For Disney Regs. Any noticeable changes in meal quality for any reataurants?

[KevinYee]

I think that it's entirely possible the DDP is affecting the lounge homogenization too. I'm not sure, but I would assume food & beverage covers both restaurants & lounges.

Aha! I'm not the only one who noticed the lounges moving to a standardized menu!

 

[Local_Girl]

Hmm...we've always stayed offsite so have never been DDP participants. We have enjoyed eating some meals onsite in the past, but the perceived decline in offerings and quality by many regulars has me rethinking possible future ADRs. Perhaps instead we'll try some of the interesting and much recommended offsite restaurants...

I know Disney has thousands of hotel rooms filled with at least hundreds of guests paying for the Dining Plan...a captive audience, so to speak. Not sure if our few $$ spent outside the parks/resorts on food would make a difference to them ...unless of course there were dozens, or hundreds, or thousands of others like us who made such choices, and let Disney know that we aren't happy with the decline in restaurant quality, etc.

 

[DisMN]

Food quality has slipped quite noticeably in the TS restaurants. I have noticed it very clearly in some of the Signatures as well as the more moderate places. Menus are becoming very homogenized, creativity is stifled, quality is declining. The little touches that once made dishes fun are disappearing so they can "pump 'em in, pump 'em out" fatser to deal with the increased demands for tables generated by the DDP.

.......the little touches, hell Leota, they've taken some dishes and removed some of the MAIN INGREDIENTS. Spoodles fetuccini is a fine example. It used to have fresh snap peas and proscuitto ham in it. Now it's just noodles and cream sauce and we're not supposed to notice the missing items?
Take away two main ingredients and keep the price the same?

Purely a cost related decision and a very disappointing one.

I happen to live where the food is just so-so.......so my recent trip to WDW I found the food to still be better than what I can find at home, but still.....like others have said, we plan our trips around the dining but have found ourselves disappointed just enough to cut back on our restaurant spending.

 

[bicker]

Evidently, enough people don't notice (or care about) the missing items. And I think that's a critical point. People who have beholden themselves to specific memories they've had will notice, and will have rather negative reactions to change, any change. Meanwhile, the restaurants are more packed than they've ever been, and quite a bit with people returning for their third trip on the Dining Plan. There's no denying the real numbers -- just try to get advance reservations and you'll see the effect. People in general utterly love the way Disney dining has changed, to the detriment, perhaps, of a small number of people who wish that these changes (that so many other people love) never happened.

 

[Leota]

Do you really love getting lower quality product for the same or higher cost? Really?

 

[Uncleromulus]

Of course not.
But I'm thinking that a large # of DDP folks are those who never (or almost never) went to Disney Restaurants. The restaurants are now FULL-with a lot of people who probably wouldn't be there were it not for the DDP. For them, the menus are all "new" and I suspect many are just happy with getting lots of food, no matter if the quality is suspect to us dining "vets".

I'll hold off on answering the exact question until I get back from our May trip. I have all the old menus of course, and I'll be looking for any menu "degreadation". And reporting on the quality at the Signature Restaurants.

 

[gina2000]

Of course not.
But I'm thinking that a large # of DDP folks are those who never (or almost never) went to Disney Restaurants. The restaurants are now FULL-with a lot of people who probably wouldn't be there were it not for the DDP. For them, the menus are all "new" and I suspect many are just happy with getting lots of food, no matter if the quality is suspect to us dining "vets".

This is the answer in a nutshell for anyone who thinks that the decline in peoples' expectations is acceptable. If you have no expectations to relate to, you have nothing to compare a current meal with a meal from the past. And let's face it, the food at a DDP price is acceptable though not exciting. At an OOP price, it's not. I suspect that food quality will continue to decline, however, and at some point the DDP price will only appeal to those who want to eat at a restaurant, any restaurant. And at that point, WDW will reevaluate its strategy.

It's impertinent to suggest that people with discerning taste accept the decline and will continue to patronize a restaurant that is blatantly ripping them off. You can spin this change anyway you want to, but the reality is that people are noticing the change and are reacting accordingly. Just because the restaurants are filled doesn't mean that they are serving a quality product. And it certainly doesn't mean that we all accept it. All it means is that there is a new group of people patronizing the restaurants. If the decline continues, they, too, will be lamenting "the good ole days".

 

[nuke]

Agree that the quality is going down in most places. Jiko is still outstanding but even it has suffered a bit. California Grill has definitely gone downhill - I hope the new chef breathes some life into it. And, with all the advanced planning that has to occur, it is also becoming a chore to eat at WDW. I for one would be very happy if they stopped the dining plans but that isn't likely to happen since it obviously makes WDW a lot of money.

