I don't know why you're blaming DDP???
You can blame the philosophy of Disney "bean counters". Standardization of bar menus for example.
This first statement and then your last are in direct contradiction to each other. The rationale behind the DDP (and many similar initiatives at other entertainment venues around the world), is to drive consistent capacity at each and every restaurant, from counter service to signature spots.
In order to do that, purchasing, planning, procurement, delivery and every other part of the operational chain must be broken down into individual segments and homogenized in order to eradicate pesky variation and "risk". A definite part of that is, as you say, standardization. In order to ensure that a burger consistently weighs XX ounces, will cook in YY amount of time, and will fit in a ZZ sized container, then they cannot rely upon the slight variations that come from being made by hand. Consider that every other component of a dish goes through the same review (the bun, the toppings, the cheese, the condiments) and you'll find that if one piece slips out of spec, the whole idea of efficiency and consistency falls apart. Variations mean unpredictable wait times and inconsistent calculations for how many times the table can be used in a given seating (AKA turns).
Hand-making also means taking longer time, employing more manpower, and requires training time. More employees = more direct costs; more training = more indirect costs and less productivity out of the existing pool of cast members.
Buffets are cash cows for any restaurant doing heavy business. Food in ginormous quantities, no variations, waitstaff who don't have to be real congenial, and a patronage that will overlook quality for more quantity. Now if only we had any examples since the DDP was launched of WDW's shift to buffets.....
It's like buying Mizrahi at Target- do you think that poor little Isaac is off in a warehosue somewhere sweating out every piece of clothing in sizes 2 through 22+? Nope, once he decided he wanted to go big, he needed to employ a whole army of chinese children to pick up the slack for him. You want to suckle from the teat lowest common denominator, you've gotta have a mouth big enough to wrap around that offshore rig-sized pump. And attention to detail ain't gonna get you there.
Don't get me wrong, as a shareholder I want Disney sucking every last flippin' nickel out of guests' wallets. If you feel that a burger, which costs maybe $.50 in actual food and another $1.00 in labor is worth the $7.89 less DDP discount, then so be it! You vote with your wallet and I'm happy to see my fractional uptick in the share price.
But if you think that the DDP hasn't seriously homogenized the dining experience at Disney, then you are quite out of touch. I do a big annual vacation to WDW every year, hitting a dozen plus different restaurants, and I can definitely chart the decline with my trip diaries from each year in direct proportion to the increasing promotion of the dining plan.
To stay vaguely on topic, get the grilled onions on your burger- it adds a surprisingly nice flavor, especially when they're swimming in bacon juices (and you don't have to pay for the additional bacon to get that taste!). But do prepare to wait if you come right at opening, since they tend to be a touch slower and a crowd may have gathered.
-Amw 5G
