Beware - Spoodles Policy

[CarolAnnC]

My husband, myself, DD's 22 and 19 decided to enjoy a nice dinner at Spoodles. After being seated, we mentioned to the waitress that we would be using our DDE Card. She immediately began addressing my daughters and telling them to "go to town.." to order appetizers, desserts, whatever they wanted, even adding shrimp or scallops to the meals. Well I was gulping and trying to explain the 20% discount is not the Dining Plan, when she looked dismayed and said "oh well..."

My 19 year old was ordering a $25 entree but when asked by the waitress if she wanted a salad, mentioned she did not care for what they offered, she liked just plain garden salads. Well, the waitress jumped and stated that she could certainly order just a plain garden salad off the child's menu. DD said she would like to do that, and I did not question the price figuring anything on the child's menu should be reasonable.

So you can imagine my shock when the bill came and added to her $25 entree (which she picked at like a bird, lol) was a $6.00 salad. I questioned the waitress, assuming there must be a error. She practically sneered at me and said "The child's menu is for CHILDREN age 9 and under..anyone else pays double the price". Well, THAT was never mentioned when we ordered. Since DD has a smaller appetite I would never have agreed to ordering that!

I spoke to the manager on duty (Jen) by phone the next morning since I did not want to ruin what had been an enjoyable evening. She told me that yes Spoodles policy is to charge anyone over age 9 double the price, but provide double the size. I told her she should make sure that particular waitress informs her guests of that policy before suggesting anyone tack on one of those items. The manager on duty said yes, that the waitress should definitely have informed us of this policy prior to our ordering.

I don't know about anyone else, but I would have a problem with a child of 10, 11, 12 or even my 19 year old having to pay double the price of something off the child's menu. This is the only Disney Restaurant that I have heard of having this policy. But perhaps there are more out there?

 

[CamColt]

I hope she liked that salad!.

Thanks for the heads up, Carol.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

This seems to be against normal Disney policy. There has never been any such rule that I have heard of. I have always heard of adults ordering from the children's menu. My wife used to do that at the Concourse Steakhouse when they had a child's portion 4oz filet and we wre only charged the child's price.

Not only would I have spoken to the manager immediately (not the next day by phone),but the waitresses tip would have been adjusted to reflect the overcharge.

 

[swincha]

i have another story at the wilderness whispering canyon. my younger children 5 and 8 got chocolate milk. we asked for another that my son drank a little out of. each one was 2.69 even the 2nd one for my child. i wish the waitress would have told me i assumed they were free refills. plus all you can drink milkshakes is 5. i thought that was too much for milk and the waitress should have told me. i usually tip over 20% she got a straight 15% it came out of her tip. she knew i didn't like this either however there was no point talking about their rip off childrens drink prices and they were not on the menu

 

[bicker]

Walt Disney World is very expensive. It is often quite surprising to guests just how expensive it is. It is good for folks to be aware that this is the case.

Please do tip wait staff based on how well you're served, though, not based on your feelings with regard to the fairness of the menu prices or the taste of the food, since those are the responsibilities of the managemend and kitchen staff, respectively, not the wait staff.

 

[Laurajean1014]

This has been discussed on the boards before. Anyone over the age of 10 (?) ordering off the child's menu will be charged double the cost. It's a policy of all of WDW not Spoodles, exclusively.

 

[DISUNC]

.....I spoke to the manager on duty (Jen) by phone the next morning ..... She told me that yes Spoodles policy is to charge anyone over age 9 double the price, but provide double the size......

TSK TSK

Thats just SOOOOOOOOOOOOO Wrong. If it's not Written on the MENU as a policy, then it AINT NO policy!
What other "super secret policies" excist out there?

 

[swincha]

Walt Disney World is very expensive. It is often quite surprising to guests just how expensive it is. It is good for folks to be aware that this is the case.

Please do tip wait staff based on how well you're served, though, not based on your feelings with regard to the fairness of the menu prices or the taste of the food, since those are the responsibilities of the managemend and kitchen staff, respectively, not the wait staff.

i do not agree. the waitress should have informed us of the price for a 2nd milk. the restaurant should have had this on their menu(drink prices also) i used to waitress she didn't have to charge for that 2nd chocolate milk and i did give her 15% i usually tip over 20% but not this time. she could have taken it off when i asked about it and showed my surprise at the price for each milk and the extra charge. come on 5.70 for 2 milks when there are bottomless shakes for less than 5 dollars? just because it is expensive doesn't mean they have a liscense to rip you off. i can make an informed decision about their drinks and actually would have just got them the unlimited milk shakes if i would have known.

i wasnt' surprised by the price of the meal at all. i will be putting my comments in writing to disney also.

 

[swincha]

This has been discussed on the boards before. Anyone over the age of 10 (?) ordering off the child's menu will be charged double the cost. It's a policy of all of WDW not Spoodles, exclusively.

it needs to be written clearly on the menu. i never saw this policy. just because you are at disney they do not have the liscense to rip you off. my mom has had stomach surgery and can only eat small amounts so she either has an appetizer or a childs meal. she could not eat twice the amount.

 

[two-foxes]

I may be remembering incorrectly, but isn't Spoodles independently owned, kinda like the Rainforest Cafe is? I thought I remembered reading that most of the boardwalk eateries are.....I have never eaten there, but I remember an obvious decline in service from what we had at most WDW restaurants and Rain Forest Cafe. Could that play a part if it is?

 

[molly213]

This has been discussed on the boards before. Anyone over the age of 10 (?) ordering off the child's menu will be charged double the cost. It's a policy of all of WDW not Spoodles, exclusively.

