Cake Bake Shop at the BoardWalk is now open

[Lewisc]

I went to a salon and for an $18 service the 10% was $6. I clicked other and then selected $2. Their excuse was that’s just the way the system has it as a default (I made them cancel when I initially hit 15% and my bill was ridiculous; but I wonder how many others don’t even check/notice).

At WDW we were a party of 5 and the tip was included in the bill and we tipped on top of it in a rush because there was another area for tip where you sign off. The waitress failed to mention she already included the tip (their policy was parties of 6 or more have the tip automatically added). So we paid close to 40% of our bill!

6 or more includes infants, even if not eating.

Edited to add This policy isn't unique to CBS, it applies to Disney restaurants. It's common to restaurants in general. You're occupying a table for 6, even if one is in a high chair

 

[Dave006]

Is that a button the customer can push? Why would a cashier suppress the tip screen?

Again using my BurgerFi example the Cashier was the one that showed me the button and how it is used to bypass the Touch Screen Tip screen. And Yes it is only the payment terminal facing the customer but not marked with anything other the a red circle on the button.

Dave

 

[Lewisc]

Again using my BurgerFi example the Cashier was the one that showed me the button and how it is used to bypass the Touch Screen Tip screen. And Yes it is only the payment terminal facing the customer but not marked with anything other the a red circle on the button.

Dave

Thanks.
I'll look for it.

After the terminal at Panera displayed the tip screen I asked if I still had to pick up my meal at the window. I pick up my meal and I bus the table. I stopped feeling guilty selecting no tip

 

[Dave006]

I told them I wanted to be seated in the main room so the hostess walked us back to the front and asked them to change our table.

Thanks for your update, your pic's look great. How busy was the Main room with the carousel and what time of day was your visit?

It is my understanding that they use the OpenTable - Table management system. The system guides the table assignments throughout the multiple seating areas. If the front Podium host does not override the table assignment based on your specific request the system just uses it's knowledge of the table layouts (yes you can customize the room(s) maps) to assign your table / server.

The system allows for the automation of server allocation so that they don't over seat in 1 servers area. It also allows for POS automatic table statusing (tells the host as soon as you pay at the POS terminal).

Dave

 

[Madteaparty001]

I went to the Cake Bake Shop Restaurant for dinner a week ago. Overall it was a very nice experience.

View attachment 920187

At check in I asked to be seated in the main room and they said of course. Then we had to wait outside for a text about 10 minutes until our table was ready. The hostess then proceeded to walk through the main seating area to put us at a table in the corner of the room with wicker chairs and no table cloths. I told them I wanted to be seated in the main room so the hostess walked us back to the front and asked them to change our table. I'm so glad I asked for what I wanted because the main dining room was just beautiful.
View attachment 920183View attachment 920184View attachment 920185View attachment 920186
The carousel at the top rotates slowly so that you can see the different scenes.
My DH is gluten free so we asked our server about options for him. I ordered the gumbo and he ordered the salmon. My gumbo arrived without rice so I asked the chef if it was supposed to have rice. He said it was, but the rice was not quite ready, but my husband's salmon was ready and they didn't want to delay serving it. A few minutes later he brought out the rice. We both liked our meals, and my DH said the salmon was cooked perfectly. They are still figuring out things in the kitchen but I thought it was smart to serve the salmon right away.
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We each had a cocktail. I had the cosmo and DH had a new seasonal drink that just came on the menu called the Warm Crimson Carriage. Our server recommended it. My cosmo was great - very chilled and a nice combo of flavors. DH's drink was fabulous and I would order it again.
View attachment 920204
For dessert I ordered the magic bar to go and ate it at home. It was pretty with the glitter on top, and delicious.
View attachment 920206
Was it expensive? Yes. Was it delicious? Yes! Was the atmosphere worth it? Yes, if you ask to be seated where you will enjoy it best. The bar area looked beautiful. I asked if the bar was walk up and they said at times it is available as a walk up but you can also make a reservation for the bar.
Note: the hostess said you can reserve a table using MDE, Open Table, or calling in, but the owner prefers using Open Table. They are required by Disney to have some reservations through MDE but not all.
I also went to the bakery on a different day and got a slice of the Raspberry Champagne cake and it was delicious. I'm glad I tried it but it is crazy expensive so I won't do that often. The bakery is gorgeous and worth a look.
I would definitely go back for a meal, but my DH would pass as he thought it was too expensive. If you are on the fence, maybe try it once just for the experience, or check out the bakery. Everything is very pretty!

Thanks for the review, glad you enjoyed yourselves, I would view this as several service red flags though.

To open a restaurant in the heart of Disney property and then limit bookings on the format most customers will use (even if opentable software is infinitely better) makes for a baffling business decision to me.

 

[Lewisc]

To open a restaurant in the heart of Disney property and then limit bookings on the format most customers will use (even if opentable software is infinitely better) makes for a baffling business decision to me.

No different then most of the restaurants in DS and Swan Dolphin.

 

[Disturbia]

6 or more includes infants, even if not eating.

Yes. We were actually 5. 3 adults 2 children. I forgot that grandma didn’t join us then so edited. When she had joined us we had the dining plan and so double tipping was not an issue.

