End of Service Reservation

[momocay]

I have 2 reservations 10 and 15 minutes before the restaurant closes. Will they run out of things or rush our meal?

 

[Narcoossee11]

Maybe.... food certainly runs out daily. Service should be OK.
But please don't linger , remember the CM ( wait and kitchen) want to end their day.
Have a great time just also be mindful.

 

[Eastern]

I have 2 reservations 10 and 15 minutes before the restaurant closes. Will they run out of things or rush our meal?

There will be plenty of other people dining with you so I think you're ok, but it is possible they could run out of something, as every restaurant sometimes does.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I have 2 reservations 10 and 15 minutes before the restaurant closes. Will they run out of things or rush our meal?

As a former chef I want to say so much but trying to be nice. Just remember that even though you get your food, the staff can't close the restaurant and do their closing duties until you leave. The staff could be at the end of a 10 hour shift and just want to go home, but may have an hour or more closing duties once you leave and the door is locked. Yes they will smile and say no problem, but reservations this late before the restaurant closes are just the pits and hated by restaurant staff.

And yes very likely they wont have the full menu available due to sold out items and or sections of the kitchen being closed or machines turned off. Thats the risk you take with reservations this close to closing time.

 

[Eastern]

As a former chef I want to say so much but trying to be nice. Just remember that even though you get your food, the staff can't close the restaurant and do their closing duties until you leave. The staff could be at the end of a 10 hour shift and just want to go home, but may have an hour or more closing duties once you leave and the door is locked. Yes they will smile and say no problem, but reservations this late before the restaurant closes are just the pits and hated by restaurant staff.

And yes very likely they wont have the full menu available due to sold out items and or sections of the kitchen being closed or machines turned off. Thats the risk you take with reservations this close to closing time.

Then they should not take reservations for those times. Stop customer blaming.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Then they should not take reservations for those times. Stop customer blaming.

Have you ever worked as a restaurant staff? So much I would like to say but I wont

 

[Eastern]

Have you ever worked as a restaurant staff? So much I would like to say but I wont

I was a busser and a server for many years. Most people do not linger after hours. Also we could start our daily chores once things slowed down (for example filling condiments, cleaning tables) and if the one party decided to stay until lights out, someone could pick up the tip for you.

I've also worked retail and there was always one or two customers who would show up 5 minutes before closing. I would stay and get their order done. I'm a boomer, though. I think expectations of workers may be different now...

 

[Beer Me]

Have you ever worked as a restaurant staff? So much I would like to say but I wont

I was a dish washer in a past life but that really doesn’t matter.

In normal life I won’t go into a restaurant if it’s less than an hour before close. Most restaurants might see a smattering of late tables and only occasionally have to deal with people who linger too long.

But I think it would be different at Disney. Everything (almost) is by reservation and most restaurants will know what to expect, often they are fully booked and the staff will have a routine and have a really good idea of when they will clock out on a daily basis.

 

[momocay]

To update…. I was a server for many years, so I have no intention of making life harder. However, the only reservation I could get for ‘Ohana was at 9:45 pm. I am just wondering if you are rushed, or if they plan on you being there for an hour.

 

[SteveH]

@momocay people have reprted being rushed at Ohana but that's mostly been when it's busy. But the rushed reports have on just been at Ohana lately. You need to take control, if they come and want to order your drinks, appetizers and meal tell them what you want. You can put the brakes on it by not ordering all in advance.

 

[kc51570]

Have you ever worked as a restaurant staff? So much I would like to say but I wont

This is Disney which is often sold out for reservations including the last ones of the night and I imagine the staff has a good idea of when they are leaving for the night and are scheduled accordingly. I don’t believe customers should linger any longer than necessary though. I worked as a waitress and yes, those people who walked in 10 minutes before closing extended my shift quite a bit, but in Disney they already have a very good idea of how many reservations they have right before close and are most likely not taking in walk ins. If a Disney restaurant closes at 10pm and they have reservations up until 9:50, the staff knows they are never leaving at 10. Thats a lot different than a restaurant that doesn’t take reservations which can be slow all night and have a party walk in 5-10 min before close.

 

[RescueRanger]

This is Disney. It’s not your local Applebees. Everything is based off of reservations. They know exactly how many people will be there and have a pretty good idea when they will be through. Me thinks someone is being a little dramatic.

 

[Eastern]

@momocay people have reprted being rushed at Ohana but that's mostly been when it's busy. But the rushed reports have on just been at Ohana lately. You need to take control, if they come and want to order your drinks, appetizers and meal tell them what you want. You can put the brakes on it by not ordering all in advance.

We typically dine early 5-6pm and 'Ohana rushes you no matter what time you arrive. The just throw the courses at you and then vanish. It's an art, really. I am fairly assertive and 'Ohana tests me.

 

[Ax2dx2]

I have had the last reservation of the evening at many WDW restaurants and have never felt rushed or they don't have a menu item. I actually like the late dining because it is less crowded and the park is empty when you leave. They even knew we needed transportation back to our resort and had a bus waiting for us! The cast members are scheduled to work late to accommodate those late reservations. So no need to worry

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We have had several end of service meals at WDW ...never rushed and full menu, including specials available. If it's a popular restaurant, the place is still usually packed at that time anyway.

I have worked in a restaurant as well and our owner's philosophy was that hours of business were just that. If they say they are open until 9 and you showed up at 8:58, we needed to give them the same service and menu options as the guy who showed up at 6:58. Specials were the wild card...those might not be available at the later hour, but if it's printed on the standard menu...we had to have enough stock to serve you from that menu, regardless of the hour. And this was fresh seafood, so it's not like a bunch of pre-made stuff some chains might have on hand. The wait staff and kitchen hated it, but it's the customer who pays the bills. Turning a guest away or rushing someone who arrived late was grounds for termination.

 

[Dismama2boys]

As others have said, I would never do it in the real world, but Disney is very different. They purposefully allow those reservations, and the restaurant will likely be full. I wouldn’t linger, but I definitely wouldn’t rush either.

 

[ShadeDK]

I’ve had a few “post-closing” reservations at Oga’s. I did not want to linger, but was concerned that the bartenders would be rushing to close. I’ve waited tables and know how that goes. They couldn’t have been lovelier and I never once felt like they wanted me to close out and get out. If I had, I might not have gone back. I little respect both ways goes a long way.

 

[Jothmas]

If a Disney restaurant closes at 10pm and they have reservations up until 9:50, the staff knows they are never leaving at 10. Thats a lot different than a restaurant that doesn’t take reservations which can be slow all night and have a party walk in 5-10 min before close.

You are exactly right. There’s a huge difference between a person walking into a restaurant 10 minutes before close without a reservation and a situation where a restaurant specifically scheduled that last seating time and scheduled the employees to provide full service to those guests. The restaurant is still “open” in the latter situation to handle the final seating. People are conflating the two situations. A person who accepts Disney’s invitation to take the final seating time should never feel any guilt, like they should in the other situation. Disney has scheduled the employees specifically to take care of you for the normal amount of time it takes to be served and to eat after you are seated.