Biased Reviews...Does Free Dining alter your review?

[2hapykdz]

For the past 5 years I have taken advantage of Free Dining packages in Sept-Dec. Whether its the wife and I, kids...or whole extended family going, I'm the fanatic who lives for Disney and does all the research for reviews of the restaurants and everyone just goes along with my judgement. And in all those years and all those restaurants, I have yet to "kill" a restaurant on it's service or food.....(Although I came close with Tony's)!LOL And after commenting on posts and seeing comments on my posts, I wonder if I'm too lenient because I'm "not paying for it"....well not directly! My wife is a plain eater so she'll go for the basic entree...usually on the cheaper side...whereas I want the most expensive, outrageous thing on the menu. And even if the food isn't spectacular, I wonder if it's just a combo of being at my "happy place" and not directly paying for it that alters my perception of how good the food really was? Case in point....our "go-to" place in Epcot is Via Napoli.....my wife gets the Veal Parm and I get this Spinach Lasagna that are awesome! And it's usually after a day of gorging myself around the world at Food and Wine! But I wonder, would that meal be that good if I paid the $100 for it? And when I dragged everyone to Teppan Edo....for 8 with drinks.....the bill would probably be over $500......and I'm not sure if after paying $500 for that meal out with the family, I would would have thought the food was THAT great! What do ya think?

 

[Disneylover99]

I've done Disney with and without free dining. Free dining alters my review slightly. I might say a place is worth it on the dining plan. But if the food or service are bad, it's bad regardless of how I paid. I'm definitely more selective choosing restaurants on and off the plan.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I've never done free dining, but I can see why feeling as though you didn't pay for a meal can change your outlook on the meal.

 

[goofyintoronto]

For the past 5 years I have taken advantage of Free Dining packages in Sept-Dec. Whether its the wife and I, kids...or whole extended family going, I'm the fanatic who lives for Disney and does all the research for reviews of the restaurants and everyone just goes along with my judgement. And in all those years and all those restaurants, I have yet to "kill" a restaurant on it's service or food.....(Although I came close with Tony's)!LOL And after commenting on posts and seeing comments on my posts, I wonder if I'm too lenient because I'm "not paying for it"....well not directly! My wife is a plain eater so she'll go for the basic entree...usually on the cheaper side...whereas I want the most expensive, outrageous thing on the menu. And even if the food isn't spectacular, I wonder if it's just a combo of being at my "happy place" and not directly paying for it that alters my perception of how good the food really was? Case in point....our "go-to" place in Epcot is Via Napoli.....my wife gets the Veal Parm and I get this Spinach Lasagna that are awesome! And it's usually after a day of gorging myself around the world at Food and Wine! But I wonder, would that meal be that good if I paid the $100 for it? And when I dragged everyone to Teppan Edo....for 8 with drinks.....the bill would probably be over $500......and I'm not sure if after paying $500 for that meal out with the family, I would would have thought the food was THAT great! What do ya think?

You make a good point! honestly, free dining alters my view point a bit. Ohana dinner is a great example. I thought the food wasnt very good....had i paid in cash, I would have been ticked! but because I had free dining, I wasnt as critical as I could have been. My attitude was "meh, I have free dining". So its true that when you're paying out of pocket, you see things differently.

 

[loves to dive]

I think I've only gone with "free" dining once (it's not really free but we won't go there). It didn't make a difference to me though, I either like the food or I don't, doesn't matter how much I pay for it.

 

[DisneyMom111]

Now that you mention it, I totally think you are right. You do tend to let more slide when you aren't handing over a credit card to pay for it at the end of the meal. Plus, like you said, you are in a different mind set when you are in vacation mode. You tend to roll with the punches more.

 

[crabbygal902]

Hmmm....this is a good question. I remember having a subpar meal and crummy service at Coral Reef, paid OOP. I still refuse to go back to that restaurant years later. I wonder if it had been included in free dining and not taken $90 directly out of my pocket, would I have been able to enjoy that sad little piece of fish more?

Yes, I realize I just need to "let it go" but that one really burned my biscuits.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I think you might be onto something. We always do the dining plan (even when it isn't free). One year I wanted to try breakfast at Kona, but didn't want to use a dining credit so we paid OOP. It wasn't very good and is really the only restaurant that I say we won't go back to. I never really thought about it, but that might be why I bash it so much because we paid OOP for it.

 

[addiln]

I have done both and it does not alter anything for me. In my mind I am still paying for it somehow.

 

[Belle5]

Yes, I do think it makes a difference in how a view a restaurant if I have benefited from "Free Dining". When I pull out a credit card to pay $800 with tip at California Grill, Artist Point, Citricos, Jiko or Narcoosees to treat our large family to dinner, I am looking at the meal more critically than when I am tipping a mere $150 when we are experiencing "Free Dining". At $150...I might be overlooking a lot! At $150...it all seems a little more MAGICAL!!

 

[KimAB]

Free dining absolutely altered my judgement of a place. The last few times I went it was during free dining and we enjoyed some great meals and some meh meals. Now that I am planning a trip with meals being paid out of pocket I find I am much more judgmental of where we go lol! So where CRT was a perfectly enjoyable meal, had I paid OOP for it I may not have thought it was "worth" it. I am also altered by the fact that my 10 year old is now an "adult" at places and the cost of a meal for a 10 year old adult is ridiculous!
Kim

 

[Dean Marino]

Welllllll ? If you can only get into a few Restaurants with Free Dining? Yup, pretty natural to rate THOSE Restaurants.
Can't blame you - that's where you had dinner .

 

[Nohal]

We've been doing free dining in September since they started offering it. I do think that not paying for a meal makes it seem not so bad. Over the years we have managed to dwindle down our favorite places and some we wouldn't go back even though the meal would be free. I always felt in past years that the service was not very good at most places because it was only the two of us, but this year we had some very good service. We have always had exceptional service at Chefs de France. So yes free dining does alter my reviews.