Earl of Sandwich

[ExPirateShopGirl]

I guess value means something different to everyone. To me, a $19 meal that doesn't satisfy is not a good value, even if I prepaid roughly $12 for the $19 meal. I won't even address the over-priced nature of the $19...

By way of contrast, if I prepay that same $12 and get a meal that can be bought with cash for $10 but is satisfying, that's a good value. As far as EOS not being the same as WDW counter service, I agree. The fact it's a chain has no bearing to me. One likes what is served or they don't. WDW counter service usually gives you 4-6 choices, max. Some are better than others. I have yet to find a WDW counter service that serves a tuna melt as tasty as EOS, though. I've used the DDP 3 times, once paid for. The DDP is an excellent value. Some meals will cost more, others less... in the end, you're still saving a lot of money. I don't have the time or the energy to maximize the plan to its fullest dollar extent... other than snagging extra bananas at the buffets... to me, that makes a $28 buffet meal a good value

I think I said that... I'm not impressed with EOS and never have been. It's a chain sandwich shop, like Panera and Corner Bakery, and their prices are about the same (though the selection is not as good as either stop nor is the food as good.) It's not the equivelant to a counter service in a theme park and can't really be compared to that - it's a chain restaurant in a public shopping center.

It's not a good value when I can also go to, for example, Tangierine Cafe and get a $14 platter, a $2.50 drink, and $2.50 dessert. That's a $19 value and it's not a chain sandwich. While at EOS, I got a $5 sandwich, $2 dessert, and $1.75 drink. They won't even let me get a bottle of water like other spots. So the max value they will allow is $9.75 IF I buy the salad instead of a sandwich.

If you're paying OOP for the DDP, you may not find that less than $10 is worth using a CS credit for. Which is why I don't consider it to be a great value. We only went there as a way to use up credits on our last day; sandwiches are easy to carry onto the plane. =)

(I didn't eat chicken fingers or hot dogs all week - and had just one burger in 9 days. I had some GREAT counter service meals while I was there. EOS is not the only spot offering something different than chicken fingers and burgers)

 

[Aimeedyan]

I guess value means something different to everyone. To me, a $19 meal that doesn't satisfy is not a good value, even if I prepaid roughly $12 for the $19 meal. I won't even address the over-priced nature of the $19...

By way of contrast, if I prepay that same $12 and get a meal that can be bought with cash for $10 but is satisfying, that's a good value. As far as EOS not being the same as WDW counter service, I agree. The fact it's a chain has no bearing to me. One likes what is served or they don't. WDW counter service usually gives you 4-6 choices, max. Some are better than others. I have yet to find a WDW counter service that serves a tuna melt as tasty as EOS, though. I've used the DDP 3 times, once paid for. The DDP is an excellent value. Some meals will cost more, others less... in the end, you're still saving a lot of money. I don't have the time or the energy to maximize the plan to its fullest dollar extent... other than snagging extra bananas at the buffets... to me, that makes a $28 buffet meal a good value

I agree, value is considered differently by different people. The food at Tangerine Cafe is worlds above the sandwiches at EOS IMO so obviously, I find the value to be much better at Tangerine.

If I thought EOS was that good, I probably would have a different opinion. I just think it's fine, it's sandwiches, and nothing special. Fine to take on a plane but am glad we chose to have a "real meal" at WPE that day instead. LOL

(I think the DDP is a great value overall and we didn't pay any attention to prices and trying to maximize it but we went during free dining. Since we receive other great discounts that can't be combined with DDP, we'll never get it unless we do free dining with a value resort again. I think those that can purchase it as getting a great bang for their buck!)

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

The funny part about this is... WPE is also a chain and located in airports... go figure!

I agree, value is considered differently by different people. The food at Tangerine Cafe is worlds above the sandwiches at EOS IMO so obviously, I find the value to be much better at Tangerine.

If I thought EOS was that good, I probably would have a different opinion. I just think it's fine, it's sandwiches, and nothing special. Fine to take on a plane but am glad we chose to have a "real meal" at WPE that day instead. LOL

(I think the DDP is a great value overall and we didn't pay any attention to prices and trying to maximize it but we went during free dining. Since we receive other great discounts that can't be combined with DDP, we'll never get it unless we do free dining with a value resort again. I think those that can purchase it as getting a great bang for their buck!)

