California Grill Attire

[nicolemarie]

So what is a "t-shirt". All I own are plain v-neck shirts, different colors.click here for shirt I found a shirt that fit me comfortably, and well I bought every color. I only own jeans and jean shorts, I can't wear capris...too short, and my skirt is denim. DH has polo shirts, so that's not a problem...but as for pants....he only has jeans, and shorts...his only non-jean pairs are camo or kahki cargo shorts. Would the kahki cargo shorts be okay? Are CROCS okay for shoes?

Hey MommyPoppins -

You can definitely wear the shirt you are talking about. We were there just last month and DH wore a polo with khaki shorts, the kids wore shorts and shirts, and I wore jeans with jacket over a tank top. They were nice jeans - the kind us girls dress up with a nice blouse and shoes - but they were jeans. I actually called before we left to make sure that was not a problem. The khaki cargos would be fine, too. And my daughter had on her hot pink crocs. Hope that helps!

 

[BCV23]

Hi majortom,

I don't believe I said I cared how others dressed. That would be because I don't save for baseball caps which I would find inappropriate and disrespectful in any nice restaurant. Well really, I don't think they are appropriate in a Mickey Dee's but again I may be showing my age as well as the fact that I hail from a rather conservative part of the country. Even then, it would not affect my enjoyment of dinner. But as I said, I have never seen anyone wear those at the CG.

As far as somone recovering from neurosurgery,I could care less if the stitches showed or they wore a dressing. I would say a quick prayer for them and not give it a moments thought. And to compare someone recovering from head surgery to someone choosing not to doff outdoor sports wear is beyond me.

We have been dining at the California Grill since its inception but probably only started multiple trips per year around 1996? But I have not noticed any real change in what guests wear. I'll try to remember to ask a server next time if we get one of those who has been there for some time. But as I said it is not important to me. As a guest, I do try to abide by a suggested dress code. Again the excellent excerpt that you quoted addresses this admirably.

However, it is hardly new for the CG to have a suggested dress code. I don't remember when it started but it was some years back now. It has been called resort casual, business casual, smart casual, etc.. In the last year or so, they have been more explicit about what they mean. But it is still a very lax "code."

I'm not sure why you keep referring to it as a theme park restaurant or theme park resort. Does that put it a lowlier category to you?

I guess it is nice for you that you dine in NY and NOLA often but I'm not sure that is germaine.

Finally, I come to the restaurant board like most of us here. I enjoy reading others reviews, getting advice and offering my experiences. The OP asked about shorts, tshirts and flipflops. The latter two are included in things CG has asked guests not to wear. Like everyone else, I was trying to be helpful to her. I have no other agenda.

And you did give her and all of us great advice from your excerpt. Call and ask about the code if you don't know. If in doubt, go the more conservative route.

Peace.

 

[bicker]

As a guest, I do try to abide by a suggested dress code.

That's really the crux of the issue. They asked us to dress nicely. That's why people should dress nicely.

 

[japlady]

I think you may have hit a nerve in that case. I'm Jewish for instance, Jewish law requires men keep their heads covered and what form that covering takes varies, but it can be something very informal that blends into the crowd. As such a Jew at the park may opt for a disney hat (and be happy its a baseball hat and not one of those madd hatter hats) in order 'be on theme' so to speak. If they then go straight from the park to the resturant odds are thats the only hat they have on them.

To ask them to remove that hat would be offensive to them, and very culturally insensitive.

For myself, I wonder why if Disney has the dress code in order to give the place an air of class they don't do what other places with a dress code do which is to have spare items on hand to lend the guests that somehow offend. By putting a classy place in an informal area (like the park) its only reasonable to assume they'll be showing up in what they wore that day. That in essence places some of the onus on Disney, and if they had 'reasonbly priced' acceptable alternatives --- or lender items on hand (I bet Mickey Kippah's for instance would fly off their shelves) kept in a stash behind the counter, most guests would conform.

 

[bopper]

I think the idea of the dress code is that is somebody is going to pay $25-30 per entree, they want a nice atmosphere. This is a common phenomenom at restaurants. Many will ask for a jacket or Jacket and tie. All Disney is asking is for Business Casual. If you are so adament about wanting to dress down, then perhaps these are not the restaurants for you. Many of the business casual restaurants are not in the parks but are in the hotels.

 

[CyanFey]

Wow, I don't get on for a day or two and I've got a two page reply! Thanks so much everyone for your advise, it's a lot of help! If we decide to make reservations there, I'll make sure I dress accordingly.

 

[majortom]

I don't believe I said I cared how others dressed. That would be because I don't save for baseball caps which I would find inappropriate and disrespectful in any nice restaurant.

I took your "thank goodness" to mean that they bothered you.

But as I said, I have never seen anyone wear those at the CG.

Again, I was not asking in the California Grill's dress code, just in general.

And to compare someone recovering from head surgery to someone choosing not to doff outdoor sports wear is beyond me.

