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

[Peter Pirate 2]

Excellent and lucid thoughts Leota (as always) ...

The reason I keep complaining about these issues is in agreement with gina's point. This well will run dry and Disney has to know that there is still a chance to recapture the glory when the time comes (sooner rather than later, hopefully).

On the good news front I was happy to see that Disney hired a renowned chef at Fying Fish (finally) instead of keeping the status quo, which I honestly thought would happen. Perhaps they aren't quite ready to sever the ties to truly fine dining yet.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Please keep to the topic of the post. It is a great topic for discussion and we would love to keep the thread open
thanks,

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

Am I off topic?

 

[Pumbaa_]

No Peter Pirate, some of the posts were getting off track and just a friendly reminder.

That is good news about the new chef at FF. Any idea if there will be (positive) menu changes coming?

 

[JadenLayne]

We go to Disney about 3 times a year. We've been both before and after the Dining Plan. We have used the dining plan and we do enjoy it, however the question being has the food and quality changed? The answer is WITHOUT A DOUBT! We have ate at many signature meals over the years and before the dining plan the food was much higher scale and the quality excellent. After the dining plan, you get less food that is more bland and not nearly as original. It doesn't make your senses dance so to say. I sincerely think that anyone who doesn't think the excellence in Disney Dining has gone downhill since the dining plan either doesn't go to Disney often or has rose colored blinders on.

Will we keep going to Disney? Yes
Will we take part in the Dining Play? Yes if it's best for our plans.
Will we miss the taste sensations of dining before the plan? YES!

To me there should be a few restaurants, both regularly priced and signature that should still offer the food and service of before the dining plan. There are plenty of people who would pay out of pocket for the kind of experience that was to be had before Dining.

 

[Leota]

I am very excited to see what the new Chef at FF brings to the table. I'm seriously hoping that this indicates an upward turn in the Disney Dining Experience.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

Amen to that Leota.....I will welcome any change for the good and if a new chef will bring new ideas to a restaurant than I am all for it..

I am frightened however, what will take the place of Alfredo's.....I do hope it is something better than the Alfredo's of present time. What happened to that restaurant????? They will definitely need to have something to compete with Il Mulino, which I hear is quite good and will try my next visit. Not a Disney Restaurant, and you know Disney likes to keep you eating at their restaurants...

I also know there will be changes coming to Cape May evening buffet, not sure exactly when, but they will be coming....hope they improve what they have already which is a successful buffet....people seem to love it.

 

[bicker]

I don't think that a 1TS restaurant would intend compete with Il Mulino. The objective really needs to be set at the level of filling the need for an Italian restaurant in the price range of the other comparable World Showcase restaurants, like San Angel Inn and Marrakesh.

 

[Uncleromulus]

We'll be at the FF in May, so will see firsthand if any changes, etc. Could be a big difference in what the new chef WANTS to do, vs what he's allowed to do---

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

I'm sure that will be true Uncle. Chef John had problems with that when he moved to the CG and Chef Robert didn't last long at FF for much the same reasons. But still, I'm hopeful that the fact that they added a seasoned pro to the ranks indicates something positive.

 

[shovan]

I really hope they keep the Potato Crusted Snapper at FF! That dish was superb!

Anyone know if there was a recent change in management at the Yachtsman? We were there in early Oct. & had great "high quality" steaks. The service was also very good. Returned there in January, it felt like a totally different rest.! The meat quality was not the same, the atmosphere loud & annoying, the service just mediocre.

I think Cape May could use a change & I hope it's an improvement!

 

[leanan]

I think the service quality across the board on the sit down restaurants has gone down hill. Mind you I always seem to go in with large parties but that is no reason not to keep my glass filled. So far the best service I have recieved was the place in Italy in Epcot. The worst was a tie between Tony's and Cape May. My friend had to all but attack the waiter at Cape Mays to get my drink glass refilled. The food was so plain and normal for the money. That one needs help really bad.

 

[jodifla]

I really hope they keep the Potato Crusted Snapper at FF! That dish was superb!

Anyone know if there was a recent change in management at the Yachtsman? We were there in early Oct. & had great "high quality" steaks. The service was also very good. Returned there in January, it felt like a totally different rest.! The meat quality was not the same, the atmosphere loud & annoying, the service just mediocre.

I think Cape May could use a change & I hope it's an improvement!

The Yachstman, our favorite restaurant, is now HORRIBLE! I wrote a two-page letter detailing our lousy experience from our visit in January.

I suggest you do the same. THERE IS POWER IN NUMBERS!

 

[MarieA]

Princess we'll have agree to disagree as I've noticed changes so significant we're now eating at WDW on rare occasions as opposed to regular. Loss of items on every menu I can think of. But again I'm only thinking of the Signatures ... Although Le Cellier certainly has reduced their options, as well.

Re: 'Ohana, $30 may seem reasonable to some but it was 19.99 just a short few years ago and the menu and drink offerings have gotten worse not better.

