Cost of Kosher meals at Tony's Town Square

[MalkaR]

I'm trying to convince DH to do a dinner on our night out while my mom is watching the kids. Thing is, we'd have to order kosher meals. I think that Tony's looks cute, so I made an ADR and called to order kosher meals. Thing is, they had no idea about the price, other than it tended to be about the price of an average item at each location. I've found only a few pictures of the food online, and they don't look very impressive, so DH doesn't want to spend an inordinate amount on the little airline meals. Does anyone know how much the kosher meals cost at sit-down restaurants?

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

I don't know for sure but I would take the average cost of entrees at each restaurant you're considering and that will most likely be your price. Helpful, right? I just can't imagine Disney charging huge sums of money on a kosher meal. It's the same thing more or less as special order allergy meals. Disney just isn't going to take advantage of dietary restrictions/special needs that are within reason.

Kosher or no, I would recommend choosing a different restaurant. You're probably going to get what your husband figures from Tony's.

 

[MalkaR]

I don't know for sure but I would take the average cost of entrees at each restaurant you're considering and that will most likely be your price. Helpful, right? I just can't imagine Disney charging huge sums of money on a kosher meal. It's the same thing more or less as special order allergy meals. Disney just isn't going to take advantage of dietary restrictions/special needs that are within reason.

Kosher or no, I would recommend choosing a different restaurant. You're probably going to get what your husband figures from Tony's.

I checked the entrees at Tony's and they look to be between $20 and $30. When I ordered the kosher meals, they told me that it's the same meals, no matter which table-service restaurant you choose, so choosing a different restaurant wouldn't get us different or better food. I'm not looking for super fancy, but hopefully Tony's is kind of nice.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

I wonder if this is true of the signatures as well? For that kind of money I certainly hope the chefs could do better. It might be worth looking into.

 

[wilkeliza]

I wonder if this is true of the signatures as well? For that kind of money I certainly hope the chefs could do better. It might be worth looking into.

Doesn't matter where you order all kosher meals at Disney are prepared off site and brought over. No kitchen at Disney is kosher but each table service maintains what they have to in order to keep the food kosher. The entrees are usually between 20-25 unless you are at an all you care to eat or dinner show where you pay the flat fee price for only one serving. This seems to be where Disney gets their Kosher meals from http://www.webermanfoods.com/

I've heard there is a great kosher restaurant near property but although we are Jewish we don't keep kosher so have never gone looking for it.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

From what I've heard, your expectations for a Disney kosher meal should be subterranean.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

Doesn't matter where you order all kosher meals at Disney are prepared off site and brought over. No kitchen at Disney is kosher but each table service maintains what they have to in order to keep the food kosher. The entrees are usually between 20-25 unless you are at an all you care to eat or dinner show where you pay the flat fee price for only one serving. This seems to be where Disney gets their Kosher meals from http://www.webermanfoods.com/

I've heard there is a great kosher restaurant near property but although we are Jewish we don't keep kosher so have never gone looking for it.

Well that's just.....depressing. I can understand QS being this way, even most table service, but with enough advance warning it seems to me that the chefs at the signatures could handle preparing a kosher meal.

I guess there is always the chance of accidental contamination in a kitchen that primarily prepares non kosher food. It's just Disney covering their butts.

 

[wilkeliza]

Well that's just.....depressing. I can understand QS being this way, even most table service, but with enough advance warning it seems to me that the chefs at the signatures could handle preparing a kosher meal.

I guess there is always the chance of accidental contamination in a kitchen that primarily prepares non kosher food. It's just Disney covering their butts.

Kosher meals aren't as easy as just preparing kosher meat or whatever. The entire kitchen must be kosher and that would mean a ton of money. Most kosher homes have 2 stoves because of the amount of time needed between cooking a meat dish and a dairy dish etc. You have to deep clean things that have touched unclean foods (pork, shellfish, etc) and set them aside for a time before you are able to use them for kosher foods. It isn't as easy as just making sure there is no cross contamination with unkosher meats. It even goes down to the distributor for the meat as true kosher needs kosher meat as well as kosher preparation.

