Buffet Style and Table Service?

[MammaMoe48]

I noticed some of the restaurants on the website are listed as Table Service but also as Buffet Style. I've always thought of table service as being escorted to a specific table and being served by a waiter or waitress whereas buffet style is the exact opposite - you go get your food and then find your own table to sit at. How can it be both?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

You are seated at a table at WDW buffet restaurants. You do not pick your seating. Drinks are brought by a wait staff.

Buffets at WDW are considered Table Service.

 

[purple figment]

Which restaurants were you looking at? There are some that I can think of that might be described as a combination of buffet and table service.

At Captain's Grill and The Wave during breakfast you can either choose the buffet (serve yourself) or order from the a la carte menu.

Akershus at lunch and dinner has a buffet for the first course and then you order your entree from the menu. You serve yourself at the buffet, but your entree and dessert are brought to the table by your server.

Whether buffet or table service, you do not seat yourself. In either case, a castmember will seat you at a table, but at the buffet you will go up and serve yourself while at a Table Service meal a server will take your order after you have been seated and bring your food.

While not a buffet, Be Our Guest is a combination of Quick Service (breakfast and lunch) where you order at the kiosk and seat yourself, but your food is brought to the table by a castmember. Dinner, however, is table service where a castmember seats you and your server takes your order and brings your food.

 

[Allison]

Buffets are a subset of table service meals. I guess I have never heard of seating yourself used as a way to define a buffet.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

There're two categories of restaurant at WDW, Counter Service (fast food style where you order and pick up your food at a counter) and Table Service (where a host or hostess seats you at a table and you either order from a menu or go through a buffet). If a host or hostess seats you, regardless of how you receive your meal (waiter or buffet), it's considered table service.

 

[MammaMoe48]

OK, so even though it's buffet style (i.e. you choose your own food and fill your own plate) you are assigned an actual table so you don't have to wander around looking for a place to sit? There are a couple of restaurants that I'd love to eat at like Biergarten and Captain's Grille but my husband hates buffets because he doesn't like having to find a table. In our experience (usually on cruises), that's how it works. He's also not thrilled at the idea of who knows how many other people have been handling the food.

 

[Hopefully]

OK, so even though it's buffet style (i.e. you choose your own food and fill your own plate) you are assigned an actual table so you don't have to wander around looking for a place to sit? There are a couple of restaurants that I'd love to eat at like Biergarten and Captain's Grille but my husband hates buffets because he doesn't like having to find a table. In our experience (usually on cruises), that's how it works. He's also not thrilled at the idea of who knows how many other people have been handling the food.

You do NOT wander around looking for a table to sit at at WDW Buffet meals. You are escorted to your table and seated. Biergarden, however, are communal tables generally for 8. If your party is smaller than that you will likely be seated with strangers at your table.

 

[purple figment]

OK, so even though it's buffet style (i.e. you choose your own food and fill your own plate) you are assigned an actual table so you don't have to wander around looking for a place to sit? There are a couple of restaurants that I'd love to eat at like Biergarten and Captain's Grille but my husband hates buffets because he doesn't like having to find a table. In our experience (usually on cruises), that's how it works. He's also not thrilled at the idea of who knows how many other people have been handling the food.

At any buffet, either in DW or locally, there is a host/ess who seats us. Then, at a buffet we fill our own plates, but a server usually brings beverages and clears plates.

Finding your own table sounds more like counter (quick) service or food courts which often have multiple stations/cuisines (e.g. in the value and moderate DW resorts or in the local shopping mall). The food courts in DW are considered counter service in that you go up to the counter to order and pick up your food and find your own table.

Of the 2 you mentioned, Captain's Grill has a buffet or your husband can order from an a la carte menu at breakfast, while lunch and dinner are regular table service and not a buffet. Biergarten is a buffet all day, but you will be seated at a table by the hostess. However, as Hopefully mentioned, almost all the tables seat 8 and like a typical biergarten they are communal so if you are a smaller party, others will be seated at the same table. We're a family of 3 so we have always been seated with others - sometimes it has been a great experience, other times not as much - it just depends on your tablemates.

