our first summer trip in many years- we usually visit in the winter when park hours are short, and we stay all day, and only eat counter service. Does a late lunch make the most sense during a busy trip with 7 am EMH? TIA for any opinions.

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

I usually do an early lunch, around 11:30, but 2:30 is also a good time. This is to save money (dinner is more expensive for little extra benefit, in my opinion) and because of the timing of the other meals. Basically, we have a very light breakfast (granola bar), run around all morning, then sit down for our early lunch to gorge ourselves on the all-you-can-eat meat. We are so stuffed we usually aren't even hungry for dinner, just have some snacks later in the evening. Doing this at 2:30 works the same, maybe have a light breakfast, the heavy lunch, and then practically no dinner.

I go with the 11:30 option because I get too hungry waiting for 2:30 for lunch, even if I ate a normal breakfast I would be starving by noon.

 

[dtnrhi]

We did a late lunch - like right before they switch to dinner - and it was great. We got the cheaper rate, and ate during the busier part of the afternoon. Win-win.

 

[figment_jii]

I would probably go with a later lunch time (in the 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm range) so that you can spend most of the morning doing attractions and then take a break mid-day. Just note that the BBQ is outdoors, so there is no air conditioning! So the later you wait in the day, the hotter it might be to be sitting outside (if that's an issue for you - some people love heat).

 

[mamaofthree]

Yes, saving money on the lunch menu would be great. We plan to eat a small breakfast in the hotel room, and realistically, an early lunch would make sense. I know dh will be starving by 11 thirty. I just didn't know if its better to pack snacks in our bags that can hold us over until 2ish? When the ride lines are insane, it's hotter, etc. It prob doesn't matter too much. This is just a quick trip and we will be back soon, so I'm not too worried about getting maximum rides squeezed in, as long as we can do our faves.

 

[wdwfan22]

It depends on if you are happy with the lunch menu. The sausage is by far my favorite part of the meal, so I would not eat there for lunch. For me, I eat an early dinner there if it is on a day that I have a late full breakfast, like Minnie's or River Belle Terrace. Or we eat a little later dinner if we ate a light lunch in the park.

 

[mamaofthree]

Thx for the replies! I wasn't even thinking about the heat tho! Is there shade at the tables? We live where it's over 100 much of the summer, but I still prefer not to eat a relaxing meal in full sun on vacation.

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

There are umbrellas/awnings over all of the tables, I believe.

Here's a picture of the tables closest to the stage:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8440/7763598894_e7f7e41545_b.jpg

 

[DLmama]

We're planning a 7:00 dinner on the 17th. It'll be our first time eating here, but we've talked about it for awhile. We really wanted to try the sausage and have the corn, so dinner it was.

 

[Mamarilu]

I JUST made reservations for tomorrow. Although you save money for lunch, I usually go for dinner only because I know they exclude an item... I'm thinking it's the corn (I might be wrong). The corn smothered in butter is to die for.

 

[riostoker]

Hmmm.... I had been tentatively planning an early dinner (5:30ish) here when we go in late September. Now I'm rethinking. I usually like a table service meal as a chance to sit down, cool off, and relax. Is it going to be super hot in late September that time of day? Would I be better off choosing an indoor meal? Also, the bench style seating with no backs is not looking "relaxing" to me. Rgh. My family would LOVE the food there, but now I'm just not sure. Thoughts? I keep hearing that September is a hot month, but I don't know what "hot" means in S. California.

 

[4Siamese]

We did early lunch and it worked well for us, but every family will be different in that respect. The food is G O O D !!!!! so you will enjoy no matter when you go. As for the tables have sun protection, I don't remember any that didn't have sun protection.

 

[ImDMous]

I prefer dinner because I LOVE the sausage and corn, but we do lunch occasionally also. During the summer, we wait until a late dinner when the sun is going down and it's cooler. During winter, we do lunch while it's still warm outside. Hmmm, thinking I need to make reservations for our D23 weekend

 

[GatorChris]

I've done it for lunch twice and it works out well. Sure, we don't get sausage, but the ribs, chicken, and corn bread is pretty amazing. Plus, if you're doing this in the summer, Noon is still relatively cool. 5-6pm dinner would be on the warm side for sitting outside.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Hmmm.... I had been tentatively planning an early dinner (5:30ish) here when we go in late September. Now I'm rethinking. I usually like a table service meal as a chance to sit down, cool off, and relax. Is it going to be super hot in late September that time of day? Would I be better off choosing an indoor meal? Also, the bench style seating with no backs is not looking "relaxing" to me. Rgh. My family would LOVE the food there, but now I'm just not sure. Thoughts? I keep hearing that September is a hot month, but I don't know what "hot" means in S. California.

I may be mistaken, but I believe August and September are the hottest months overall in southern California. It certainly gets pretty hot up here in northern California during those months. We have been during August many times and had days that were pleasantly in the low 80s and others that were mid-90s and very humid, sometimes both during the same trip. My brother has been for a couple of the September heat waves, multiple days in a row of 100+ temps. I think last time he was down in September, one of the days topped out at 108. I would probably opt for indoors and air-conditioning for a relaxing table service dinner in September just to be safe.

 

[figment_jii]

Check out HydroGuy's Weather Thread for a sense of what kinds of temperatures you can expect in September at DLR. Basically, it can be anything from nice to horribly hot in September and being the weather...it's hard to predict!

 

[heidica]

I usually do an early lunch, around 11:30, but 2:30 is also a good time. This is to save money (dinner is more expensive for little extra benefit, in my opinion) and because of the timing of the other meals. Basically, we have a very light breakfast (granola bar), run around all morning, then sit down for our early lunch to gorge ourselves on the all-you-can-eat meat. We are so stuffed we usually aren't even hungry for dinner, just have some snacks later in the evening. Doing this at 2:30 works the same, maybe have a light breakfast, the heavy lunch, and then practically no dinner.

I go with the 11:30 option because I get too hungry waiting for 2:30 for lunch, even if I ate a normal breakfast I would be starving by noon.

This is EXACTLY what we do. Be good 'n starving before you go, it's a ton of food. We have reservations on August 25th for an early lunch and I'm little worried about the heat too but this is such a favorite, I didn't want to miss it.

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

Hmmm.... I had been tentatively planning an early dinner (5:30ish) here when we go in late September. Now I'm rethinking. I usually like a table service meal as a chance to sit down, cool off, and relax. Is it going to be super hot in late September that time of day? Would I be better off choosing an indoor meal? Also, the bench style seating with no backs is not looking "relaxing" to me. Rgh. My family would LOVE the food there, but now I'm just not sure. Thoughts? I keep hearing that September is a hot month, but I don't know what "hot" means in S. California.

I would suggest, if your family really does want to eat here, maybe making your dinner reservation for later in the evening. Closer to when the sun starts going down, so that it is much cooler. This should make for a nice twilight barbecue meal!