Extremely Upset & In Shock with Chef Mickey

[Calissto31]

I just got back last night from Disney and finally have a second to post. I started posting at CM when this happened but my phone deleted the post and I decided to give up and post when I got home. In the past I've had breakfast and dinner at CM and it was always very good. The staff was friendly, the food was good with lots of variety and the character interaction was great. I had breakfast there this past December and although it wasn't awful the food was just okay. The character interaction was pretty good and we did have a very friendly server. This past saturday when our group of 20 went to dinner things were so bad that at one point I was in tears. I had an ADR but because of our group size it was for 9:20pm and although I tried calling numerous times for an earlier ADR it didn't happen. We did however get there a little early and they were able to start setting up. We were celebrating 3 birthdays in our group 1 a 7yr old girl and 2 adults but 1 of them was last minute. I had ordered a white chocolate slipper from CM for one of the adults and although I wanted it with milk/dark chocolate mousse was told they could only do white chocolate mousse...okay no problem. I was also going to order a Cinderella cake for the 7yr old based on 2 pictures I had seen on the Cake picture thread but they were quoting me $165 which was more than I had expected to pay based on the prices the people had posted. I was told prices had gone up which I understand but since it was for a friend of mine's daughter and I was going to incur most of the cost to help out I just couldn't afford that. I decided to try Boardwalk Bakery and spoke to a great lady named Lillian who was very helpful. I sent her the pics and she quoted me $120 which was definitely cheaper so we decided to go for it. I told them it was for an ADR at Chef Mickey and they said we could go pick it up. I went with my friend to pick it up and she even cried when she saw it and especially when I wouldn't let her pay for it. We guarded it like gold and managed to get it to CM and that's where the drama began. My husband gets there ahead of me and they try to tell him he can't bring the cake into the restaurant he then explains that it is a Disney cake and that we got it at Boardwalk Bakery. They go get a manager and at this point I've gotten there. The manager Craig tells us that we can bring it into the restaurant and can keep it on our table. Table? Why would we keep this huge box on our table that would ruin the surprise for this 7yr old who was surprised by the entire trip. He then tells us that because of health regulations he cannot take the cake into the kitchen because it is coming from "outside" and that if the boardwalk bakery had delivered it then they could have taken it. I explain to him that we told the bakery it was for CM and they didn't say they could deliver it nor that we couldn't bring it in. After paying $120 for a cake and going through a huge mission I would have gladly delivered it versus freaking out that I was going to drop the cake. So then the manager repeats sorry there is nothing he can do other than let us keep it on the table. At this point I'm in shock. I mean you are a manager you can't come up with a suggestion for us. By no means do I expect them to break rules or get in trouble for me but isn't it their job to come up with suggestions to a problem or try to accommodate a guest?! He didn't try to make phone calls, talk to someone else or anything! He just stood there looking at us. I told him are you kidding me this is for a 7yr olds birthday and it is all a surprise and I just spent $120 on this cake?! I ordered a slipper from here and our group consists of 20 people that are going to be bringing service to your restaurant! Nope still nothing. At this point I'm at a loss and am beginning to cry and tell my husband I am going downstairs to the lobby to find someone to talk to. I rush downstairs walk up to concierge and at this point the hoover dam breaks. I attempt to explain to this wonderful lady what is going on. She seemed so worried and immediately ran to find a manager who did what I would have expected the CM manager to do and came up with a suggestion. He explained to me that the health code thing is true but that they will gladly keep it in their refrigerator downstairs and when we are ready we can come get it. Not quite what I had planned but way better than having it on the table. I thanked them profusely and rejoined my group. We then have a waitress who seems to have an attitude and doesn't seem happy to be there...oh great what else. I get up to get food and the options were very limited. I was so confused by the lack of options. I also went to get roast beef and was told they had slightly pink and very cooked. I asked if they had something more rare and was told nope this is all we have...not too happy at this point. So I served myself a small plate and didn't even eat all of it. Our waitress then comes to find out the birthdays. We tell her who the birthday people are and before we can tell her we have a cake she takes off. We wanted to try and time her birthday surprise with ours. She brings out the slipper first puts it down and walks away. We are confused because there is no Happy Birthday or singing and now this poor 7yr old is looking at that slipper which isn't for her. Some time passes and she walks out with 3 cupcakes 1 for each birthday person without warning. 1 of the birthday girls was getting food because mind you we were all still eating our food and now the 7yr old has this cupcake and her cake is still downstairs My husband goes down to get the cake and when he brings it up...you guessed it no help from anyone. He calls my phone and we set the box down at a table away from the 7yr old's view. We pull it out and I actually had brought my own candle but we don't have a lighter. We ask numerous CM and no one has a lighter. Finally someone brings us a lighter and I get ready to take pictures as my husband brings the cake. She was extremely surprised and happy and our group took it upon ourselves to sing happy birthday since no one had sang her happy birthday yet. At this point the wonderful characters realize what is going on and run over for 2 encores of happy birthday. So now we have to cut the cake and need plates so where's the server...crickets. She comes and looks at us like we have 8 heads but finally brings over what we had asked for. It was quite good and very pretty. I will try to post pictures tomorrow.