This is the first time I have heard of this one. That is awful! Why charge double for the same thing? If the prices for a child's meal is based on size, why would it make a difference who ordered it? Portions are out of control and children's meals are a way to reduce the size of the portion for lighter eaters.

 

[Lewisc]

I wouldn't expect free refills on any drink including milk UNLESS the menu says free refills. Many restaurants give free refills on soft drinks BUT if the menu doesn't say so I assume I'll be charged per glass.

It's really not the waitress fault that you think the restaurant is charging too much for milk. You said you asked for another one. You might have a small point if the waitress brought another milk without being asked for it but you ordered the milk and didn't ask what it would cost.

I think OP has a valid point, the waitress is the one who suggested ordering off the children's menu and didn't tell them about the surcharge. I don't have a problem with the policy. Take a more extreme example, some restaurants give children free dinner off the children't menu. You'd certainly expect them to charge an adult who ordered off that menu.

i do not agree. the waitress should have informed us of the price for a 2nd milk. the restaurant should have had this on their menu(drink prices also) i used to waitress she didn't have to charge for that 2nd chocolate milk and i did give her 15% i usually tip over 20% but not this time. she could have taken it off when i asked about it and showed my surprise at the price for each milk and the extra charge. come on 5.70 for 2 milks when there are bottomless shakes for less than 5 dollars? just because it is expensive doesn't mean they have a liscense to rip you off. i can make an informed decision about their drinks and actually would have just got them the unlimited milk shakes if i would have known.

i wasnt' surprised by the price of the meal at all. i will be putting my comments in writing to disney also.

 

[Laurajean1014]

it needs to be written clearly on the menu. i never saw this policy. just because you are at disney they do not have the liscense to rip you off. my mom has had stomach surgery and can only eat small amounts so she either has an appetizer or a childs meal. she could not eat twice the amount.

What restaurants let adults or teens order off the child's menu with out an upcharge? I'm not here to defend WDW, but I see sharing charges all over the menus in NY and NE area.

Why not ask before assuming that you will get a child's meal for a teen or adult. ?

 

[maxaroni]

I recently read another post on the dis boards that said the same thing. What is going on? I hope this isn't the case as I have a ds12 that will be eating off of the kids meals. I also just read that Spoodles has decreased their menu....do you know if what is on allears is current or is it decreased from there?

 

[dizanimator]

This has been discussed on the boards before. Anyone over the age of 10 (?) ordering off the child's menu will be charged double the cost. It's a policy of all of WDW not Spoodles, exclusively.

Then why was I only charged for a kid's meal (regular children's price, not double the kid's meal price) at O'hana's the day after I turned 18? The person checking us in asked how old I was, so the fact that I don't look my age shouldn't be the reason. I also have never seen someone checking to make sure that there is a child that will be eating the child's meal at counter service places. Where is this "policy" written?

 

[Laurajean1014]

This is the first time I have heard of this one. That is awful! Why charge double for the same thing? If the prices for a child's meal is based on size, why would it make a difference who ordered it? Portions are out of control and children's meals are a way to reduce the size of the portion for lighter eaters.

Surf or search to boards..... this topic has come up before.

When a restaurant asks "how many children in your party" they are estimating the cost of the bill. Right or wrong, that's why they ask (also for highchair when you arrive, location, etc.).

 

[bicker]

Please do tip wait staff based on how well you're served, though, not based on your feelings with regard to the fairness of the menu prices or the taste of the food, since those are the responsibilities of the managemend and kitchen staff, respectively, not the wait staff.

i do not agree. the waitress should have informed us of the price for a 2nd milk.

While I do not agree with you about that (IMHO, folks shouldn't assume free refills on milk unless the menu actually says so), please note that that was not any part of what I had posted earlier, which was a generic statement about what I felt wait staff should and shouldn't be tipped based on. I made my earlier statement generic deliberately as a sign of respect for your earlier statement of your opinions.

just because it is expensive doesn't mean they have a liscense to rip you off.

One running joke about WDW is that it is a license to print money.

 

[bicker]

I may be remembering incorrectly, but isn't Spoodles independently owned, kinda like the Rainforest Cafe is?

Spoodles is definitely Disney owned. I remember chatting with the previous Executive Chef, Marianne Hummel, about her career at Disney.

 

[bicker]

If the prices for a child's meal is based on size, why would it make a difference who ordered it? Portions are out of control and children's meals are a way to reduce the size of the portion for lighter eaters.

A lot of things about the travel and hospitality industry are very surprising to folks who aren't in the industry. One thing about restaurants that is very difficult to believe is that the most significant costs incurred are the cost of customer acquisition and the cost of labor -- the cost of food is actually pretty close to the bottom of the list! So how big the portions are, how much people eat, etc., all of that is pretty meaningless in terms of cost and price. Children's prices are offered because it is traditional to do so. Children's prices represent a means of attracting parents with childrens into full-service restaurants -- nothing more.

 

[Rafikifan]

CarolAnne C. , we just returned from WDW last week and our friend's teens were charged double for ordering the exact same portions as the younger children off the kid's menu at Le Cellier. An extra couple of dollars, maybe, double is ridiculous. It may be starting to be a technique some restaurants are using but I asked the question on these and other boards and that is not normally the case at WDW based on the answers that I received. Many grown adults order off the child's menu and do not get charged extra. I wonder if the implementation of the dining plan is causing this - they want adults to use adult vouchers. Thing was, our friends weren't on the dining plan so they paid out of pocket double what the portions were priced for kids a couple years younger. I could see them frowning on a group of adults going into a fine restaurant and all ordering off the kid's menu, but we were a party of 9 with 6 of those being full sized, adult meals, appetizers, wine and beer....I think they definitely made a mistake trying to suck a few extra dollars off of a party that spent $300 with them and now won't return there because of the principle.