Do You Think the DDP has...

[Mamu]

effects the quality of food that Disney Serves?

I know I feel my last few trips I have notices some of our favorite restaurants have gone downhill.

I still enjoy the signature restaurants, but have found some of the restaurants we loved, we will not be returning too. Sometimes too much of a supposedly "good think" isn't so good after all. (At least not for the vacationer) Limited choices, lots of food, none of it very good. My next trip may be mostly counter serve, finding the food to be just as good as some of the table serve restaurants.

Do you think the DDP has changed what restaurants serve, how it's prepared and it quality?

 

[Hopefully]

We (DH, DadultS and I) have been to WDW many times, both before and with the DDP. We have used the DDP the last 3 trips and I have enjoyed it. I am a planner and so making ADR's is not a problem for me. I personally like the idea of everything being "prepaid".
That said, I personally think the DDP has negatively impacted the overall dining experience at Disney. I think many menus have become way too limited to accomodate the dining plan. I am willing to pay more for more choice, and this is not the case now.
I am ambivalent, but over all I think the plan has had a negative impact. I would like to see things more like they were.

 

[bicker]

I wonder to what extent these changes wouldn't have happened anyway. I see the same kinds of changes happening at our local restaurants: Fewer choices, fewer exotic choices, etc. I think the realization may have been that while big menus with lots of different ingredients are cool, patrons order a pretty limited set of thing, generally, and the number of guests who order would go somewhere else because the menu is more limited is so small that they don't amount to as much money as the restaurant could save by having fewer ingredients and fewer menu items, which many restaurant industry magazines over the last three years have been highlighting as the best ways of increasing profitability of your restaurant.

 

[Uncleromulus]

My best recollection is that WDW menus have never been what you would call extensive. One page affairs mostly, even at the Signature restaurants.
I am sure Disney is interested in the collective profit from their restaurants, but who knows exactly what that is?? Or what they consider acceptable?? And if one (or six) lose $$, it can be "covered" by the WDW profit generally, so no restaurant need go out of business.. as would happen here at home if a place continued to lose money.
I recall somewhere that the actual profit from running a restaurant is quite low--any restauranter's out there know for sure??
Anyway--the original question about quality of food going downhill--I don't think so, at least at the Signature restaurants.

 

[jonimce]

Just returned from 10 days on the DDP and we noticed a change. We always use dinning but now that it is more affordable and more popular there have been many changes. And not all of these are bad. For instance, while waiting for our ADR's we noticed less crouds waiting for tables. I think this is because they are turning away all or most walk ups. Some portion sizes have changed and some choices have changed. Having been in the business for over 30 years, the limited menu benifets everyone. The kitchens can serve much faster and better quilty food than if they have extensive menus.

I think Disney's main objective here, is to get all of their guests to stay, eat and play on property and I believe they are doing just that. We will always use the dinning plans.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

Let's just say we have as many off-site restaurants as on property planned for this trip.

 

[Leota]

I think there has been a negative impact from DDP. I'm don't think keeping a somewhat limited menu is a bad thing, as long as it's not a "dumbed down" or inferior foods menu. There are plenty of different restaurants which can offer a variety of tastes. If you don't like exotic foods, don't go to a restaurant that specializes in those foods, go to one that specializes in Home cooking or American cuisine. But, it seems the menus are being impacted by DDP at some places. As long as they don't mess with our favs (most of which are signature or not on the plan)

Where I see the impact is in service, in mood (crowded, rushed, loud) and in spontaneity. Gone are the days of deciding at the last minute you're in the mood for Crystal Palace or LeCellier. Some of that is due to DDP & frankly, some of that is due to the info at your fingertips world of the internet. It seems to me that we assign cult status to certain dining experiences here on the DIS & other WDW fan boards.