Garden Grill ADR - Why so hard to get?

[LuzzBightyear]

My T-180 day is coming up this weekend.

Since I am an hour ahead of eastern time, I have been logging on the website at 6am est to check out some of the restaurants I am targeting to make ADRs for.

Based on what I have seen this week, it doesn't look like I will have a problem with any of them except Garden Grill. No tables for 10, and even if I wanted to break the party up into 2 ADRs, there is very little available and none anywhere near the time I want -5pm.

Is anyone else seeing this? Has this restaurant become the hottest ADR at WDW? Or is there something else going on?
Would calling help? Or do they have some info/availability as the website?

 

[purple figment]

You might be seeing limited availability because Garden Grill is:

-a relatively small restaurant (seating capacity is similar to Le Cellier)
-it's only open for dinner
-it's a character/family style dinner
-people stay through one entire revolution of the restaurant
-you have a large group.

All of these factors make it more difficult to book.

Good luck.

 

[Darcy03231]

Since I booked at package I was able to make all my ADRs at the 180 day mark. We're there for 9 days/8 nights. I was unable to get a reservation at the Garden Grill for any time during our stay! I've checked daily (several times a day) and nothing has come up. I was able to easily get everything else, just not that one.

 

[abc999]

I believe the tables are bolted down, so they can't accommodate big parties. Look into splitting your party.

 

[stitch34]

Forget Chef Mickey's, Le Cellier and CRT - it's Garden Grill that usually is my tough one to get.
I really wish they still served lunch... OR, opened up for dinner like 3:00.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Yesterday I was able to change our 5:50 GG ADR to 7:50 after we decided we wanted to eat later with no trouble (for early Sept). I am alway surprised to read that this is such a hard ADR to get. We have never eaten there and I really cannot wait to try it.

Anyway, keep trying even after your 180 day mark. Things open up all the time. I was able to get 'Ohana just recently as well for the perfect time after days of nothing coming up during our whole trip.

 

[bjscheel]

We are going in June and last month decided we wanted to eat there. After 10 days of obsessive checking, I got one on our arrival day, not our preferred day. A few days later I got one on our preferred day. This was just less than two months out.

But I was looking for a party of 4. I imagine 10 is much harder. Just keep checking and good luck!

 

[LuzzBightyear]

Update:
So at like 185 days out all I could get for GG early this morning was two ADRs for 5 people each. Wanted around 5pm, but had to settle for 6:30 and 6:35.
Better than nothing!

 

[Angeni11]

For Garden Grill and some other restaurants in Epcot they seem to release time slots over time and not all on the first day. I was able to get the time I wanted about a month after my 180+10 date.

At first I couldn't get anything earlier then 6:30 which seemed to be the case with everyone else going at that time. However last week we were able to get a 4:15 or even 5:00 time slot so don't give up hope.

Last year the same thing happened with another Epcot restaurant and we kept looking and eventually they released other times.