 

[goofy4prez]

Then, at a buffet we fill our own plates, but a server usually brings beverages and clears plates.

Sometimes that can be a real difficult experience to get one of the servers to bring a refill at a buffet restaurant during dinner.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

OK, so even though it's buffet style (i.e. you choose your own food and fill your own plate) you are assigned an actual table so you don't have to wander around looking for a place to sit? There are a couple of restaurants that I'd love to eat at like Biergarten and Captain's Grille but my husband hates buffets because he doesn't like having to find a table. In our experience (usually on cruises), that's how it works. He's also not thrilled at the idea of who knows how many other people have been handling the food.

You will be assigned a table at all WDW TS restaurants, buffets included. Only at QS do you need to find your own table.

If buffets seem sketchy to your DH, I would avoid Biergarten. As others have said, it's a buffet all day long and you sit with other people. We've been there three times and table mates are hit and miss. Some were friendly and acknowledged our existence, some were noticeable irritated when we were seated with them, others forbid their children from even speaking to us (so fun). I would not go back unless I was with a big party and we had our own table.

 

[Baklava]

OK, so even though it's buffet style (i.e. you choose your own food and fill your own plate) you are assigned an actual table so you don't have to wander around looking for a place to sit? There are a couple of restaurants that I'd love to eat at like Biergarten and Captain's Grille but my husband hates buffets because he doesn't like having to find a table. In our experience (usually on cruises), that's how it works. He's also not thrilled at the idea of who knows how many other people have been handling the food.

Correct. This is not like Fresh Choice where you have your full tray and then have to scramble for a table. You come in, get seated, a waitress brings you drinks and you go get your food.

 

[2binak]

OP - It sounds like your DH might prefer restaurants like Garden Grill & Ohana where the food is served family style, at your table. You can eat an unlimited amount of food and be assured that no one but the chefs & servers have touched the food.

 

[Baklava]

The skillets at Whispering Canyon are also AYCTE and served instead of buffet.

 

[MammaMoe48]

Thanks all. I know Disney does things a little more "upscale" than most places.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

While I'm not a DDP person....the classification seems to be mainly so people know what different credits do. Soooooooo...all buffets are table service meals, but not all table service meals are buffets.

 

[Hopefully]

Thanks all. I know Disney does things a little more "upscale" than most places.

I don't think it is a case of Disney being more upscale. As Purplie Figment stated above it's as if you are thinking of "food courts" as buffets. At a buffet restaurant everywhere you will be seated at your table by the hostess.

 

[MammaMoe48]

I know the difference between the food courts and the sit down restaurants. I've never been to WDW before but we've done a number of cruises (Disney and non-Disney) and generally a buffet means going into the restaurant, getting your plate, filling it yourself (as everyone else does so you don't know if the person before you washed their hands) then finding a table to eat at. These are the reasons DH hates buffets. My OP was based on my past experience with buffets. Maybe "upscale" isn't the right word but it seems that things are a bit more controlled in the resorts. So WDW buffets are not so "every man for himself".

 

[happymommy]

To the OP: I totally understand the confusion. There are plenty of buffet places where you choose your table, like the less expensive Ponderosa type places (brings back memories of college - being able to eat a ton and still not get fat with the metabolism of early 20's going!).

At Disney they will always seat you at a table first.

And yes, all buffets at Disney will be a table service credit, but not all table service has a buffet.

Either way, the portions tend to be large to me - especially when going at a hot time of the year. I tend to share many meals with my daughter (and snack more often). Even counter service meals sometimes are more than we can eat!

 

[MammaMoe48]

One last question: do you serve yourself or are there CM's at the buffet tables spooning the food out? Or at least making sure people aren't sneezing in the food?

 

[Hopefully]

One last question: do you serve yourself or are there CM's at the buffet tables spooning the food out? Or at least making sure people aren't sneezing in the food?

You serve yourself. There is no one policing the food lines. Folks could be sneezing in the food. This is one example of why many folks do not like or partake of buffet settings. At WDW you have lots of options.