Sorry for the long post but I had this pent up for days. I can honestly say I will never be eating at CM again not for breakfast and especially not for dinner. I hope others can learn from my experience and mistake so that they do not have to go through what I went through. I also hope someone in a high up position reads this as well as the other complains about CM and does something to fix it. The funny thing is that the manager tells my husband after we are sitting and he goes to get food that he knows I am upset but there was nothing he could do...funny the manager downstairs was able to help me out! On a positive note I did encounter many wonderful and very helpful CM and I made sure to call Guest Relations and let them know of these wonderful people.

 

[rebster]

It sounds like you made the best of a very awkward situation. Good for you! I am sorry it was tough...Disney doesn't make their rules or policies very clear sometimes, and I am sorry such a special night was at least partially ruined by people who really didn't seem to care. I am glad the cake was good and beautiful and that other cast members were so helpful! Hopefully years from now you can remember the cake and make better memories at other restaurants (or CM will turn around their service!).

 

[wildcatfan]

I can only imagine how upset you must have been. I would have probably lost it and not been able to recover. We have not been to CM the last couple of years but I have heard that the quality and service has gone down. I hate it that you had to experience this on such a special day. I think you should probably let the guest relations know about the incident and I am glad to know that you let them know that you did experience some helpful cm's. I hope the rest of the trip went great and I can't wait to see the cake!

 

[disneymom06]

I have to agree with the decline of food options and service at CM. It was always our first and last stop at Disney and another if we could fit in into our schedule. A favorite with the children and the selections were varied. It is now hit or miss with the service. Once we got drinks refilled only once. My husband had to track our server with glass in hand. Other times we have had wonderful servers who were very attentive, but with the decline of items in the buffet and the increase in price, (and the characters are very rushed), it just wasn't the good experience that it had been in the past. (And now with the seasonal price increase, it REALLY isn't worth it)

I am sorry that you had such a difficult night, it should have been special, I hope that the rest of your trip went well.

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

We had bad service, terrible character interaction and awful food for dinner last time we were there. I'm surprised how many people LOVE this place.

Why didn't you have Boardwalk Bakery deliver it to CM? I ordered a cake from them for DH's birthday and they delivered it with no problems whatsoever to CP for dinner and the characters and CMs were great!

Sorry this happened, it really sucks when you are planning on a big surprise for someone!

 

[BCV23]

Sorry but I see it as reasonable. The manager couldn't let it be served from the kitchen as it didn't come from the CR. It seems to me that allowing it to be on your table was a bit above and beyond. I don't think most restaurants allow outside food to be brought in.

It sounds like you worked hard to plan a great meal. I'm glad the little girl was so happy with her surprise.

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

So sorry to hear of your experience & how frustrating for you.

On a bright note, however, I have no doubt the 7 year old will never forget that birthday. How special of you to have that wonderful cake for her! Years from now when she looks at those pictures all that drama will mean nothing to her, she'll just remember how you went out of your way to make her day special. Hang on to those kind of thoughts

 

[msmayor]

While I can certainly understand your frustration and disappointment, you should also realize that you planned a somewhat elaborate celebration (yes...for a buffet restaurant a served cake is elaborate) for a LARGE party and it doesn't sound like you notified them ahead of time.

Late hour ADR's are standard for most Disney restaurants...they generally schedule parties of 10 or more either first thing or last of the evening. This makes it easier to ensure you all sit together.

When planning a special celebration with a large group, its always a good idea to speak with management early on about what you want to happen, and get their input as to how to make it magical.

