Can you order off menus at buffets?

[JodiR]

My dd and her friend (both 13) will not eat enough to justify the buffet cost. Are there menus available or anything that can be done?

 

[TDC Nala]

No, sorry. A buffet is a buffet. They will pay the going price per adult no matter how much they eat.

 

[pixarmom]

We have two pre-teen "Disney adults" and they eat so little that it's tough to pay adult prices for them at the fixed price family style or buffet meals. (We also have a pre-schooler, but the child price is a good deal!) So we've recently adjusted our dining style a bit - we eat at more table service restaurants overall, but have fewer fixed price meals. For example, we love Garden Grill and want at least one character meal, so we still do that. We're going to Kona instead of Ohana so that we can order from a menu, but still enjoy a visit to the Poly. We're going to Liberty Tree for lunch instead of dinner, so that we can order from the menu there, too. And our kids enjoy places like Chef's de France, Brown Derby and Mama Melrose, where we can order flexibly (share entrees, order appetizers for dinner, etc. - so no wasted food.)

 

[TillyMarigold]

I believe there is one restaurant (maybe at the Swan or Dolphin?) that has both a menu and a buffet, but other than that, no.

 

[chartle]

there are some places that you can get "all you care to eat" meals and there are then of course menu items.

But all the traditional buffets like Crystal Palace are pay one price (adult or child).

 

[Nadjalu]

If you are wanting to do the character meals (those are all buffet) but hesitant on the price, consider doing the breakfast buffets. Those are cheaper yet you get to see the characters.
That may help justify the price with them eating so little.

 

[TDC Nala]

If you're looking for restaurants that have both buffet and menu ordering components, you can try Captain's Grille for breakfast. There's also Whispering Canyon Cafe, which has the all you can eat skillet and a regular a la carte menu.

 

[bangzoom6877]

If you are wanting to do the character meals (those are all buffet) but hesitant on the price, consider doing the breakfast buffets. Those are cheaper yet you get to see the characters.
That may help justify the price with them eating so little.

You could try to do a late character breakfast seating, that way you won't have to buy lunch. If your party like breakfast foods, this is a great option. You could get to a park at rope drop, and make a breakfast ADR at around 10:30 (or whatever the latest time is that you can get, it might be even later), enjoy a few rides first and then eat a brunch at the character breakfast. You will still get to see characters, but not having to buy lunch in addition to breakfast would offset the cost some.

Or, if you are not necessarily wanting to see the characters, just go to TS restaurants that have an a la carte menu. There are many of them at Epcot, at MK you have Liberty Tree for lunch, Tony's for lunch or dinner and Plaza for lunch or dinner. At DHS there are 50s Prime Time Sci-Fi, Mama Melrose and Brown Derby. There is at least one a la carte TS at every deluxe resort, and the moderates each have one, although some are open only for dinner. There are also many in Downtown Disney, and in the Swan & Dolphin.

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

Unfortunately if you want to do a character meal & it's a buffet, they won't let your young teen order a la carte.

Does your DD just not eat alot in general or is she picky? My DS is really picky & we hate paying the adult prices but we have found he actually finds more items he likes on a buffet & tends to get more full than ordering a la carte elsewhere. Just because you're stuck paying adult does not mean your teen can't choose some of the selections for children at the buffets. If they like at least one of the meat offerings from the adult area plus mashed potatoes or corn or bread, and then add the kids choices of mac'n'cheese, pizza or chicken tenders not to mention the desserts & unlimited softdrinks they can usually eat a reasonable amount of food to satisfy their hunger.

And as OP suggested, usually they find even more they like on a breakfast buffet if you're wanting to do at least one character meal. I wish disney would offer a "junior" price for the tweens age Good luck.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Just wanted to add that though they will have to pay the full price, if they can't eat from the buffet (because of bad allergies, for instance, and worried about cross contiminatin), you can order a meal directly with the chef, and they'll prepare it. Though, again, you'll still paying same as everyone else.