What I was (and am still) trying to understand was if you were uniquely bothered by baseball hats or by hats in general. My example was part of trying to understand that, in other words would it matter why the person was wearing the hat? In my example, the person wears a baseball hat to cover a wound that is healing. That was also why I was asking about other kinds of head coverings.

However, it is hardly new for the CG to have a suggested dress code. I don't remember when it started but it was some years back now.

That is interesting, as also I started eating there when they opened, having been to Chef Cliff's first California Grill many times. After he and George left, I began to notice a deterioration in service and food, and started going less and less frequently. I never remember hearing about or being told about any dress code.

I'm not sure why you keep referring to it as a theme park restaurant or theme park resort. Does that put it a lowlier category to you?

I guess it is nice for you that you dine in NY and NOLA often but I'm not sure that is germaine.

No, I do not consider them lowlier. What I meant was that in a place like New York City, or New Orleans, restaurant guests are much more likely to have spent the day dressed more closely in compliance with a dress code then are people that were spending their day in a theme park and yet even in those places, restaurants have lessened or eliminated their dress codes. According to that excerpt, fewer than 25 restaurants in NYC still require jackets for men. Ten years ago, between 4 and 5 times that many would have.

In the Disney context, dress codes are more likely to cause a substantial inconvenience for guests. If one is staying in the same hotel as one is eating, it is no a big deal to stop and change clothes. If one is staying somewhere else on property it might add one to two hours to get back to one's room to change and then back to where one is dining. If one is staying off property, it can be even more of a problem (many off property hotels only have one or two shuttles a day, meaning that one would have to take a taxi both ways, adding one or two hours and quite a bit of expense).

Someone staying in New York or New Orleans is less likely to have spent the day wandering around the city in mouse ears, shorts and a t-shirt, and given that most museums close around 5, stopping back at one's hotel is easier. At Disney, the park is almost always open later than one's reservations and one is quite likely to have spent the day in shorts, a t-shirts, baseball hats, and other non-compliant clothing.

Does this explain my point more clearly?

I have no other agenda.

I did not think you did. I asked you because you seemed to be able to answer without getting emotional about it as many other on here have. Once again, from your response I see that I was correct (very helpful and not emotional). I have not always made my points clearly enough, but I hope I have clarified a few of them for you and can get answers that help me understand your position better.

And you did give her and all of us great advice from your excerpt. Call and ask about the code if you don't know. If in doubt, go the more conservative route.

Peace.

Thanks.

Thanks again for your answers.

/carmi

 

[oybolshoi]

Just for the sake of information... I made a reservation for the CG this morning and the CM I spoke with took pains to tell me twice that the dress code was business casual. I guess he thought I was going to forget between now and October.

Also, a thought on the hat issue... although I am of a younger generation I was always told by my parents that wearing a hat indoors was bad manners (unless you're a woman wearing a formal hat at a wedding or some such event).

 

[majortom]

Also, a thought on the hat issue... although I am of a younger generation I was always told by my parents that wearing a hat indoors was bad manners (unless you're a woman wearing a formal hat at a wedding or some such event).

I'm Jewish for instance, Jewish law requires men keep their heads covered and what form that covering takes varies, but it can be something very informal that blends into the crowd. As such a Jew at the park may opt for a disney hat (and be happy its a baseball hat and not one of those madd hatter hats) in order 'be on theme' so to speak. If they then go straight from the park to the resturant odds are thats the only hat they have on them.

To ask them to remove that hat would be offensive to them, and very culturally insensitive.

A fairly large difference between Christians and quite a few other religions (Jews, Muslims, Sikhs among others) on this issue.

Christians expect men's heads to be uncovered while many other religions expect them to be covered always - or most of the time (i.e. during prayers, meals, etc.).

/carmi

 

[bicker]

As such a Jew at the park may opt for a disney hat (and be happy its a baseball hat and not one of those madd hatter hats) in order 'be on theme' so to speak. If they then go straight from the park to the resturant odds are thats the only hat they have on them.

I doubt that. No Chassidic member of my family would ever put himself in the position of not having a spare yarmulka with him. A spare takes up less room than a sunglass sleeve.

To ask them to remove that hat would be offensive to them, and very culturally insensitive.

No. To require them to remove their head covering would be -- not the asking. I've never heard of a CM insisting someone remove their hat after being told that the person is Jewish and required by their faith to keep their head covered.

For myself, I wonder why if Disney has the dress code in order to give the place an air of class they don't do what other places with a dress code do which is to have spare items on hand to lend the guests that somehow offend.

The only case where that is ever done in society is with a requirement for a dinner jacket -- a requirement which doesn't exist at the signature restaurants. (Beyond that, even in our broader society where such dress codes prevail, not all establishment have loaners.)

 

[Uncleromulus]

This, I think has gone on long enough--. Cyanfey has gotten all the requested information--and then some.