Family Style

[MJMcBride]

Does anyone else think the switch to "family style" in some WDW restaurants is cop out by Disney? I think they've ruined the Liberty Tree Tavern. Its just a way for Disney to reduce the amount of waiters/waiteresses and talented chefs they need.

 

[ducklite]

Huh? The LTT dinner has been family style for at least ten years now.

Anne

 

[DisneyGirl4188]

I don't mid "family style" at all. I don't really like buffets (I will go to them) but it's easier to have the food just brought to me. I don't have to worry about getting up and down and people with kids don't have to rush around getting food for the kids and not being able to enjoy the meal.

Plus, I take FOREVER to decide what I want from a menu (drives DH batty). With a family style, I know what I will get up front, can try a little of everything, and then have more if wanted.

 

[MJMcBride]

Huh? The LTT dinner has been family style for at least ten years now.

Anne

I thought its been about 5 or 6 years. We're making our reservations which is what brought this to mind. I was curious if other people don't like this. You are right in that this is not a new thing. This has bothered me for awhile.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

I like how the skillet meals are served family style at WCC. I'm also not a lover of buffets. That being said, I think that LTT is a pretty lame dinner for the price. I prefer to go there for lunch.

 

[loopner67]

My DH prefers Family Style over a Buffet ANY DAY. You can have as much as you want, so there is no lack of food . We find that the food is fresher and hotter served this way . We enjoy the FS dinners at Liberty Tree and at the Ohana Character Breakfast. We find that the service is much faster at the Family Style meals, so less servers has never seemed a problem to us.

 

[Katwillow1]

I guess it's what you are expecting. I have eaten at both 'family style' meals (Liberty Tavern & Ohanas) and @ buffets (Cape May, Crystal Palace, Chef Mickeys). I have enjoyed everyone one of them. I thought the food, atmosphere, character interaction and overall ambience to be wonderful at The Liberty Tavern (dinner). I have eaten there on several occasions and have never had a complaint about the service or quality of food. Frankly I can't imagine the Liberty Tavern being buffet style...way too cramped.

 

[Buzzandthemermaid]

Never been to any of these (and probably never will, DW hates buffets), but I would think it'd be easier for the characters to get around in a "Family Style" place without dodging buffet-goers, for those places we're discussing that have characters.

 

[The Sweetness]

I enjoy FS and buffets... This way, I am not committed to *an entree*, there are a few or many to try as I desire. And I certainly have no complaints about character interaction

 

[gigi1313]

our family LOVES family style meals... it's all you care to eat, which is great when you have a hungry but picky kid w/food allergies (this way he can have as much mac&cheese as he'd like, whereas an individual portion rarely fills him) and i love that there's variety and i don't have to get up and down a zillion times like at a buffet (again, w/ds' food allergies, i have to accompany him every time which means i usually eat cold buffet food)...

 

[jenbarnwell]

I like family style better also!! I think the food is fresher and hotter and I like being served on my vacation since I am a waitress!! I have never been to LTT but we will be going there in January and I am very excited, I have only heard good things about it so far!

 

[sabrinadv1]

Yeah we love the family style meals better also. I have three boys with the oldest being 7. It is much easier for me the mom for them to bring it to me. Breakfast at Ohana's was wonderful it is a must do for us every time.

 

[tinkerbeth]

Meh. I like Buffets and family style. With kids family style is sometimes easier b/c there's no "Okay, you stay here and I'll get him some food and then you can get your food and then I'll get my food." At least that's how we often do it at buffets. So family style works for us. I think there might be more waste, at least for us, becuase we don't always like everything on teh skillet or whatever. But I like the family style meals I've been to at WDW (WCC, Ohana, HDDR, GG)

Just my 2 cents.

Beth

 

[kcashner]

LTT has been family style for a long time...at least 9 years. Personally, I like it. I find that the family style food is generally better than buffet, and certainly easier with little ones.

I suspect LTT is family style as there isn't room in there for a buffet without eliminating a lot of the seating. As to making life easier for the servers....there are plenty of places where you order off a menu. I like the fact that this is one of the least hectic character places.

 

[BlindTyldak]

My only beef with family style is there's so much of it now . . . I love buffets, I love family style, but it's getting harder and harder to find an entree venue at the parks where you can ask for YOUR food to be cooked as YOU like it. Not to mention there's ionly so much friend chicken I can eat, and that seems to be a staple in most of them.

 

[MJMcBride]

My only beef with family style is there's so much of it now . . . I love buffets, I love family style, but it's getting harder and harder to find an entree venue at the parks where you can ask for YOUR food to be cooked as YOU like it. Not to mention there's ionly so much friend chicken I can eat, and that seems to be a staple in most of them.

This is my problem essentially. And I think its just about cost-cutting. I honestly don't think it has anything to do with it being easier for characters to get around. I think its because you need less waiters and less cooks.

 

[english rose 47]

We're doing all Family style, buffet and ordering. I have a question re LTT on their family style is mac. & cheese DGS 5 would love this and it,s a kid's menu item would we need to order him this or could he just eat from our 4 family style. Seems a waste to me to use a credit for somethoing twice????

 

[gigi1313]

at LTT you can get all options for all people, kids and adults alike... even if you were dining sans kids and wanted the mac/cheese, you got it, no extra cost, no extra credits... no matter who eats what or what you order more of etc it will "cost" only one credit per person... if ds5 eats all the "adult" ham and dh eats all the "kids" mac/cheese, that's okay too... everything is served family style w/bowls or platters of each of the offerings placed on your table for everyone to share

 

[GEM]

My only beef with family style is there's so much of it now .

Maybe I'm not thinking clearly, but the only family style places I can come up with are:

Breakfast:
Ohana
Akershus
Cinderella's (actually, this one is pre-plated, which is a bit different)

Dinner:
Liberty Tree Tavern
Ohana
Garden Grill (lunch also)


And, of course, Hoop De Doo.

There are a few other places that have family style options included along with a regular menu (like Whispering Canyon Cafe).

With the exception of Akershus, those have all been family style for as long as I can remember. No changes or additions, that I know of.

Honestly, in all of WDW, that doesn't seem like an over-abundance of family style meals to me.

 

[gigi1313]

to me either... the only one i can think of that you missed is Spirit of Aloha... oh, and the Kitchen Sink at B&C