 

[HopperFan]

I believe the sign said you could get:

One sandwich or One large salad ($4.95 value)
One Fountain Drink ($1.75 value)
One Cookie or Brownie (@ $1.49 value)

We paid OOP, didn't make sense to use a CS credit there.

Sandwiches were good and plenty filling without any dessert. I had the Earl Club and loved it

 

[Momto8]

(I didn't eat chicken fingers or hot dogs all week - and had just one burger in 9 days. I had some GREAT counter service meals while I was there. EOS is not the only spot offering something different than chicken fingers and burgers)

Most of the different counter service offerings are in WS in Epcot. I haven't found too much of a selection at the other parks, well maybe AK. Because we had 4 small grandchildren with us (3, 2, 1 and 8 months), we didn't spend much time at WS (we did Food & Wine Festival one afternoon). We didn't have much of a choice in the other parks, mostly burgers, hot dogs and chicken strips. We did get pizza and salads but Disney's pizzas aren't too good. We also split a 1/2 rotisserie chicken at Tusker House. That was good. We wouldn't eat outside because of the love bugs, so that narrowed our choices down some more. Another problem we have is my husband is intolerant to a lot of different foods and is also lactose intolerant. He gets sick very easy if he eats spicey food or certain kinds of meat like lamb (he loves lamb too) or pot roast or when he has barbeque. Forget Mexican food. He has to be very careful of what he eats. He can't ever have ice cream and a lot of other desserts that have milk/cream in it. If he does have a few spoonfuls, he pays for it later!

On our last day, we went to DD. I had 1 CS left and we grabbed a quick sandwich to share and eat in the car on our way home. I just thought it tasted so good and was a welcome change from the other fast food. I had the Full Montagu. But to each their own.

I've never eaten at Tangierine before. Is their food spicey? I have a feeling that this is one of those places where my husband wouldn't be able to tolerate their food, though.

 

[carolinagirl]

Just ate at EOS on Friday, 9/29. We thought the sandwiches were delish! Probably our second favorite CS (after Yakitori House).

There was a gentleman going down the line answering questions about DDP. I mentioned that we had 2 Adults and 2 Kids.....he told me the kids could order any sandwich on the menu. His exact words were "It's all the same to us". So DD ordered the Hawaiian BBQ Sandwich and LOVED it.

I asked him if EOS was going to participate in the DDP next year. His reply was "Absolutely. It's big business for us".

You get a sandwich, chips or dessert, and a fountain soda. We were allowed to choose any dessert on the menu. I had a brownie, DD got chips, DS got a huge "cupcake", and DH got bread pudding.

The sandwiches here are awesome! Everyone one of us was pleased. DS and I had to take our desserts with us because we were full from the sandwiches. They are packaged well, so taking back to the room was no problem. I recommend it wholeheartedly!

 

[Aimeedyan]

Most of the different counter service offerings are in WS in Epcot. I haven't found too much of a selection at the other parks, well maybe AK. Because we had 4 small grandchildren with us (3, 2, 1 and 8 months), we didn't spend much time at WS (we did Food & Wine Festival one afternoon). We didn't have much of a choice in the other parks, mostly burgers, hot dogs and chicken strips. We did get pizza and salads but Disney's pizzas aren't too good. We also split a 1/2 rotisserie chicken at Tusker House. That was good. We wouldn't eat outside because of the love bugs, so that narrowed our choices down some more. Another problem we have is my husband is intolerant to a lot of different foods and is also lactose intolerant. He gets sick very easy if he eats spicey food or certain kinds of meat like lamb (he loves lamb too) or pot roast or when he has barbeque. Forget Mexican food. He has to be very careful of what he eats. He can't ever have ice cream and a lot of other desserts that have milk/cream in it. If he does have a few spoonfuls, he pays for it later!

On our last day, we went to DD. I had 1 CS left and we grabbed a quick sandwich to share and eat in the car on our way home. I just thought it tasted so good and was a welcome change from the other fast food. I had the Full Montagu. But to each their own.

I've never eaten at Tangierine before. Is their food spicey? I have a feeling that this is one of those places where my husband wouldn't be able to tolerate their food, though.

Tangierine is very good - I don't do anything hot and spicy and nothing is spicy. All of it uses spices for flavoring but nothing hot. It's excellent, fresh, large portions and very good. My fave is the lamb, though their vegetarian platter is excellent! This coming from a true meat lover. Here is their menu: http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/men_tg.htm

At MK, Columbia Harbour House is a hidden gem. It's a two story, air conditioned counter service with ample seating in a nice environment. They have clam chowder, tuna sandwiches, fish baskets, hummus sandwiches, etc. I loved their tuna sandwich and DH loved the ham. Here is their menu http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/men_chh.htm. You should check it out next time you're at MK. No reason to eat burgers and hot dogs!