 

[MalkaR]

As wilkeliza says, it's all very complicated and I understand that they can't make kosher meals there. It's different than allergy-friendly meals because cross contamination is only a very small part of kosher. Any ingredient other than fresh uncooked fruits and veggies must be purchased from a vendor that has a kosher certification. Meat products and dairy products must be kept and cooked separately, to the extent of all having two sets of utensils and cooking implements like pots and pans, and must even be washed separately. Some people will eat things that have an extremely low chance of having contacted non-kosher foods or utensils, but people who keep strictly kosher will only eat from certified kosher kitchens. For example, I'll eat the Disney World popcorn because the kernels and flavoring/popping oil is certified kosher, but I know people who wouldn't be comfortable even with that because perhaps the utensils or machine were washed with a sponge or hot water from something that wasn't kosher. Others will eat cooked vegetarian food from a non-kosher restaurant, but I wouldn't be comfortable with that because the pots/pans/utensils the food was cooked in have been used to cook non-kosher food, and ingredients may not be certified kosher, like cheeses, sauces, seasonings, etc. I know this is really long, but I just wanted to attempt to explain why cooking kosher in a non-kosher kitchen is nearly impossible, and I don't blame Disney or a chef for not attempting it.

 

[lullwater]

Often only high-end hotels such as The Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton have kosher certified kitchens; however, these are used only for large events and banquets, not on a daily basis. It makes sense for a variety of reasons that Disney would contract the meals to an offsite purveyor with a history and understanding of the kosher tradition such as Webermans. So much more to kosher than just an image or label.

 

[Keels]

@SarahDisney is incredibly versed on kosher dining at Disney - she wrote about it quite a bit in her trip report from Marathon Weekend in January. I've tagged her so hopefully she will pop in and give you advice/suggestions!

 

[MalkaR]

@SarahDisney is incredibly versed on kosher dining at Disney - she wrote about it quite a bit in her trip report from Marathon Weekend in January. I've tagged her so hopefully she will pop in and give you advice/suggestions!

Thank you!

 

[SarahDisney]

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, @Keels - hopefully I can help.

We've done buffet (in which you get one kosher meal, but also have access to the buffet) and a la carte meals. For the buffets, you pay the regular buffet price. For the a la carte, you pay based on what you get, but it should be the same price at any restaurant.

Based on what I remember, the entrees are about $20-$25 each. I don't know the prices for appetizers or desserts, since we rarely get those, but I'm guessing they're cheaper than the entrees. How much cheaper I don't know.
(The quick service kosher food, if you're planning to do any of that, is about $8-$10 per entree last I checked).

The food is nothing to write home about, but it's decent. If you take into account the fact that it's Disney and the general price of kosher food, I'd say you get close to what you pay for. It's not going to be the best meal you've ever had, but if you're interested in a sit down meal, I'd say it's worth it.

As @wilkeliza mentioned above, the kosher meals come from Weberman's. As of my last visit, they were OU certified. They bring the food out to you double wrapped, and it comes with silverware (also wrapped). If you have any questions about the kosher food, you can always ask to speak to a chef.

I hope this helps!

 

[MalkaR]

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, @Keels - hopefully I can help.

We've done buffet (in which you get one kosher meal, but also have access to the buffet) and a la carte meals. For the buffets, you pay the regular buffet price. For the a la carte, you pay based on what you get, but it should be the same price at any restaurant.

Based on what I remember, the entrees are about $20-$25 each. I don't know the prices for appetizers or desserts, since we rarely get those, but I'm guessing they're cheaper than the entrees. How much cheaper I don't know.
(The quick service kosher food, if you're planning to do any of that, is about $8-$10 per entree last I checked).

The food is nothing to write home about, but it's decent. If you take into account the fact that it's Disney and the general price of kosher food, I'd say you get close to what you pay for. It's not going to be the best meal you've ever had, but if you're interested in a sit down meal, I'd say it's worth it.

As @wilkeliza mentioned above, the kosher meals come from Weberman's. As of my last visit, they were OU certified. They bring the food out to you double wrapped, and it comes with silverware (also wrapped). If you have any questions about the kosher food, you can always ask to speak to a chef.

I hope this helps!

Thank you so much for answering me. I really appreciate it. I just read the trip report that Keels linked to and loved it! Also, how long do you typically have to wait for your kosher meals to be ready? I'm wondering how much time to budget for the meal at Tony's.

 

[SarahDisney]

Thank you so much for answering me. I really appreciate it. I just read the trip report that Keels linked to and loved it! Also, how long do you typically have to wait for your kosher meals to be ready? I'm wondering how much time to budget for the meal at Tony's.

