Can we bring food into a restaurant?

[centurythree]

There was a post not too long ago from someone who wanted to bring food from Sunshine Seasons into the Garden Grill because someone in the party wouldn't eat anything on the menu and the rest of the group wanted to go, and the answer to that was "no."

Same thing happened to me a few years ago. I wound up calling the Garden Grill directly to see if I could bring food up from Sunshine Seasons (answer was no) and to see if I could use my adult dining credit to purchase a kid's meal (no problem.)

(Call me a special snowflake if you want, lol. Since I've been known to have meltdowns at Disney over things like this, I like to have things settled in advance so it doesn't happen.)

It's a liability issue for Disney, among other things.

 

[bedogged]

OP here, thanks for all the advice. My ds has sensory issues and he has a very limited diet. If his sister is eating food that has an odor near him, he almost gags. He has added a few items onto the menu that he eats. I do not force him to eat anything that he does not want to eat. For dinner he will eat pizza, pasta with butter and sometimes sauce, ravioli, quesedilla with melted cheese and eats alot of fruit . I understand them not allowing him to sit for free because, as someone pointed out, they can't watch what people are consuming. Makes sense. We will pick another place.

My suggestion would be to post this question and discussion on the Disabilities board. You will find there understanding people who may have had experience with children with the type of issue your son has. They may have more useful suggestions for you.

 

[kandb]

OP here, thank you to "most" of you for all your helpful advice. It is nice to see that most people are understanding. I will post on the disbilities board, as I have before. Thankfully there are so many restaurants in disney that will work for our family. Thanks again.

 

[aristocatz]

OP here, thank you to "most" of you for all your helpful advice. It is nice to see that most people are understanding. I will post on the disbilities board, as I have before. Thankfully there are so many restaurants in disney that will work for our family. Thanks again.

Hi Kandb,

Before you decide to give up and change restaurants, you might want to call Disney and explain your situation & request pizza for your son.

There is a special phone number you can call if your child has allergies or a disability that might hinder his ability to access the regular menu. My friend's son has autism and is an extremely picky eater, due to sensory issues.

She called the hotline, explained the situation, and the WDW restaurant was able to note on the reservation that a special meal-i.e. pizza was required for one guest in the party. The restaurant was able to accommodate because they had advanced notice and they were happy to do so

I'm guessing that LTT will be able to give him pizza if it is on their lunch menu, as long as you call that hotline, explain your situation, and request it in advance.

The only downfall is it is quite likely that your son will be charged the price he would have had he eaten the family style meal, but at least he would be able to eat something he was able to with the rest of your family. I'm not positive about that, so you should check.

I just Googled it and found this email address that you should contact at least 14 days before your trip:
SpecialDiets@DisneyWorld.com

I could not find the phone number online, but try this email address.

HTH!!

 

[Sam33]

I know in Colorado it's against health code to have any outside food or beverage in retaurants. I work at a Starbucks and we're not suppose to allow ANYTHING in the store (if you're eating). I can't eat my food from home on my lunch break in the the store; have to use the back room.
So I highly, highly doubt that any Disney restaurant allows it because the all the possible liability issues.

What's wrong with a LTT lunch?

 

[DisneyHardin]

I can speak from experience at LTT that you will be charged even if the child doesn't eat a single bite of food. Years ago, a friend and I were traveing with his 6 year old who I think might have won the prize for the pickiest eaten on the planet - since they didn't offer chicken nuggets and fries, she wouldn't eat anything. We were charged for her anyway.

 

[raidermatt]

Just a little suggestion... the original post said nothing about any medical issues, only that the child wouldn't eat anything on the menu. Since most kids with that problem are just being kids, it's probably best to mention any medical issues right away.

You don't have to of course, but you just have to understand you will get some less than helpful comments because the child just sounds like another spoiled child.

I know the issue was mentioned later, but not everyone reads every post before responding to the original, and it can also come off as less than sincere if it's not mentioned up front, especially when it's something like sensory issues, which all kids have to a certain extent.

 

[kaligal]

I went to LTT to visit with a friend I hadn't seen in a while. I was feeling queasy and didn't eat. We asked before sitting down if it would be okay if I just sat there...No, it would not.

I sat there, ate nothing and paid for a meal.

 

[TDC Nala]

Before the OP said that the child had a medical condition, she stated that her family had been there before, asked for a special preparation for the child, and were not satisfied with the special preparation.

If she goes the route of contacting Special Diets to arrange a special meal she probably ought to be very specific that she wants a pizza for her kid, and not leave it up to the restaurant to come up with a special preparation, or they're just probably going to get the same stuff they got last time.

As for charging for guests who aren't planning to eat, I've seen stories that some of the fixed price restaurants even charge for guests who are physically incapable of eating. Not sure if that's limited to the character meals or not.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Before the OP said that the child had a medical condition, she stated that her family had been there before, asked for a special preparation for the child, and were not satisfied with the special preparation.

If she goes the route of contacting Special Diets to arrange a special meal she probably ought to be very specific that she wants a pizza for her kid, and not leave it up to the restaurant to come up with a special preparation, or they're just probably going to get the same stuff they got last time.

