Chefs de France on the dining plan

[proteus]

Is it true that during the free dining period in August and September the portions are smaller and they substitute with lower cost fare that isn't as good?

 

[aubriee]

Is it true that during the free dining period in August and September the portions are smaller and they substitute with lower cost fare that isn't as good?

Not true at all. Alot of people here on the DIS try to blame the DDP every time a restaurant changes it's menu. I usually go to WDW every Sept, Dec, and May and sometimes even sneak an extra trip in in Oct or Jan. Menus change all the time and have nothing to do with the DDP. For example last Sept during the free dining I ordered the duck at Chefs de France, but the day I went back in May, duck was off the menu again. I understand it is now back on the menu again. A couple of years ago that same duck was not on the menu during the free dining period. Chefs change and depending on the seasons the available foods change. I'm really hoping that tuna with fried green tomatoes is available at Konas in Sept, but know that it will be the wrong season for green tomatoes, so will understand if it's not available. Chef's de France has a berry clauftis that I've had in the past that is absolutely wonderful, but I know it may or may not be available when I go in Sept.

As far as portion size goes, I've never noticed them changing during the free dining period and this upcoming trip will be the fourth time we've used free dining. I expect to get the same size portions I did on my Dec and May trips.
People will also try to tell you the service is worse for people on the DDP. Again that's not true. We've never noticed a difference in the service and we go several times a year.

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

I shouldnt tell my secret but this place is FANTASTIC. We ate there last year for the first time and it was the best meal of the trip. We had a large grand gathering and my cousin chose this place. WOW was it good. We had a very friendly waitress who offered suggestions on what to order. The favorties of our group were:

The onion and bacon tart
cheese plate
The fiet of beef with cheese potatoes and green beans (loved this)
duck with sweet potatoes
scallops and shrimp on a skor
kids hamburer platter (disappeared in a flash 2 mini burgers with fries)
sorbet with elephant ear
vanilla creme brulee

We didnt like:
Lobster soup
puffs of chocolate (may have just been me)

We are all returning here this year also. And we cant wait!!!!

 

[Luv2Roam]

I have read bad reviews of Chefs. However I have never had a bad meal or service there. We do not hesitate to eat at Chefs.
Although I do wish they would bring back the human statues in France.

Adding: The last time I was there I had the mac and cheese. It was good. But not as good as it use to be. Hard to say if I just was there on an off mac and cheese day. It did inspire me to make my own at home using the cheese they use.

 

[Brian Noble]

If you've been to France, I'd compare it to a pretty decent (but not outstanding) French bistro/cafe. What's neat about it for me is that they hit the atmosphere of such a place absolutely spot-on. The only flaw is that the drink prices on the chalkboard menus are in dollars, not euros (or, for you old-timers, francs).

I would say that the service I've had there was a bit more chatty/chummy than one might expect to find in France, but that's more a function of the individuals we had---in both cases, they seemed relatively new, and eager to share their culture. It probably helped that my wife speaks a smattering of French.

On our most recent visit, we split the goat cheese salad (excellent). I had the lamb shank---it was wonderful, cooked slowly, very flavorful, but not what I'd call light. My (not entirely adventurous) wife had the chicken, and thought it was good. Desserts were a strawberry cake (not on the current menu) and the profiteroles. We each had an apertif, plus I had a glass of wine. Total (with DDE) was right around $100 plus a bit, which struck us as pretty reasonable.

Our server did disappear between the main course and dessert for a while, but as we were in no hurry and enjoying a leisurely dinner, this was okay with us---much better than the usual sit-down-eat-get-out rush that Disney restaurants put one through.

 

[luckytobeme88]

We ate there this past July. Everything was great given that it was our first time. The food was absolutely delicious; how a glitch of service at the end of our meal. A small flame nevertheless....
Our tip was automatically figured/added in because we had 11 people. No big deal. One of us charged the tip backed to the KTTW card. The server returned and proclaimed that the card didn't work. We had 3 rooms for 11 pp with DlxDDP, but he said all 3 rooms' KTTW cards would not allow him to run the tips. OMG... so we pooled our cash together to pay the tip which was liked $65.00 +/- We came up 3 dollars short of the 18% tip. We thought that it would be fine. The server clearly think not. He wanted the 3 dollars no matter what. What an ending to a wonderful meal! Luckily, one of us has a credit card, so he charged the whole tip to his card. I know, I know, it is mandatory tip if your party consists of more than 6 pp. It is still a good 17.5% tip, isn't it? But the impression of our server's service tarnishes forever..
Will have dinner there again in November, but this time there's only 3 of us. I wouldn't be worried about the auto 18% tip. I could tip more or less or whatever I like.

 

[LisaInNc]

One of us charged the tip backed to the KTTW card. The server returned and proclaimed that the card didn't work. We had 3 rooms for 11 pp with DlxDDP, but he said all 3 rooms' KTTW cards would not allow him to run the tips. OMG... so we pooled our cash together to pay the tip which was liked $65.00 +/- We came up 3 dollars short of the 18% tip. We thought that it would be fine. The server clearly think not. He wanted the 3 dollars no matter what. What an ending to a wonderful meal! Luckily, one of us has a credit card, so he charged the whole tip to his card.

I would have asked for a manager in a heartbeat! I am going to guess HE would have been able to get those cards to work!

 

[luckytobeme88]

Thinking back after the fact, we should have ask to speak to the manager. But since one of us has a credit card for the tip, we kind of let this one go. BUT what if we didn't have any credit card or cash on any of us? Will the server lock us up in the kitchen?? There's nothing wrong with our KTTW cards(all 11 of them) We didn't have any problem charging a drink from the French bakery right after we left the restaurant