Thank you for your kind words!
It probably takes around 10-15 minutes for the meals to be ready, sometimes a little less. Since you have to order the food in advance, they can start reheating it as soon as you check in ... you don't have to waste time looking at menus and ordering food.
Meals usually take us about an hour or so, a little longer if we eat slowly. I'd budget 1.5 hours just to be safe, but don't be surprised if it only takes an hour.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

As wilkeliza says, it's all very complicated and I understand that they can't make kosher meals there. It's different than allergy-friendly meals because cross contamination is only a very small part of kosher. Any ingredient other than fresh uncooked fruits and veggies must be purchased from a vendor that has a kosher certification. Meat products and dairy products must be kept and cooked separately, to the extent of all having two sets of utensils and cooking implements like pots and pans, and must even be washed separately. Some people will eat things that have an extremely low chance of having contacted non-kosher foods or utensils, but people who keep strictly kosher will only eat from certified kosher kitchens. For example, I'll eat the Disney World popcorn because the kernels and flavoring/popping oil is certified kosher, but I know people who wouldn't be comfortable even with that because perhaps the utensils or machine were washed with a sponge or hot water from something that wasn't kosher. Others will eat cooked vegetarian food from a non-kosher restaurant, but I wouldn't be comfortable with that because the pots/pans/utensils the food was cooked in have been used to cook non-kosher food, and ingredients may not be certified kosher, like cheeses, sauces, seasonings, etc. I know this is really long, but I just wanted to attempt to explain why cooking kosher in a non-kosher kitchen is nearly impossible, and I don't blame Disney or a chef for not attempting it.

Not long at all. Though I wasn't much help to you, I'm glad I participated in this thread. I find it all quite interesting, and I learned something new today. I knew a bit about kosher food preparation, but not very much. All the Jewish friends I've ever had don't keep kosher, so it's an interesting aspect of the religion I've never been exposed to.

 

[Keels]

Thanks for your help, @SarahDisney!! I knew you would be the gal with all the answers!

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

I'm going to chime in from left field and just say "Yay" to this great question. I don't keep kosher, but it's nice to know the option's there. Though I am a little surprised Disney doesn't have an on-site kashered/supervised kitchen facility of its own.

 

[chartle]

I'm going to chime in from left field and just say "Yay" to this great question. I don't keep kosher, but it's nice to know the option's there. Though I am a little surprised Disney doesn't have an on-site kashered/supervised kitchen facility of its own.

Assuming cost but it would just create the exact same prepackaged food as is created offsite.

There really isn't the incentive, since if say it costs $2 more for offsite food, its just easier to pass that cost along to the consumer.

Its not like they can set up a central kitchen thats going to make and deliver freshly made food to all the sitdowns on property.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Assuming cost but it would just create the exact same prepackaged food as is created offsite.

There really isn't the incentive, since if say it costs $2 more for offsite food, its just easier to pass that cost along to the consumer.

Its not like they can set up a central kitchen thats going to make and deliver freshly made food to all the sitdowns on property.

Of course they can set up such a kitchen. That's exactly what the offsite catering service is. A single, offsite kitchen that service he kosher-meal needs of all eateries at Walt Disney World. That's why you have to schedule the meals in advance. It would make no difference if Disney operated the the kitchen except that you would have an opportunity for your meal to be better theme to the Disney restaurant in which you're eating.

It would (and does already, actually) work the exact same way as scheduling kosher meals in advance from whatever singular supervised kitchen exists in some cities across the country when you have a work event and your regular caterer or nearby food establishment can't provide kosher options. In fact, here in Chicago, essentially a single major caterer in the northern suburbs (and a couple of much smaller options in the West Loop) covers most such needs for downtown Chicago. One kitchen serving a vast area, and you have to schedule your meal in advance.

When you keep kosher, you are solidly used to paying more for kosher meal options, kosher groceries, all kosher food in general. Not just because in instances like these the food has to arrive from somewhere offsite, but much more because the massive supervision, methods, and rituals that are involved in the processing and supply of food that follows the Jewish dietary guidelines add a significant amount to the cost. Guests who keep kosher are already paying this premium for their kosher meals. The same supervision, etc., costs would accrue weather Disney operated the kitchen or the offsite catering did.

The real only additional cost if Disney operated its own kosher kitchen on site would be the construction cost of the kitchen, itself. There really wouldn't be any other costs to pass along to the consumer. That's why I think it's surprising that Disney doesn't do this already. They would still be able to charge a premium for guests who follow kashrut, and they would be able to offer those guests kosher food with a tighter, more focused, more Disney culinary theme.