AK has two great options; Tusker House has a full kitchen in the back serving up fresh chicken and salmon. They have ample air conditioned seating as well. Flame Tree of course is outside seating but supposed to be good food; not the usual junk.

Epcot is chocked full of great air conditioned spots, of course.

MGM is truly the only park in which we don't bother with CS. Just not worth the effort, LOL!

I don't do fast food well for days on end. I have health issues (crohn's) and plain get sick of it. We really strive to stick to better cs options when we go. Only burger we had was at Pecos Bill and it was gross. Guess that taught us! =)

 

[klineyqueen]

We were there in Sept. and the cashier was extremely grouchy about the dining plan, and almost gleeful about our choice limitations. The sandwiches were good, but I was disappointed with the attitude.

On our last trip there my DH and I both got the same impression!!! That was the only place that we felt that way.

 

[midge3426]

We ate at EOS on 9/29 and were told, quite rudely, that we could get a sandwich, a fountain drink, and a dessert. The lady at the register was extremely rude. I watched her with other people and I was waiting for her to sock someone. We complained to the manager because her rudeness had gone beyond a bad day kind of rudeness. The manager was very nice and said she would definitely speak to her.

I thought the sandwiches were good, but I also do not think they were a good use of DDP.

WPE on the other hand, was fabulous. I had the Rosemary Chicken and it melted in my mouth. I highly recommend this establishment.

Also try WPC for a dinner. It was absolutely divine and the service was excellent.

 

[Momto8]

Tangierine is very good - I don't do anything hot and spicy and nothing is spicy. All of it uses spices for flavoring but nothing hot. It's excellent, fresh, large portions and very good. My fave is the lamb, though their vegetarian platter is excellent! This coming from a true meat lover. Here is their menu: http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/men_tg.htm

At MK, Columbia Harbour House is a hidden gem. It's a two story, air conditioned counter service with ample seating in a nice environment. They have clam chowder, tuna sandwiches, fish baskets, hummus sandwiches, etc. I loved their tuna sandwich and DH loved the ham. Here is their menu http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/men_chh.htm. You should check it out next time you're at MK. No reason to eat burgers and hot dogs!

AK has two great options; Tusker House has a full kitchen in the back serving up fresh chicken and salmon. They have ample air conditioned seating as well. Flame Tree of course is outside seating but supposed to be good food; not the usual junk.

Epcot is chocked full of great air conditioned spots, of course.

MGM is truly the only park in which we don't bother with CS. Just not worth the effort, LOL!

I don't do fast food well for days on end. I have health issues (crohn's) and plain get sick of it. We really strive to stick to better cs options when we go. Only burger we had was at Pecos Bill and it was gross. Guess that taught us! =)

We eat at Columbia Harbor House every time we go to WDW because we think their food is good. However, I usually don't get the clam chowder, because every time we eat there it's usually too hot for soup. Last week we split the chicken strips and fish combo. Forget the fries. I'm not crazy about Disney's fries, and I usually give them to the kids to eat. I would rather have fruit or something else, but I don't always see that being offered.

We also ate at Tusker House and split the chicken. That was very good. I did want to eat at Flame Tree BBQ, and DH was willing to try the BBQ even with his stomach problems (if the sauce isn't too strong it won't bother him as much....it will still bother his stomach, just not as much), but then he saw it was outside seating - too hot and too many love bugs.

I do agree on MGM having the worst choices. Backlot Express was closed for most of our stay until the last day, and I don't like the Commissary. I also am not crazy about Toy Story Pizza Planet, but that was our only choice when we were there one day. Again we didn't want to eat outside due to love bugs and heat (it was 91-94 most every day except for 1 or 2 days when it was about 88). At least I was able to get a salad there and it tasted good but I was very hungry that day as I didn't eat breakfast that day. LOL!!

I've eaten at CS at China, Japan and Mexico at Epcot. My DH had a bratwurst a couple of years ago in Germany, but said it was not too good. I've never eaten at Morocco or Great Britain though. While we used to spend more time in WS, now that we have small grandkids, we probably won't get there as much for the next few years until they get bigger unless we go alone. DH just said to me tonight that he would like to go back just the two of us for a week. But he's afraid to leave our youngest (she's 16) until she's out of high school. She wouldn't be alone. She'd be with her older brothers and sisters but he worries a lot. I think I'm going to try to convince him to go the week of New Years!