Two years ago, we had an elaborate Anniversary dinner planned for a party of 17 at Portobello Yacht Club. I called the restaurant direct a few days before our reservation to speak directly with the manager, and asked him to make notes on what we would like and what we were planning; he took notes and told us to check in with him about an hour before, day of the dinner. They knew we were bringing a cake in from the outside, and we were told ahead of time to make sure it didn't require refrigeration as they would be unable to 'mingle' it with their food, but would instead keep it in the box in a non-food prep area to meet health codes. We were even able to arrange a power source for a digital frame gift we made to give to our parents that 'played' all throughout the dinner. It was wonderful.

But it required a lot more planning than just a chat with the staff when we arrived.

Again, I don't want to minimize your disappointment. I realize it was not the way you envisioned. I share my story only so others can know that magical moments for large groups CAN happen, but it requires significant leg work beforehand to make sure it happens.

 

[catne]

Wow, too bad your party didn't work out so well. I agree CM's could have handled the whole situation better, and don't blame you a bit for being disappointed with them.

But on the positive side: kudos to you for getting the special cake! I would guess the 7 yr old will remember that very special cake...and she'll remember that the characters came over & sang with you all. She won't remember the delay, drama, etc. So, it's all good, in the end.

 

[Andrea73]

WOW!! I guess the reviews were right. This place did not even make my "maybe" list.

I am sorry you had such a bad experience.

 

[DisGirl23]

While I can certainly understand your frustration and disappointment, you should also realize that you planned a somewhat elaborate celebration (yes...for a buffet restaurant a served cake is elaborate) for a LARGE party and it doesn't sound like you notified them ahead of time.

Late hour ADR's are standard for most Disney restaurants...they generally schedule parties of 10 or more either first thing or last of the evening. This makes it easier to ensure you all sit together.

When planning a special celebration with a large group, its always a good idea to speak with management early on about what you want to happen, and get their input as to how to make it magical.

Two years ago, we had an elaborate Anniversary dinner planned for a party of 17 at Portobello Yacht Club. I called the restaurant direct a few days before our reservation to speak directly with the manager, and asked him to make notes on what we would like and what we were planning; he took notes and told us to check in with him about an hour before, day of the dinner. They knew we were bringing a cake in from the outside, and we were told ahead of time to make sure it didn't require refrigeration as they would be unable to 'mingle' it with their food, but would instead keep it in the box in a non-food prep area to meet health codes. We were even able to arrange a power source for a digital frame gift we made to give to our parents that 'played' all throughout the dinner. It was wonderful.

But it required a lot more planning than just a chat with the staff when we arrived.

Again, I don't want to minimize your disappointment. I realize it was not the way you envisioned. I share my story only so others can know that magical moments for large groups CAN happen, but it requires significant leg work beforehand to make sure it happens.

This is very good information! Thank you for sharing!

OP- It's a sad thing when events don't play out how we envision them in our head I'm happy to hear she loved her cake and that the characters reacted the way they did!

 

[Calissto31]

Thanks all. She really didn't notice that anything had gone wrong and her face made up for it all. I did have many other positive experiences so overall the memories of my trip are fond. There are also some good suggestions on here. To answer some of the questions this was the first time I've ever ordered a cake in disney other than the sara lee cakes so I had no idea that it could be delivered from boardwalk bakery to CM I thought boardwalk bakery only delivered to its area. Also I actually spoke to a manager at CM ahead of time although it was no easy task to get a hold of one. I had to make the ADR with them and it took about 2 VMs on 2 separate days to have someone call me back. We told them our group size and that we were celebrating this birthday. Also when I emailed back and forth with the CM pastry chef I told him the family couldn't spend the $165 and they would be making alternate arrangements for the cake but that we wanted to get the slipper from there. I wasn't told anything about not being able to bring anything in. Also our cake didn't need refrigeration and was inside a box with another box as the cover so it was very well covered with no openings and would have done just fine being kept in an area in the back away from the food but this wasn't offered . Calling a manager the day before and day of would have probably been a good idea. I will definitely be more thorough with my next cake order. I am actually looking to order either a cake or dessert but I may be staying at the Swan..Does anyone know how it would work to get it to the room or would I have to just pick it up? Also if we have an ADR at a restaurant in contemporary or GF do we have to use their bakery or can I use boardwalk bakery and just arrange for the delivery?

Thanks everyone

 

[Calissto31]

Here are some pics of the cake. I think my friend might have some of the images all the way around.

