Does the food appear better because it's Disney??

[poohbear227]

Sort of an interesting question:

I will often hear people rant and rave about the food at Disney: the infamous tuna sandwich at CHH, the schoolbread in Norway, the steak at Le Cellier.....then we will go and try these things and while they are "good," I never find them to be "great" or overwhelmingly amazing or "the best ever". I often wonder if people are misled into thinking the food is amazing because of the way Disney presents it-in a beautifully themed restaurant in the heart of the "happiest place on earth."

Is it all an illusion because it's got a Disney tag hooked onto it, with all of the other things that Disney has to offer (theming, service, atmosphere)??

I wonder if you did a taste test of these foods, outside of WDW with no connection to WDW, would you still think these foods are amazing? If someone snuck a Le Cellier filet on your place at Applebees but didn't tell you it was from Le Cellier, would you still think it's the best steak ever?

Curious to know your thoughts on this....

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Most of the food would compare very poorly to food in the real world IMHO! That steak at LeCellier is a prime example. I don't think it's good at Disney and compared to what you get outside it shameful that Disney charges what they do for it.

 

[WDW*Dreamer]

EVERYTHING is better at Disney.....and that's OK!!!

 

[OhThePain]

I think a lot of it has to do with where you come from. I know living where I do, I can be spoiled with how good a lot of restaurants are around here, plus NYC is not a long drive/train ride to get to, which is a whole other beast on its own. While we find a lot of the things that get raved about to be between all right and awful, those who live in areas where they aren't flooded with restaurants everywhere will have a different outlook on things.

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

The tuna at CHH is good because of the multigrain bread it's on, IMO. My DH raved about the filet at Le Cellier stating it was the best he has ever eaten, I also had the filet and while really good, I felt the risotto was over seasoned with salt, but he ranted and raved about the filet the rest of our trip . . .I think it was all the beer he drank . . . He ranted and raved so much about it, I booked our Anniversary dinner there for this October . .he's extremely excited!

I used to really enjoy the burgers too, but the past trips we have had, they've been really overcooked and dry . . .

So, for me, the food isn't better just because you are at Disney World.

 

[chalee94]

some of it is because you are on vacation. some of it might be that you have been walking around for hours and you are HONGRY.

(some of it could actually be pretty good food.)

 

[doclegler]

some of it is because you are on vacation. some of it might be that you have been walking around for hours and you are HONGRY.

(some of it could actually be pretty good food.)

TOTALLY agree with that statement! After hours upon hours of walking, you are bound to be completely starving!
I do think it tastes better on vacation, b/c when you make the recipe at home (like 'Ohana bread pudding), its just not quite the same (although it does bring back some great memories!).

 

[sissy_ib]

I might be able to find better food and nicer restaurants at home but I am not really looking for them that much. When at WDW I am on vacation so I am looking to go out every night for a nice meal. CS is not great but it is better than I was expecting. We had a few excellent TS meals and a few so/so meals. For some people WDW restaurants may be the nicest places they eat at all year. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[JimmyV]

There are a couple of recent threads that discuss this at some length.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2732606

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2746477

 

[MisWal]

some of it is because you are on vacation. some of it might be that you have been walking around for hours and you are HONGRY.

(some of it could actually be pretty good food.)

Agree!

 

[kamik86]

I am from an area with very few restaurants. For example there is not a hibachi place near me (nearest is over an hour from my house) so I had never been to one before WDW. I cant think of a good Italian place, to even get to an Olive Garden means going an hour away.

The steak place I liked as a kid closed. Since then Le Cellier was the best steak I had until I went to Yacthsman's last year.

There are a few hotels that serve higher end things for special events and there may be one or two places in the city I work in (30 min from home but this I'm willing to do for a dinner out) but most of those are as expensive as Disney and when not on vacation I have trouble justifying that to myself when I might not like it (where at Disney I'm on vacation so I'm splurging and have plenty of budget so I don't mind)

 

[goofyintoronto]

Most of the food would compare very poorly to food in the real world IMHO! That steak at LeCellier is a prime example. I don't think it's good at Disney and compared to what you get outside it shameful that Disney charges what they do for it.

I agree with you about Le Cellier being a very good example....I was so looking forward to that meal cause everyone under the sun swore when you ate their steak, cheese soup, and bread, you'd have a magical out-of-body experience....and it was the best darn steak you'll ever have in your lifetime. Well guess what? I didnt like the cheese soup, i've had far better. Didnt care for the bread or the steak. I can get a much better meal in my hometown. But I will say that Disney does have a lot of unique dining experiences. Take Sci Fi for example. Where else can you dine with an atmosphere like that?

 

[poohbear227]

There are a couple of recent threads that discuss this at some length.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2732606

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2746477

Thanks, but those threads are not really the question I was posing.

I'm not asking if you regret going to any of these restaurants or which chain restaurant the food might compare to.

I'm asking do you think the "must eats amazing food" is only perceived by guests as amazing because of the marketing that WDW does to display the food-i.e. mediocre food surrounded by amazing theming, great service, magical atmosphere in the "happiest place on earth." If you took that same food and put it on a plate outside of it's element, would you still think it's so amazing tasting or is it just an illusion?

I don't regret any of these foods and I'm not complaining that we are getting screwed by eating mediocre food. We choose the restaurants FOR the theming and we are not foodies. I'm just curious about the perception of WDW food vs. the reality of it.

 

[smiths02]

The caramel apple that I had at Disneyland was the best I ever had. It was amazing to me.

