Change in pricing for people over 9 ordering from kids menus

[tinkerbelletreasure]

We are at Skippers Canteen and just ordered the child portion steak for my 15 year old. I was told they’ve made a change to pricing and that for anyone over 9 ordering from the kids menu, they will charge you separately for each item of the meal, entree, sides, drink ect. I’m really disappointed with this change because we chose several restaurants knowing my son would prefer the kids menu to the adult menu because he doesn’t have an exotic palate. Disney really is out to wring every dollar they can out of people.

 

[TwoMisfits]

What did they end up charging per piece?

I'm not surprised they went this way in this inflationary environment. Deals are the 1st things being cut back, and it's a "deal" for a 10 and older to get kids' meal pricing, so I can see where they'd have them pay "true adult cost" for the item if someone just ordered the items as sides on the adult menu vs not allowing them to order at all.

 

[Kmk2]

What did they end up charging? It would be great if they had an intermediate option for 10-16 year olds.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

So for the kids steak, 2 sides, no drink because we drank water, $17!

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

As an adult, if I order off the kids menu (Disney or otherwise) at a sit down restaurant I would never expect the drink to be included. From the receipt you posted, it looks like there was a dessert also and I would not expect that to be included either. I do think that they should advise you of the pricing structure when you order so there are no surprises when the bill comes.
In most restaurants, kids menus extend to 12 year olds max and usually cut off younger than that so I don't really see this as nickel and diming for a 15 year old. Of course, everyone is entitled to how they feel, but either way I hope everyone at least enjoyed their meal!

 

[HopperFan]

So it cost $4 more than the Kid's Meal and you didn't get the drink. I was expecting it to be more when I read your first post, especially since the adult steak is $38.

I get your frustration but I also am not surprised or find it unreasonable. Most restaurants do not let someone older than their kid's meal age order from the kid's meal. I think they worked with you on letting him order something more customized, and you saved money from an adult meal.

I will be very interested to see if this becomes standard across property.

 

[pangyal]

I can speak to this! I usually order from the kids menu due to more reasonable portion sizes, so I attempted the same at a number of locations on property last week with mixed results. Note that I would order an adult beverage at each of these meals as well, and tipped on the cost of what the adult meal would have been for fairness’ sake in my mind.

-Skipper Canteen charged me $13 for the kids’ steak and quoted $2 for any sides I might want (I got the veggies). As with the OP, they actually ended up charging me only the $13 per the menu price, so it did actually include the one side. Whether that is the system in place or a favour, I’m not sure. We were told right away when ordering that this was the pricing structure.

-Beaches & Cream allowed a full kids meal with the entree and choice of sides, and one side was allowed to be a dessert if I wished.

-Yachtsman charged the price of the steak at I believe $14, and I was advised that the side would be a la carte. I said that was perfectly fine and ordered the green beans. I received exactly seven green beans (the standard kids’ meal side portion). However, the bill showed a charge of $10.50. I did bring this up to the server since I didn’t feel that the price was commensurate with what I had received. She agreed and said that the $10.50 vegetables side was supposed to come in a larger (even shareable) portion, in its own casserole dish, and that they are all still learning this new system and were confused by it constantly.

-Hollywood Brown Derby charged the price of the kids meal and offered the two sides at no extra cost. I specifically tried to clarify, stating that this seemed to be a new rule and that I wanted to pay fairly, but she insisted that they had not been told anything had changed and that she would prefer I was entitled to all that came with what I paid for.

My sense is that at this point in time, it is up to the managers of each individual restaurant to determine how they want to apply this change, if at all. I don’t feel that they are being unreasonable in asking adults to pay a la carte rather than simply denying them the ability to order a smaller portion size. Plus, the a la carte price is not increased for adults; rather, you just choose what you would like to add and for how much. I personally feel that it‘s a fair compromise and that it’s an overall win-win for both Disney and guests since nobody is being told that they can’t order from the kids menu now, especially considering the conflicting stories over the years about servers charging double (adult) prices for some and 3-9 prices for others with no rhyme or reason.

 

[pangyal]

So for the kids steak, 2 sides, no drink because we drank water, $17!View attachment 700341

Since the kids’ steak at Skipper Canteen is $13, they actually did give you one of the sides for free…just fyi .