As in the past, I agree with you 100%. We have been dining at WDW for the last 16 years and have eaten at both 1TS and Signatures. I too have noticed significant changes to WDW menus and food quality. Most of the 1 TS menus have 6 or 7 entrees on them. As for signatures, last year we tried the Yachtsman's Steakhouse and although it was good, it wasn't great. Jiko was good too but again not great IMHO.

Someone on this thread mentioned that menus in the restaurant industry have shrunk across the board. I can tell you from personal experience - none of the restaurants in my area have smaller menus. In fact, one restaurant that we frequent has more specials daily (3 to 4 appetizers and 10 entrees in addition to a large menu) then most 1TS restaurants at WDW.

I have all of our ADR's planned for our August trip (both 1 TS and Signatures) and I am hoping that quality doesn't slip any further. If it does - this will probably be the last year we dine at WDW.

I am also getting tired of the limited choices. If I dine at a restaurant a few times a year and there are only 6 entrees on menu, it gets pretty old. One suggestion to avoid tired menus is to offer a couple of specials that change every month or so.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

We have definitely noticed a decline in overall quality in the last couple trips.

We (mostly my teen DD and I) have eaten 2 TS meals per day on nearly all our WDW trips for the last 6 or 7 years, and have never done the DDP. (it does not work for the way we eat) The last few trips, we have commented that the restaurants are not as good as they used to be. Our latest trip in Dec., it was quite noticeable. We ate at:

CA Grill - we had 2 ARs here, because we have always loved this restaurant; sushi still very good, overall food quality good, but a little less so than usual - for instance, the lamb entree I had was kind of blah.

Flying Fish - again, still good but not as much of a Wow! factor as we were used to; potato-wrapped snapper was almost burnt, I tried a beet and lobster salad that had very little taste, my entree was good but not up to the quality we were used to at this one-time favorite restaurant.

Yachtsman Steakhouse - this was our biggest disappointment! We hadn't eaten here for a couple years and were really looking forward to it. We were disappointed to see that the menu was not very original - three steak entrees had mashed potatoes, which when we received them tasted exactly like Whispering Canyon's potatoes we'd had at lunch. That doesn't make them bad, but not what you expect from a high-end restaurant. The steaks were lacking in flavor, the menu choices were dull and we won't return to this restaurant.

Whatever the reason, we have noticed a definite decline in the overall quality of the experience at the Signature restaurants. In fact, I told DD that, if this trend continues, there is no reason to book the Signature places in future. Just stick to Kona, Whispering Canyon, Grand Floridian Cafe, etc. At least there, you know what to expect - a decent meal without any exciting options at a (for Disney) reasonable price.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

MarieA, you're absolutely right re: the specials and menu changes. One of the things that attracted us to Flying Fish initially was that they had a great selection of everyday items you could count on (the potato crusted snapper, the charred strip, scallops over the risotto dujour) but the Chef's were free to improvise on a periodic basis. I remember when Chef John and Chef Barry were at the helm they brought us out a wonderful plate of lobster & shrimp risotto - They had just made a batch experimentally (it wasn't on the menu) and we tested it! It was GREATGREATGREAT but sadly never made it to the menu (lobster & shrimp together were cost prohibitive).

Anyway, I really, really want these professional chef's to cook! Let them have at it and we'll reap the benefits. Listening Disney???

 

[wdw4us2]

I think a lot of folks miss the boat with regard to pricing, because they fail to factor in the appropriate premiums (1) for the convenience of serving a meal inside the theme park or inside the hotel, and (2) to account for the fact that diners are a captive market. While guests may not like paying for either of these things, the fact is that they are the reality, and they legitimately justify substantial pricing premiums.

What you didn't mention is that Disney raised the prices by 20%
right after they started offerring the Disney Dining Experience to all Annual Passholders and the DDP was brought into existence. I don't think that was a coincidence.

 

[wdw4us2]

MarieA, you're absolutely right re: the specials and menu changes.

We noticed this back in the summer of 2005. We went to Boatwright's in POR because we love the ribs they served. Imagine our disappointment when we discovered they were no longer on the menu. Instead, it was the same boring Penne Pasta and Herb Roasted Chicken as everywhere else.

We mentioned this to our server. She had worked there since the resort opened. She said they were receiving lots of complaints about the menu changes. She also said the reason for the changes was that all of the restaurants were becoming centralized as far as their ordering their food and that the higher ups wanted things to be more standardized to save money.

What a surprise.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

What you didn't mention is that Disney raised the prices by 20%
right after they started offerring the Disney Dining Experience to all Annual Passholders and the DDP was brought into existence. I don't think that was a coincidence.

Good point and I don't believe it was coincidental either.

 

[Leota]

What you didn't mention is that Disney raised the prices by 20%
right after they started offerring the Disney Dining Experience to all Annual Passholders and the DDP was brought into existence. I don't think that was a coincidence.

Ugh! That burns me. I didn't realize that. No, I don't think it was coincidental at all.