A few other things are great to me b/c I either don't usually splurge (calorie wise or money wise) on those items at home. School bread in Norway was just a good donut (a Krispy Kreme is probably better), but compared to my usual Cliff bar for breakfast, it seems great. Another favorite of mine is a Dole Whip Float b/c it is good AND I can't get it anywhere else.

So those are more factors to me than that I am at Disney.

We have had lots of out of town visitors and eating out this month, so I am guessing that Disney won't seem as delicious in a few days.

 

[JimmyV]

Thanks, but those threads are not really the question I was posing.

I'm not asking if you regret going to any of these restaurants or which chain restaurant the food might compare to.

Don't be misled by the titles. If you read through those threads, the question you have posed is discussed at some length, even if only because of some thread drift. I'm simply suggesting some additional reading with lots of opinions. Often, people don't like to post the same thing over again within days of a prior post. So you might find some answers there. I promise you that a comparison of Disney food to "real world" food is discussed at length in both threads.

Also, (and perhaps more so than the "regret" thread), this thread discusses the topic and isn't 20 pages long!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2744374

 

[JMD]

I think there is definitely a bias towards the food in WDW. I think a large part of it, is people spend so much time planning and saving money, that they really want every part of their trip to be great, even the food. Some people will save and wait years to go to WDW. So its tough for people to be completely objective when they have so much invested in it.

That said, there is some really great food in WDW.

 

[yenlee]

Yes, everything is better in Disney. You got a problem with that?

For example, you may have pools in your part of the country. My guess is that your kids have more fun at the pool at Disney (regardless of "water features"). You probably have bicycles where you live, but riding your bike at a Disney resort is just more fun. And going to sleep at night? Waaay better at Disney.

Slightly more seriously, a lot of things at Disney are exciting partly because we do not have constant access to them. That's why the most "famous" of Disney food items or Disney treats are in some way unique, like zebra domes and Dole whips. Is the Dole whip really such an amazing dessert? Not really. But it *is* pretty tasty, and you cannot get it anywhere else. It's the same as getting excited about visiting Boston so that you can have good clam chowder.

Psychology and personality definitely affect how we experience food. For some people, getting excited about eating at Disney, or even at Expensive Famous Restaurant X for a special occasion, will enhance the entire experience and bias them toward liking things more than they would otherwise. But for other people, if something is built up by others, part of their brain wants to tear it down and say, "Oh, I had it and it wasn't all that." Prices can also have a strong effect on experiences: For some people, seeing high prices on a menu will make them so unhappy that they cannot properly enjoy their meal. My father, for example, would never rave about an expensive meal no matter how good it is. I think that this is one of the many reasons DDP is a smart business decision: It turns the psychology of high prices on its head. High menu prices then make cheapskates happy about what a good deal they're getting, which makes the food seem to taste better.

But there are limits to psychology. So to answer OP's original question, would I be pleasantly surprised if I got Disney food at Applebee's? Absolutely. Taste buds can lie a little, but they can't lie a lot.

 

[jrtoastyman]

Sort of an interesting question:

I will often hear people rant and rave about the food at Disney: the infamous tuna sandwich at CHH, the schoolbread in Norway, the steak at Le Cellier.....then we will go and try these things and while they are "good," I never find them to be "great" or overwhelmingly amazing or "the best ever". I often wonder if people are misled into thinking the food is amazing because of the way Disney presents it-in a beautifully themed restaurant in the heart of the "happiest place on earth."

Is it all an illusion because it's got a Disney tag hooked onto it, with all of the other things that Disney has to offer (theming, service, atmosphere)??

I wonder if you did a taste test of these foods, outside of WDW with no connection to WDW, would you still think these foods are amazing? If someone snuck a Le Cellier filet on your place at Applebees but didn't tell you it was from Le Cellier, would you still think it's the best steak ever?

Curious to know your thoughts on this....

Absolutely. That has to be the explanation, because the food at most places, objectively, is nothing special. They do a great job with the atmosphere, but Disney is in the business of serving unoffensive food to thousands upon thousands of people per day, and that's what it tastes like. I think it's easy to get wrapped up in where you are and what you're doing, but after you've been a few times, it's easier to strip that away and see the food for what it is, and what it is is average.

It always cracks me up a bit to see threads on here where people are whipping themselves into a lather over which ADRs to get, and I always think to myself, "you know, if you realized you were essentially trying to decide whether to eat at Applebees or Olive Garden, would you really be that stressed about it?"

Of course, that's not entirely fair because it's not just about the food itself at Disney and there ARE some great places, but for all of the gushing that goes on about Disney's food, you'd think it might, you know, taste better.

 

[LeahA]

I think because your on vacation, going out to eat everyday is a treat! I have had alot of mediocre meals at Disney, but I would take a mediocre meal at Disney over a good meal at home anyday!

 

[doclegler]

I am from an area with very few restaurants. For example there is not a hibachi place near me (nearest is over an hour from my house) so I had never been to one before WDW. I cant think of a good Italian place, to even get to an Olive Garden means going an hour away.

Once again, I can totally relate! We have a Subway, Pizza Hut and Taco Johns in my small town, and NO other chain restaurants or good family places. I also have to drive an hour to have Olive Garden or anything else above average, so I really understand.
WDW food it a wonderful "vacation" from the YUCK I can get at home. Even if is was WDW YUCK, I'd still like it more than my own town's YUCK.