***Epcot Food And Wine Festival Info 2008***

[TDC Nala]

I find it interesting that other than the Bocuse d'Or gala ($425 per person but also includes something called a dessert "walkabout") and the lone Regional Feast that is currently listed....

....there are NO sit-down dinner events offered this year at all (that we know of). Lunches, yes, brunch, yes, afternoon presentations, yes. But no dinners.

I was sort of hoping they'd give me something to do at night in the absence of the Adventurers Club, as my major food/wine trip was booked well in advance of realizing the club would no longer exist in November.

 

[pixie08]

Signature Dining is listed under festival dining experiences. Of course there is no schedule, but at least it's still there w/ PFTS & regional feasts.

I hope they don't cancel these. Not sure if we can even get in, but would like to try.

We're doing PFTS 11/8, not sure what else.

phew ok I was worried. Aside from PFTS this was what we were hoping to do! Thanks.

 

[oybolshoi]

I find it interesting that other than the Bocuse d'Or gala ($425 per person but also includes something called a dessert "walkabout") and the lone Regional Feast that is currently listed....

....there are NO sit-down dinner events offered this year at all (that we know of). Lunches, yes, brunch, yes, afternoon presentations, yes. But no dinners.

I was sort of hoping they'd give me something to do at night in the absence of the Adventurers Club, as my major food/wine trip was booked well in advance of realizing the club would no longer exist in November.

In addition to this, I noticed that there are very few events that are being held outside of Epcot ensuring that people have to have their theme park admittance. I know there are a few of the higher priced events where you don't need a park ticket, but most of them do.

Last year the cheese tastings were held over at the Beach Club and so were the Twinings tea events. We already know that the cheese classes are being held inside Epcot this fall and I'm wondering if the same will happen to the teatime event.

Just something I noticed ...

 

[TDC Nala]

I did post the rumor that I was told - that there would be no more than two signature dinners, one at Victoria & Alberts. (As far as I know that is still just a rumor)

I guess it is possible there could be signature lunches.

I have also heard that if they do have signature meals, and they are dinners, they probably won't be in the resort restaurants (more profitable to use those for regular customers). There could POSSIBLY be signature luncheons in restaurants that are not open to the public for lunch. But don't look for any price reduction just because it is lunch.

I did the Jiko signature lunch last year and it was as good as any of the dinners.

 

[oybolshoi]

I did post the rumor that I was told - that there would be no more than two signature dinners, one at Victoria & Alberts. (As far as I know that is still just a rumor)

I guess it is possible there could be signature lunches.

I have also heard that if they do have signature meals, and they are dinners, they probably won't be in the resort restaurants (more profitable to use those for regular customers). There could POSSIBLY be signature luncheons in restaurants that are not open to the public for lunch. But don't look for any price reduction just because it is lunch.

I did the Jiko signature lunch last year and it was as good as any of the dinners.

It's good to know that the lunches were good. They didn't offer any of those last year during our trip dates or we might have tried one ... but we struggled a bit with the price tag, wondering if it was really worth $300 for the two of us to have a signature lunch at Flying Fish when we could eat dinner there for less and still have a great experience.

I'm so bummed about the signature dinner rumor ... this was going to be the year that we either tried an EE or a sig. dinner. It's starting to look like we won't get that chance.

Oh well, more money for us to spend somewhere else.

 

[TDC Nala]

The items served at the Jiko lunch could not be ordered from the regular dinner menu. They were prepared especially for the event. And each course had a wine pairing. Plus hoover doovers (hello Lori) and wine with those before dinner. Plus dessert - and dessert wine. That's what the cost is about.

 

[oybolshoi]

The items served at the Jiko lunch could not be ordered from the regular dinner menu. They were prepared especially for the event.

Did you write a review on your blog that I could go read? I'd love to know what they did serve and maybe drool over a few pictures ...

 

[TDC Nala]

yeah, there's photos on the blog. I did get to that. Never put up the Seas Salon signature dinner though.

 

[oybolshoi]

I'm sorry to be a pest ... can you post another link to your blog and then I'll go away and spend my time reading about last year's F&W fest and admiring your pics.

Thanks!

 

[TDC Nala]

OK but I am not so proud of the blog so this is the last time I will post it...and only because you laugh at my Monty Python pictures.

http://cathlam.tripod.com/eatthis/

 

[NejTheLion]

I have also heard that if they do have signature meals, and they are dinners, they probably won't be in the resort restaurants (more profitable to use those for regular customers). There could POSSIBLY be signature luncheons in restaurants that are not open to the public for lunch. But don't look for any price reduction just because it is lunch.

Well, there's going to be a special dinner at Victoria & Albert's on Sunday, Nov. 2, but I don't know whether it's related to the Food and Wine festival or not.

But I'm trying to understand how regular customers are more profitable than a signature dinner. Some of the restaurants (like Jiko) use a private dining room, where regular customers wouldn't be seated anyway. We did a signature dinner there two years ago and were at a table with a bunch of big wigs from Tokyo Disney. Apparently, they were attending the festival with the hope of starting something similar at the Tokyo parks. But I wouldn't expect regular customers to eat dinner at Jiko in that room - just special events.