I agree that it's a chore to plan meals in Disney. I know some people really enjoy planning where they will eat each night 6 months in advance but I was always a wing it kind of traveller. That's just not possible anymore if you want to eat anything other than counter service at Disney.

 

[PoohHappens]

I keep seeing this point made on the DIS and it is frequently discussed by the same people. I have used the DDP and we did like it. I do understand your complaints as well. One argument I have not seen made is that gas prices and therefore food, delivery charges, everything is more expensive. We have seen a decline in the offerings and quality even at local restaurants. Couldn't this be a contributing factor to some of the changes. I also think people believe there is a loss for disney with the DDP--this simply cannot be true. Food is not the only expense in a restaurant. Some of the items are bought in such large quantities that the mark up is in the 100's% range. The program is appealing to many people and if it is adding to attendence at the parks, resorts, and restaurants then that is a good thing. I feel that they do not mind so much if they are loosing some of the guests who really liked to eat specialty items on the menus--I would guess most people did not order quail or other by american standards (as pathetic as they may be)weird food. This would be an exspensive item to maintain on the menu, DDP or not, as would other specialty items. Anyway even if they have lost a few customers, which I agree is sad and disapointing for those individuals, if they have increased patronage 3-5 times by offering something more appealing the the masses, then that only makes business since. Yes we all loved the days of no to little waits in line at the parks and walkins for food--but is that really what WDW liked. I would think right now they are living a marketing dream with the DDP , year of a million dreams, DME, and Disney affordable . I would think if we were not complaining that it was busy everywhere THEN they would be doing something wrong. JMHO

 

[phyllisnnj]

Any offsite dining tips or recommendations?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

As a general rule in the dining industry the actual cost of the food to the restaurant is about 38% of the menu price. Everything is based on the percentage and that is how they set up their pricing.

An extreme example of this (from a non-Disney chain restaurant) is:
A 10 oz steak is $10.00.
A 10 oz steak with six shrimp is $12.00, an upcharge for the shrimp of $2.00.
A 16 oz steak is $16.00.
A 16 oz steak with six shrimp is $19.00, an upcharge for the shrimp of $3.00.
I asked the manager since there is no difference in the six shrimp. His response was they look at the total cost of the food and raise it by a fixed percentage.

For people who buy DDP the venue where they get their meals is creditied with a fixed amount for each meal served. It does not matter if the purchase is the least expensive or most expensive combination on the menu. (This was told to me separately by the general managers of two World Showcase restaurants.) The restuarant does have to show a profit. I

 

[leanan]

Just a repeat of what others said but it bugs me. The lack of choices at the restaurants has made me walk out when not on the meal plan. If you are on the plan you deal. I walked out of Tony's on mainstreet because the prices also seem to be jacked up for the regular customers. 18.95 for noodles with bits of eggplant is just not happening. I went to a fast food place in the park. I was much happier there.

My family that was on the meal plan were shocked that we ate better and cheaper. We were done eating by the time they were getting their dinner. Plus the staff at Tonys who were miffed with our large group together took it out on them when we walked out of the restaurant. I was like they should of taken note that for a person not on the meal plan they were not a good option. Nothing on the menu made me want to pay those prices. If there was something I wanted I might have stayed. It was just yucky.

My belly said feed me a turkey drumstick or burgers from the counter service place in Frontier Land. The two of us ate for the same price as one of the entrees at Tony's

 

[Sammie]

I haven't noticed these changes, I get filet and lobster every trip, so not sure where others are dining that it is no longer available. I did a very quick run through of menus and I found 14 places that serve filet, 6 that serve lobster and 12 that serve scallops or shrimp or crab or all three.

As long as I can get what I like on property it does not bother me in the least that a particular restaurant does not carry it anymore. I am just as happy with a key lime tort, as I am a slice of pie, even though Captain Jack's has very good key lime pie as does Concourse Grill.

But then I am sure someone will come along and tell me I have no idea what I am talking about and try to convince me that what I like to eat at Disney does not exist anymore.

But you know, at this point I don't care. Many of these threads end up being borderline insulting. I am sorry some are disappointed in menu changes, but you know it happens everywhere. It is one thing to be unhappy with change, it is another to insinuate that those that are pleased with the current offerings have no taste or knowledge of what they like or good food or even what is available at Disney. I sometimes wonder if we are even at the same place.

So I will dine with the notion that ignorance is bliss and be very happy doing so and I guess those not pleased will continue to be miserable or eat elsewhere.