 

[BriarRosie]

It seems that you learned a hard lesson about group dining and making arrangements ahead of time. There is a group dining department (ask to be transferred to Group Dining when you call 407-WDW-DINE) you can talk to whenever you have a party of 10 or larger. They usually suggest dinner before 6pm or after 8pm if possible. It sounds like the late dinner was the only option available for you. They need a credit card hold to guarantee group dining reservations, and gratuities are always included with parties of 6 or more. Always pay attention to the penalty for not canceling ADRs within their time frame. The cast members will spell that out when they confirm the reservation.

And before you arrange private dining cakes (which the different bakeries offer around property), you now know that you need to talk to the restaurant directly to make sure you can get a special cake delivered from the Disney bakery of your choice. And conversely, the bakery (in this case, Boardwalk) needs to agree to deliver your cake where you want it.

I was totally with you on the way you felt during the mess and how it affected your entire dining experience. But you've actually probably helped others avoid the pitfalls you went through. I'm sorry that you had to suffer to show others how to avoid the hassles.

At least she had a beautiful cake, when all was said and done!

 

[gibbersome]

After reading your account, I was very disappointed in Chef Mickey's behavior toward you!
But then I looked at the gorgeous cake and all that anger melted away!

 

[ancestry]

Sorry but I see it as reasonable. The manager couldn't let it be served from the kitchen as it didn't come from the CR. It seems to me that allowing it to be on your table was a bit above and beyond. I don't think most restaurants allow outside food to be brought in.

It sounds like you worked hard to plan a great meal. I'm glad the little girl was so happy with her surprise.

I completely agree. I'm sorry you were so frustrated and upset but I see what they did as reasonable and appropriate. This is standard restaurant policy basically everywhere.

It was a beautiful cake and was very sweet of you to work so hard to give her a special birthday surprise.

 

[bunkkinsmom]

Sorry but I see it as reasonable. The manager couldn't let it be served from the kitchen as it didn't come from the CR. It seems to me that allowing it to be on your table was a bit above and beyond. I don't think most restaurants allow outside food to be brought in.

It sounds like you worked hard to plan a great meal. I'm glad the little girl was so happy with her surprise.

I completely agree. I'm sorry you were so frustrated and upset but I see what they did as reasonable and appropriate. This is standard restaurant policy basically everywhere.

It was a beautiful cake and was very sweet of you to work so hard to give her a special birthday surprise.

Totally not trying to start a fight, but this was not reasonable. I have been in restaurants for 20 years. Customer Service is a part of what a restaurant is supposed to provide. I would have seen this reaction from the manager as perfectly reasonable IF the manager had picked up the phone and called the concierge of the hotel or made some other kind of attempt to find out information other than what he already knew. Obviously there was a way around the regulation, because she found it. If the manager had given the request it's due attention and then discovered that there was nothing more they could do, I would have understood. But they didn't even try. ADD TO THAT the service from the server. Even if there was nothing they could do, the manager should have personally tried to make the rest of their experience "magical". I'm not saying that the manager should have been their server, but he should have ensured that their server was compassionate and attentive. I do not claim to speak for the regulations in Florida, but we can bring cakes into the kitchen here in NC. And if not, then why not put it in the beer cooler? That's not the kitchen. Not only that, but aren't their fridges in other parts of the building? My issue is that I have thought of several different options just sitting here. Granted I don't know the details of Chef Mickey's operations, but the point is that there WAS an alternative and the manager didn't even TRY to find it.

Again, not trying to start trouble. I am glad that it semi - worked out for you. I just think that customer service as a whole has deteriorated everywhere. Come to my place, we will take great care of you!

 

[msmayor]

BTW...with regard to our cake. I did look in to getting one through Disney. They were making it VERY difficult to try and not only order a cake but either get it delivered or pick it up, and as the OP said they wanted a LOT of money.

The cake we brought in to Portobello came from Publix. Fed all of us, and cost only $20. They decorated it beautifully and even put plates, forks and a server in the bag in case we were eating it back at our hotel.

 

[gibbersome]

I completely agree. I'm sorry you were so frustrated and upset but I see what they did as reasonable and appropriate. This is standard restaurant policy basically everywhere.

It was a beautiful cake and was very sweet of you to work so hard to give her a special birthday surprise.

The manager had a choice and he chose to cover his own rear end. I don't blame him, especially in this economy, but he passed on a chance to make a special impact on the OP's night and almost ended up ruining it.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Lesson learned, bringing in outside food (even if it came from another Disneylocation) is an issue. In hte long run, it would have been easier to spend the additional and have the CR provide the cake. Yes, it save you some $$ but not sure the hassle made it worth it