For those restaurants without any kind of separate dining space, let's figure that in place of a signature dinner (6:30-9:00), Disney could turn the table over twice. (And that's with a quick dinner of just over an hour) So, that's a max of two parties that would take up those seats. And let's say those people are on the dining plan, using their two credits each. With the basic dining plan costing $38 a day, estimating that the table service portion (minus the counter service and snack credit) of that amount is no more than $30, two parties of two guests using 2 credits would make up around $240 ($30 x 2 credits x 2 parties x 2 guests). The signature dinner last year cost $155 per person. So, the two people sitting in those seats at a signature dinner spend over $300 on the meal, whereas two seatings of regular customers can't be expected to bring in much more than $250.

Unless I'm missing something (and please tell me if there's something I'm not considering), it looks to me like a signature dinner makes more money than regular customers. The only difference would be the wine, right? And I would imagine that the vinter supplies those bottles for free for the opportunity to be a part of the event (and they probably pay Disney on top of that). Just trying to figure out if this makes sense. As long as the event is listed on Disney's site, I'll remain optimistic that it hasn't been cancelled

 

[webray]

Some of the restaurants (like Jiko) use a private dining room, where regular customers wouldn't be seated anyway.

Jiko does use the private room on regular nights when they are really busy, we have been seated in there.

 

[NejTheLion]

Jiko does use the private room on regular nights when they are really busy, we have been seated in there.

Good to know. Thanks We must never have eaten there when it's been that busy.

 

[oybolshoi]

OK but I am not so proud of the blog so this is the last time I will post it...and only because you laugh at my Monty Python pictures.

http://cathlam.tripod.com/eatthis/

Thank you very much for the link! The hubby and I have been going back and forth over whether or not the price of admission to a signature lunch vs. a potential signature dinner would be worth it. Based on your Jiko lunch I would say that it is ... he was impressed with the menu you were served and we both enjoyed saying "fig flan" over and over again as fast as possible.


The wine school actually sounds kind of interesting, but I'm puzzled by the "all day" description that is currently posted on the DIS with a three-hour time frame. Perhaps that is Disney time ...

 

[TDC Nala]

But I'm trying to understand how regular customers are more profitable than a signature dinner.

Turnover. 40 guests paying $150 each and staying at the table for 2 to 3 hours versus splitting that up into 10 tables of 4 guests per table paying about $150 per table and turning over each hour to hour and a half.

I do not think the signature events will be cancelled. I do think any of three things will happen: 1) more of them will be held at Epcot, possibly in the former Wonders of Life which now serves as the festival center; 2) more of them will be presented as luncheons; and/or 3) there will be fewer - maybe a lot fewer - of these events scheduled than there were last year.

Jiko also seats dinner guests in the bar area if they are busy enough, in addition to seating them in the wine room.

Brenda...last year, and the year before (my mom loves the wine schools) the wine school began at 9 AM and lasted until about 4 PM.

This year it looks like they have been cut from 1 to 4 PM, and don't appear to include food.

 

[betterlatethannever]

...more of them will be held at Epcot, possibly in the former Wonders of Life which now serves as the festival center; 2) more of them will be presented as luncheons; ...

Is there a sponsor's lounge in the WOL pavilion?

I guess I am asking because the WOL looks like it will be packed on most Saturdays. Both the Wine School and Cheese tastings are going on at the same time. I'm wondering whether one (or both) be held in the lounge?

Ed

 

[oybolshoi]

Ed, I thought I read somewhere that there are private rooms on the upper levels of the pavillion. They've held some dinners there in past festivals.

 

[Forever42]

Is there a sponsor's lounge in the WOL pavilion?

I guess I am asking because the WOL looks like it will be packed on most Saturdays. Both the Wine School and Cheese tastings are going on at the same time. I'm wondering whether one (or both) be held in the lounge?

Ed

There is - it's upstairs, you can see it if you look up, though since I rarely go in the WoL pavilion, I can't remember which direction. I did an Australian Wine School there a few years ago.

 

[NejTheLion]

Turnover. 40 guests paying $150 each and staying at the table for 2 to 3 hours versus splitting that up into 10 tables of 4 guests per table paying about $150 per table and turning over each hour to hour and a half.

But that's my point. I really don't think you can turn over a table at a signature restaurant in an hour. I could believe an hour and a half if everything was quick. So, if you had 40 guests at a signature dinner paying $150 each (for a total of 2-3 hours), that comes to $6,000. If you replaced that with regular customers (10 tables, 4 guests per table, $150 a table), that comes to $1,500 for a single seating. If you had two seatings in the time it takes to hold a signature dinner, that would come to $3,000. That's still only half as much as the signature dinner would bring in. You would have to turnover the section 4 times in 3 hours to equal the signature dinner.

 

[dizneykid]

Just thinking of the set up for the WoL Pavillion. I wonder how they are going to work it this year. When we did the Cheese Tasting at the Odyssey last year, we seemed to have some privacy. WoL is open. The free wine tasting seminars were on either side.

I didn't realize they had an upstairs.