 

[HopperFan]

Since the kids’ steak at Skipper Canteen is $14, they actually did give you one of the sides for free…just fyi .

Sizzling Savanna Grilled Steak $13​

Served with choice of two (2) Selections and choice of Small Lowfat Milk, Small Dasani® Water, or Small Minute Maid® Apple Juice


Look at her receipt. She paid $11 for the steak entree, then $3 each for two sides and did not get a drink. So she paid $4 more for the same meal and did not get the included drink so perceived cost was even higher. Nothing was free.

 

[pangyal]

Sizzling Savanna Grilled Steak $13​

Served with choice of two (2) Selections and choice of Small Lowfat Milk, Small Dasani® Water, or Small Minute Maid® Apple Juice


Look at her receipt. She paid $11 for the steak entree, then $3 each for two sides and did not get a drink. So she paid $4 more for the same meal and did not get the included drink so perceived cost was even higher. Nothing was free.

No, I did see that . But they charged $11 for the steak and not $13. Actually, I have to edit my post because I was told that the sides were $2 each, not $3. Apparently, the servers are not quite sure of that cost for the sides a la carte either. So she did get one of the sides included. Otherwise, she would have paid the $13 plus the a la carte sides. The way it was explained to me was that the menu price was what the cost was for the “base” meal. I realize that I didn’t include that in my previous post.

As a side note, I was never offered the drink with the kids’ meal even if I wasn’t ordering an alcoholic beverage. It was always sort of assumed that it wasn’t included as an adult ordering the kids‘ meal.

 

[HopperFan]

No, I did see that . But they charged $11 for the steak and not $13. Actually, I have to edit my post because I was told that the sides were $2 each, not $3. Apparently, the servers are not quite sure of that cost for the sides a la carte either. So she did get one of the sides included. Otherwise, she would have paid the $13 plus the a la carte sides. The way it was explained to me was that the menu price was what the cost was for the “base” meal. I realize that I didn’t include that in my previous post.

That is not how it was presented to OP or showed on her receipt. She was told "they will charge you separately for each item of the meal, entree, sides, drink" which makes perfect sense and that was what happened. You say you were not charged what you expected and it sounds like you were charged exactly what you would have been charged by how her server explained it.

If they are going to offer the child's menu same food and portions a la carte, then they can't start with the entree price being the full amount of the entire child's meal with all the sides and drink.

 

[Alan1972]

They should just refuse children’s meals to anyone over 9 and eliminate this problem

 

[pangyal]

That is not how it was presented to OP or showed on her receipt. She was told "they will charge you separately for each item of the meal, entree, sides, drink" which makes perfect sense and that was what happened. You say you were not charged what you expected and it sounds like you were charged exactly what you would have been charged by how her server explained it.

If they are going to offer the child's menu same food and portions a la carte, then they can't start with the entree price being the full amount of the entire child's meal with all the sides and drink.

I apologize for not being clear. Let me try again . It appears that both she and I were told that the meal would now be priced a la carte for each component, with the entree component being the “base” or “starting” price. Logically, we both should have been charged $13 for the steak plus $2/ $3 (depending on the direction of the wind and whether the moon was in Jupiter, apparently) for each of the sides. However, this did not happen for either of us. We were both charged a lower “base” cost of $11 for the steak, which resulted in the menu price of $13 charged for the steak ending up with one side actually being included if charged at $2. Does that make more sense? Otherwise, we should have been charged $13 plus $2/$3 for each side, which is not how either meal was actually billed.

I think it’s completely fair to price the entree on its own at the menu price. Perhaps that’s an unpopular opinion, but offering a $13 four-ounce steak does not seem to me to be looking out for only their own financial interests.