 

[BK2014]

Has anyone had an issues parking at the Boardwalk and showing them a reservation on OpenTable vs the WDW App to get them to let you park for your reservation?

 

[Madteaparty001]

No different then most of the restaurants in DS and Swan Dolphin.

I would call DS and Swan/Dolphin completely different from the Boardwalk. One is a shopping destination with a lot of local traffic, the other has thousands of guests within the same complex who are knowingly staying at a non Disney owned resort. A restaurant on the Boardwalk is going to attract mostly onsite Disney guests booking their 60+ day reservations. I would argue the majority will see no availability on Disney's website and assume it's sold out.

 

[Cfabar1]

Our takeaways:

1. ESPN club appealed to a certain type - CBS appeals to the exact opposite. Many men may not be comfortable in the overly feminine atmosphere.
2. Service was okay, not great.
3. Food was solid, but a bit too expensive.
4. Food felt healthier/better ingredients than most Disney restaurants.

I'm skeptical they will make it over the long term - the pricing seems to be an issue, but given Disney's likely high rents, unsure how it will work...

Am hoping whatever goes into Big River Grille will help fill out the boardwalk.

 

[Lewisc]

I would call DS and Swan/Dolphin completely different from the Boardwalk. One is a shopping destination with a lot of local traffic, the other has thousands of guests within the same complex who are knowingly staying at a non Disney owned resort. A restaurant on the Boardwalk is going to attract mostly onsite Disney guests booking their 60+ day reservations. I would argue the majority will see no availability on Disney's website and assume it's sold out.

Your assuming CBS isn't willing or able to change reservation allocation as needed.

Potential guests include resort guests and convention guests at Swan, Dolphin and Reserve.
Potential guests include locals. Allocating reservations to open table makes a lot of sense.

 

[Minnie1222]

Finally made it to Cake Bake this afternoon. I had a rose macaron and it was as good as the ones from the famous French company Ladurée. The rose cappuccino was also good. We tried to get a reservation for dinner but the only available time was too late.

 

[Minnie1222]

It appeared that the Bakery may have hit capacity this evening. There was a line waiting outside a closed door with the host occasionally letting in a few people.

 

[zackiedawg]

I tried the restaurant last night. I was in Epcot with a large group of 13 and had split away to head back to my room at Boardwalk to get a tripod for fireworks shooting - I wanted to grab something for dinner, and was just going to head to Fountain or see if Trattoria had room, figuring without reservations I wouldn't be able to get much else. But as I walked by Cake Bake shop's restaurant, I could see empty tables inside - so I asked the staff at the front - it was a 20 minute wait for walk-up, so I figured, why not?!

Started with onion soup - found it to be very good. Fresh ingredients, good tang in the broth, good amount of onions, nice gruyere cheese melt. Hunk of a sourdough-like french bread loaf with a nice, soft, whipped butter.

Main course I went with the chicken piccata - chicken was juicy, breading bad a nice crunch, very good wine and lemon sauce. Again, all tasted fresh, and definitely felt like healthily made, but not meaning without fats and flavors - still use butters, oils, etc but nothing tasted like preservatives or heated up premade foods. The only thing that helped make things a little better FOR ME - I'm not a crazy salt fiend, but I do find that some of the healthier fresher restaurants use very little salt, so I did request salt to add to the soup, and a sprinkle on the chicken. Very little extra needed, but it helped push it over the top.

Service was very good, refills on iced tea and water were fast, waiter waited appropriately for me to finish the soup before bringing the main course (some Disney restaurants sometimes feel like they're trying to rush you out, and bring the main while you're only halfway through an appetizer). All in all, I found it to be a very good restaurant, good food, very fresh and cooked perfectly. Would I go again? Yes. Is it one I must hit every time, not quite - the food is good enough, the price is a little higher - when it comes to paying higher there are other restaurants at Disney with more unique or interesting fare that I'd rather hit first. But I wouldn't hesitate to eat there again. And the price wasn't really all that different than many other Disney restaurants - basically $50 per person for appetizer, meal, and drink each. I mean, by comparison, we spent $24 for two slices of pizza from the Boardwalk window the night before, and a corn dog next door runs $16. So is $35 chicken piccata crazy by comparison? Not really. Now, the restaurant DID lower prices after their initial menus posted, so maybe it would have been worse had they tried to stick to all the original prices - I'd say as it currently runs, it fits into Disney pricing pretty normally as a higher-end restaurant.

And I was there as a middle age single male, dining solo. Wasn't bothered at all with the theming or feeling too out of place. Yes, it's more fancy, and definitely leans towards a high-end female 'vibe' in design, but they don't make any beer-drinking alpha males feel unwanted, and there was no stigma about dining as a party of one (at least not by the restaurant - I got a little ribbing at my dining option by my large group, who all just ate quick-serve fare in the park - yet they all wanted to know what I thought of the place!).