As for charging for guests who aren't planning to eat, I've seen stories that some of the fixed price restaurants even charge for guests who are physically incapable of eating. Not sure if that's limited to the character meals or not.

That is messed up charging for someone that can't physically eat I mean come on

 

[aristocatz]

OP here, thanks for all the advice. My ds has sensory issues and he has a very limited diet. If his sister is eating food that has an odor near him, he almost gags. He has added a few items onto the menu that he eats. I do not force him to eat anything that he does not want to eat. For dinner he will eat pizza, pasta with butter and sometimes sauce, ravioli, quesedilla with melted cheese and eats alot of fruit . I understand them not allowing him to sit for free because, as someone pointed out, they can't watch what people are consuming. Makes sense. We will pick another place.

Just a little suggestion... the original post said nothing about any medical issues, only that the child wouldn't eat anything on the menu. Since most kids with that problem are just being kids, it's probably best to mention any medical issues right away.

You don't have to of course, but you just have to understand you will get some less than helpful comments because the child just sounds like another spoiled child.

I know the issue was mentioned later, but not everyone reads every post before responding to the original, and it can also come off as less than sincere if it's not mentioned up front, especially when it's something like sensory issues, which all kids have to a certain extent.

Not to sound rude, bu the OP clearly stated her son has sensory issues. I work with children with special needs (autism) and I work with SEVERAL who have sensory integration disorder. I'm not sure if SID is considered a medical disorder, but it is actually a real thing that goes way beyond the simple picky eater child. They are not spoiled brats, they literally cannot physically tolerate certain food textures & it makes it very difficult for the child and the family in situations like this. Most of my students receive additional therapy to work on desensitizing these issues going on in their body. It might sound easy to just skip LTT and go somewhere else, but I'm guessing the OP is trying to find a way to please her entire family and not single her son out any more than need be.

 

[raidermatt]

That is messed up charging for someone that can't physically eat I mean come on

Thank the scammers for that. If everyone, or even most everyone, was honest about things like this then most restaurants wouldn't sweat it. But since so many people are just looking to get away with something, we all suffer.

 

[crashbb]

Not to sound rude, bu the OP clearly stated her son has sensory issues.

But not in the original post, which is what the poster to which you replied was suggesting.

Suggestions changed once people had that information, to it would have been useful to have right off (in the first post).

I second (third, whatever) the suggestion talking to special diets (and being very specific) - if anyone can help, they can.

 

[raidermatt]

But not in the original post, which is what the poster to which you replied was suggesting.

Suggestions changed once people had that information, to it would have been useful to have right off (in the first post).

Yes, thank you.

 

[aristocatz]

But not in the original post, which is what the poster to which you replied was suggesting.

Suggestions changed once people had that information, to it would have been useful to have right off (in the first post).

I second (third, whatever) the suggestion talking to special diets (and being very specific) - if anyone can help, they can.

Yes, thank you.

I'm sorry about that-I guess I misunderstood.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Not to sound rude, bu the OP clearly stated her son has sensory issues. I work with children with special needs (autism) and I work with SEVERAL who have sensory integration disorder. I'm not sure if SID is considered a medical disorder, but it is actually a real thing that goes way beyond the simple picky eater child. They are not spoiled brats, they literally cannot physically tolerate certain food textures & it makes it very difficult for the child and the family in situations like this. Most of my students receive additional therapy to work on desensitizing these issues going on in their body. It might sound easy to just skip LTT and go somewhere else, but I'm guessing the OP is trying to find a way to please her entire family and not single her son out any more than need be.

DD9 (our picky eater) has sensory issues and always has. It goes beyond the texture of the food to smells, the way clothes feel, having a very strong gag reflex, etc. DD has received OT to help her deal with her aversions, and she is so much better than she was in preschool. But she frequently will not eat a thing if we are invited to someone's house, so we usually feed her in advance. It is hard to know when DD is just being stubborn (because she can be that way ), and when it is a sensory issue that she really can't help.

I had never thought about e-mailing special diets - that's a good tip, especially for parents who have younger sensory kids or kids that have a lot of sensory issues. We have a lot more options now than we used to with DD, but there are some things she can't stomach.

 

[raidermatt]

I'm sorry about that-I guess I misunderstood.

No worries.

 

[Bob NC]

Any suggestions?

Yes. Don't go there.

 

[TDC Nala]

That is messed up charging for someone that can't physically eat I mean come on

At a character meal they are also charging for access to the characters.

 

[ppony]

Our youngest is autistic and has a serious eating disorder. He won't eat ANYTHING but fries anywhere at WDW so we always have to bring our own stuff w/ us. What we bring though are never hot foods from elsewhere. It's just cheerios/cereals and pretzel sticks. At buffets and family style places,you get changed ...honestly, as they should. Leeway would open a huge can of worms. It's just part of the deal when have kids like ours. Life isn't fair and WDW is NOT cheap. I think PPs have given the OP some good advice, either deal w/ the charge if you really want to eat there, or find some place else.