 

[leanan]

It is funny how some people are so negative towards other people's feelings. I will agree that I remember a nice cut of meat being offered in Italy at Christmas. I can not remember which cut but it was certainly delightful looking. E's aunt ordered it. I ordered a pasta with huge shrimps. I was on a medicine that killed my desire to eat then so I barely ate half the shrimps. I guess that tells you how big they were.

My complaint is just more lack of selection than anything. Also you have to remember many of the menus change with the season so maybe something may not be available just because it is a different time of the year. Like we would want them serving us soft shell crab off season.

 

[Uncleromulus]

So far, no one has actually been insulted on this thread, and I'm trusting it will remain that way. It is a fair question and there are conflicting opinions as to IF it's really true, and if so, WHY. Some believe it is, but disagree as to the reason. Many believe it isn't true. And I'm sure there are many who don't really care and as Sammie says, will continue to eat at WDW, or offsite as their own particular tastes dictate.
I do believe the bottom line for Disney is that the restaurants are now usually FULL-.

 

[bicker]

All it means is that there is a new group of people patronizing the restaurants.

And if that group is more profitable than we are, then they deserve to be served more than we do. That's the real take-away. Until recently, Disney dining had been neglecting the majority of its guests, providing offerings that were too high-priced for them, and instead pandering too much to upper-middle-class foodies, like us. Disney dining's brilliant stroke here was to recognize that they could provide two separate offerings: A high quality offering (the truly excellent and wonderful Signature restaurants) for those willing to spend the extra money, and a mass-market offering for the majority of guests who they've been neglecting all these years.

 

[bicker]

We have seen a decline in the offerings and quality even at local restaurants. Couldn't this be a contributing factor to some of the changes.

Absolutely. I see in these discussions a distinct lack of perspective with regard to comparing changes seen at WDW with changes we see in the broader market. ("Yes WDW has changed, but show has everything else...") Portion sizes is another one of those issue. Portion sizes are shrinking at restaurants nationwide. This stems from industry experts advocating this as far back as 2003. (As an aside, my TiVo recorded a show called Restaurant Make-over, which I watched yesterday. It's where a renowned chef goes into a struggling restaurant and helps redesign the menu to help the restaurant be more successful. Indeed, in this episode, the chef's biggest problem with the current restaurant menu was that it was too large. He made the point to the restaurateur that they should focus on a smaller number of options, and do them very well. Interesting to see this making it from the industry trade papers all the way to the mainstream television screen.)

Anyway even if they have lost a few customers, which I agree is sad and disapointing for those individuals, if they have increased patronage 3-5 times by offering something more appealing the the masses, then that only makes business since.

Absolutely that makes business sense -- in light of understanding the relationship between these changes they've made and the success they've derived from it, it would be irresponsible to reverse the changes (or in retrospect, to have not undertaken them). There is a fiduciary responsibility to owners here that shouldn't be ignored.

 

[bicker]

Many of these threads end up being borderline insulting. I am sorry some are disappointed in menu changes, but you know it happens everywhere. It is one thing to be unhappy with change, it is another to insinuate that those that are pleased with the current offerings have no taste or knowledge of what they like or good food or even what is available at Disney.

I agree. I sometimes wonder if some of the comments you're referring to violate the DIS's policies against "minor personal attacks."

So far, no one has actually been insulted on this thread

Sure seems like some have come close!

 

[rcraw45425]

We usually make two or more trips per year. We never purchase the Dining Plan. I have noticed in the past few years a steady decline in quality and quantity. Le Cellier comes to mind, no more mention of Prime beef, rude inattentive servers, tables so close you site in your neighbors lap. At Nine Dragons, another favorite of ours, the portion size has been cut in half yet the price remains the same. Just noticed that Sci Fi is charging $12 for a burger and fries . Idon't think so. I'm cancelling that ADR, which is a shame it used to be on our everytime to do list.

 

[bicker]

As I mentioned earlier, Disney's table-service restaurants use to be configured in a spectrum, from Beaches and Cream at the low-end, to Victoria and Albert's at the high-end. With the Dining Plan, it was necessary to group the restaurants into three groups: 1TS restaurants, 2TS restaurants, and V&As by itself. Almost all the 1TS restaurants are now comparable to each other, and deliberately so. It serves no useful purpose to charge the same for restaurants that are radically different in quality from each other. Some of the 1TS actually have had their prices reduced (in comparison to other restaurants) to reflect their reclassification. Le Cellier is one of those. Indeed, it started as a 2TS restaurant, I believe, and then was reclassified because there just wasn't enough public demand for it at that level.