 

[JoJoGirl]

I tried the restaurant last night. I was in Epcot with a large group of 13 and had split away to head back to my room at Boardwalk to get a tripod for fireworks shooting - I wanted to grab something for dinner, and was just going to head to Fountain or see if Trattoria had room, figuring without reservations I wouldn't be able to get much else. But as I walked by Cake Bake shop's restaurant, I could see empty tables inside - so I asked the staff at the front - it was a 20 minute wait for walk-up, so I figured, why not?!

Started with onion soup - found it to be very good. Fresh ingredients, good tang in the broth, good amount of onions, nice gruyere cheese melt. Hunk of a sourdough-like french bread loaf with a nice, soft, whipped butter.

Main course I went with the chicken piccata - chicken was juicy, breading bad a nice crunch, very good wine and lemon sauce. Again, all tasted fresh, and definitely felt like healthily made, but not meaning without fats and flavors - still use butters, oils, etc but nothing tasted like preservatives or heated up premade foods. The only thing that helped make things a little better FOR ME - I'm not a crazy salt fiend, but I do find that some of the healthier fresher restaurants use very little salt, so I did request salt to add to the soup, and a sprinkle on the chicken. Very little extra needed, but it helped push it over the top.

Service was very good, refills on iced tea and water were fast, waiter waited appropriately for me to finish the soup before bringing the main course (some Disney restaurants sometimes feel like they're trying to rush you out, and bring the main while you're only halfway through an appetizer). All in all, I found it to be a very good restaurant, good food, very fresh and cooked perfectly. Would I go again? Yes. Is it one I must hit every time, not quite - the food is good enough, the price is a little higher - when it comes to paying higher there are other restaurants at Disney with more unique or interesting fare that I'd rather hit first. But I wouldn't hesitate to eat there again. And the price wasn't really all that different than many other Disney restaurants - basically $50 per person for appetizer, meal, and drink each. I mean, by comparison, we spent $24 for two slices of pizza from the Boardwalk window the night before, and a corn dog next door runs $16. So is $35 chicken piccata crazy by comparison? Not really. Now, the restaurant DID lower prices after their initial menus posted, so maybe it would have been worse had they tried to stick to all the original prices - I'd say as it currently runs, it fits into Disney pricing pretty normally as a higher-end restaurant.

And I was there as a middle age single male, dining solo. Wasn't bothered at all with the theming or feeling too out of place. Yes, it's more fancy, and definitely leans towards a high-end female 'vibe' in design, but they don't make any beer-drinking alpha males feel unwanted, and there was no stigma about dining as a party of one (at least not by the restaurant - I got a little ribbing at my dining option by my large group, who all just ate quick-serve fare in the park - yet they all wanted to know what I thought of the place!).

Great review! If I may ask, where in the restaurant were you seated? I have dined there twice solo, and both times I was seated in the bar area. I don’t mind the bar because it’s beautiful in there too! However it was explained to me that the restaurant didn’t have many two-tops and they were mostly in the bar or the outer garden rooms. I do wish Cake Bake would tweak this table configuration because singles and couples would love to dine in the main room once in a while too.

 

[Disneydawg74]

Has anyone had an issues parking at the Boardwalk and showing them a reservation on OpenTable vs the WDW App to get them to let you park for your reservation?

Because Open Table doesn’t have the cancellation penalty that WDW does, who knows if they’ll be more strict with those?

 

[Cfabar1]

Because Open Table doesn’t have the cancellation penalty that WDW does, who knows if they’ll be more strict with those?

I believe that Open Table's policy is stricter actually - 24 hours.

 

[gottalovepluto]

To open a restaurant in the heart of Disney property and then limit bookings on the format most customers will use (even if opentable software is infinitely better) makes for a baffling business decision to me.

Yak & Yeti has done this for years to much success. It’s one of the hardest reservations to snag using MDE as walk up business has been good to them.

 

[Disneydawg74]

I believe that Open Table's policy is stricter actually - 24 hours.

But there’s no financial penalty.

 

[Madteaparty001]

Your assuming CBS isn't willing or able to change reservation allocation as needed.

Potential guests include resort guests and convention guests at Swan, Dolphin and Reserve.
Potential guests include locals. Allocating reservations to open table makes a lot of sense.

I'm not assuming anything, I never said they were unwilling to pivot their strategy, a lot of reviews have mentioned many empty tables coupled with baffling long wait times to be seated. This points to either not allocating proper seating availability or a lack of staffing.

There have also been several posts asking about parking and expressed anxiety around it, this points to a decidedly unfriendly local option.

Those staying at Swan and Dolphin for a Disney vacation will still be booking their Disney dining on Disney. They'll see Beaches and Cream, Ale and Compass, CBS, etc. all on the same page. I highly doubt they will then google each restaurant individually to see if there are other booking options. Having worked in the travel industry, It is my opinion that the average traveler will understand that a restaurant located in a non Disney hotel would need to be booked via a non Disney source and that a restaurant grid locked on Disney property listed on the Disney website would be only bookable there.

Yak & Yeti has done this for years to much success. It’s one of the hardest reservations to snag using MDE as walk up business has been good to them.

Yak & Yeti is a part of a chain owned by the Landry's group and is advertised as such. They have gift cards available at major retailers and a loyalty program that promotes it as privately owned. I think a better example would be all of the non Disney owned restaurants in Epcot.