 

[DodgerGirl]

What I think Disney restaurants are trying to do is making the kids menus have lower prices because when you look at it from a different vision when a child is a toddler they have very limited menus on what they can eat and so that's why restaurants invented kids menus for kids to choose their own meals but when a child is no longer a toddler they need the proper portions of foods to keep them growing until they reach their teenage years. But raising prices for a kids menu is not right for Disney restaurants to do because when a child turns nine years old they still have the same menu as when they were toddlers but paying high prices for a child-size spaghetti or a child-size hamburger at a Disney restaurant is odd. I have eaten from the kids menus since I was a little girl because my mom thought I ate like a bird and I think the kids meals at restaurants are better portions for a toddler to eat. My cousin also used to order from kids menus all the time because of the portion sizes and she still does today. But what I think Disney restaurants should do is have a special menu for teenagers and the teen menu would offer the same thing as the kids menus but at a cheaper price with a free dessert of either a brownie a small cup of ice cream or a cookie and with a menu like this Disney restaurants would make a whole lot of money and have better pricing for their kids menus. Because like some of the restaurant chains like IHOP and Denny's have deals where kids under 10 eat free and at IHOP the age for kids to eat free is 12. But if Disney restaurants debut a system like this for the kids menus it would work miracles

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

They should just refuse children’s meals to anyone over 9 and eliminate this problem

Wow! So 10 year olds should be forced to eat adult portions and selections? I have some pretty picky kids. I’d be paying more for them to pick at or not eat their food. I pay those prices at the buffets, and prix fixe meals. But I also don’t choose to do many of those. My son has autism btw. So when I say he’s not going to eat adult entrees at a place like Skippers Canteen I’m not just making him order from the kids menu to be cheap.
I wanted to bring this up because it is often brought up as a way to save on food or for people who have had bariatric surgery ect. And eat smaller portions. With a drink, this would have been a $20 meal. And I wasnt told the new pricing structure up front. It was after we had already given our order, as an oh by the way, nor was I told what the actual breakdown would be until I got the bill. To the person who commented about the dessert, that is one of the side options with the kids meal.
I also follow the Disney food blog, Dis and several Disney FB groups. So I consider myself fairly Disney Knowledgeable, but I haven’t seen this mentioned anywhere.

 

[georgina]

Sounds like a reasonable compromise price to me. i often order kids meals at QS places, I don't do it at TS restaurants but it would be nice if they offered smaller portions to everyone on an a la carte basis.

As a 60 years old I'm not comfortable asking for a kids meal at TS, if they just put smaller portions on the menu, would be nice. Would probably hurt their bottom line though as more people would eat less. They might also be healthier and waste less food!

 

[PrincessJazmin]

I think it’s completely fair to price the entree on its own at the menu price. Perhaps that’s an unpopular opinion, but offering a $13 four-ounce steak does not seem to me to be looking out for only their own financial interests.

Agree!

Perhaps menus will soon state "a la carte pricing for those over 9". I think it is a great idea, actually.

 

[TwoMisfits]

I also think it's reasonable, although it should probably be communicated somewhere on the menu now.

"For those 10+, kid meal entrees are available at the stated menu cost, but come with no included sides, drinks, or desserts. Instead, these kids' size sides, drinks, and desserts cost an additional $3 per selected menu option."

 

[PrincessJazmin]

Wow! So 10 year olds should be forced to eat adult portions and selections? I have some pretty picky kids. I’d be paying more for them to pick at or not eat their food. I pay those prices at the buffets, and prix fixe meals. But I also don’t choose to do many of those. My son has autism btw. So when I say he’s not going to eat adult entrees at a place like Skippers Canteen I’m not just making him order from the kids menu to be cheap.
I wanted to bring this up because it is often brought up as a way to save on food or for people who have had bariatric surgery ect. And eat smaller portions. With a drink, this would have been a $20 meal. And I wasnt told the new pricing structure up front. It was after we had already given our order, as an oh by the way, nor was I told what the actual breakdown would be until I got the bill. To the person who commented about the dessert, that is one of the side options with the kids meal.

Nobody is forcing anyone to eat an adult portion. Selection, possibly, but not portion.

 

[a1tinkfans]

And there are plenty of people that simply Can’t eat the adult portions for various reasons, so instead of throwing away food ( who is going to box up leftovers at a park anyway, Eek )
I’m rather Thankful they Allow Any person over their stated age(9?) to order the smaller size portion. I’ll pay whatever it costs, to accommodate that necessity for a family member.

Let’s face it, many order the child size Specifically for Cost Savings. Disney is happy to extend the menu to you, now, at a new Cost …and I say…. Ok.
Eventually the pricing will be standardized, sounds like they haven’t gotten there yet.