Thanks for the tips!

 

[Momto8]

On our last trip there my DH and I both got the same impression!!! That was the only place that we felt that way.

We ate at the Commissary on our first day because the Backlot Express was closed and I didn't want to do Toy Story, and we got an attitude from the lady when I told her we were on the dining plan. This was the only time we got that feeling whether it was table service or counter service.

 

[lonegungirl]

We ate at EOS for the first time last week--my impression was that the sandwiches were fairly good, but the limitations on the dining plan were a little irritating. I think the main problem for me was that the sign listing what you could get on the dining plan was covered up by the mass of humanity waiting in line to order, so I didn't see it until I was right up at the register. In addition to being limited to a cookie or brownie for dessert, you couldn't get anything much more (like a smoothie) even with a snack credit, as they only redeemed those for items ~$2-2.50 or under.

Ultimately, I thought that it wasn't a bad bargain if you were paying OOP, but you could certainly do better on a strictly dollar value on the dining plan elsewhere.

 

[nbodyhome]

I'm starting to wonder whether my good experience last year at EOS was a fluke! My DGF and I ate there on our last day, and not only found the food to be excellent, but the overall attitude of the servers to be friendly, especially considering how busy it was!

It is one of the only places I consistently like to eat on property (I'm local, and will go out of the way from the parks to go to EOS). The food is much better than just about anyplace else on Disney property. The service is okay - it used to be better - but they do tend to be quick for the amount of people they put through there.

And the food is FRESH and reasonably priced. Last night I had a cup of tomato soup and baked potato for $2.50 plus tax.

 

[nbodyhome]

The sandwiches here are awesome! Everyone one of us was pleased. DS and I had to take our desserts with us because we were full from the sandwiches. They are packaged well, so taking back to the room was no problem. I recommend it wholeheartedly!

I can't eat more than 1/2 of the cannonball sandwich at a time, so I don't usually end up with a sandwich (unless I am driving home).

I have eaten at and enjoy the Tangeriene Cafe, but the prices are just too high for me (unless on the dining plan, which I did once when it was free). I'm local, so I prefer to go where I can eat inexpensively OOP. I LOVE Earl, the food is just world above what I can find in the parks fast-food.

I supposed Earl could be considered a "chain" now - a chain of 2 (one also is in Tampa).

 

[Aimeedyan]

I supposed Earl could be considered a "chain" now - a chain of 2 (one also is in Tampa).

Psst - there are 5 locations with 2 more opening soon. They are a growing franchise and looking for more locations to open. Obviously 7 restaurants is not a huge chain but it's still young; I anticipate it to grow a lot in the coming years.

 

[nbodyhome]

Psst - there are 5 locations with 2 more opening soon. They are a growing franchise and looking for more locations to open. Obviously 7 restaurants is not a huge chain but it's still young; I anticipate it to grow a lot in the coming years.

Wow - I had no idea they'd already opened a few more. I know they have been trying to get a chain going since they started, I'll have to check that out. I hope they do well!

 

[PaulaSB12]

I had an adr for Garden grill at 7.20 on the last day, but decided to change it and could only get Alfraelo/s for 4.30pm meal. So after eating there I nipped down to downtown disney for a session at disney quest and went to EOS for a midnight snack (I brought the sandwich and took it back to my hotel room), as I had used a cs credit I paid OOP for this one and brought an Original, a chocolate pudding and a thriple berry smoothie. It was wonderful!

 

[Delaware Mike]

Psst - there are 5 locations with 2 more opening soon. They are a growing franchise and looking for more locations to open. Obviously 7 restaurants is not a huge chain but it's still young; I anticipate it to grow a lot in the coming years.

For a mear $750,000.00 in assets, with $300,000.00 in liquidity, and about $250,000.00 to open a store, you too can have your very own EoS.

(...and those are the figures necessary to simply apply for a franchise. Oh, I forgot the $25,000.00 franchise fee...)

 

[Aimeedyan]

For a mear $750,000.00 in assets, with $300,000.00 in liquidity, and about $250,000.00 to open a store, you too can have your very own EoS.

(...and those are the figures necessary to simply apply for a franchise. Oh, I forgot the $25,000.00 franchise fee...)

Sign me up! That's pocket change