Gave Garden Grill A Second Chance-OOPS

[Theotherhalf]

I think the very least Disney could do is to rename this place more in keeping with its new format (which I also hate)

Garden Grill used to be a great restaurant themed to The Land pavillion in which it sits. It offered plentiful good old American down on the farm fare which included a salad that actually used items grown in the land, fresh loaves of country style bread, lots of American comfort food such as catfish and stuffing and turkey and mashed potatoes and ended up with worms and dirt or cobbler.

The current small portions of microwaved food served by overworked waiters who disappear for long periods of time are an insult to the original tradition.

Perhaps a new name could be "Mickey's Microwave Mill". Now THAT would reflect the new theme and not insult those of us who actually know what both a garden and a grill are all about.

 

[MinnieM21]

I've never eaten at the Garden Grill but it looked like a great place and I was looking forward to trying it. (before the changes) How disappointing that the change was for the worse. I'm sorry you had such a terrible experience.

 

[jcemom]

Thank you for all your postings everyone! I had made reservations for this place and looked forward to the only character meal that was listed as "very quiet" in the the Unofficial Guide. I will now cancel and book something else for lunch in Epcot. Any recommendations for an active 4 year old boy? Thanks!

How about the Biergarten in Germany? Not exactly quiet but it would give your little one a chance to get up and dance/move around a bit. Marrakesh in Morocco has music and a dancer, if you like that type of food. Akershus has the princesses, but other than breakfast I don't care for the menu there, maybe you will. Teppanyaki?

 

[wednesday]

I was absolutely dissapointed when I found out they were changing the menu. GG was one of our favorites (Love love loved the catfish nuggets) We are locals and have faithfully boycotted GG since the change. I feel like that is the ONLY way Disney will listen. I emailed them a few weeks ago with an urgent question that I absolutely could not get answered on the phone.....still have not received a response. I am starting to believe that they have the absolute worst customer service around (when dealing with the company, not the CM's at the parks, I still find for the most part everyone there is very helpful) It is so sad because I will continue to give Disney my money because I still love the parks, I think the powers that be count on this mentality when implementing changes

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

"I won't mourn Eisner's leaving, that's for sure." but then who will we blame????

LOL...it is my fondest wish that some changes will be made for the positive and we will only have someone to THANK!

It makes me wonder, really, if the Disney company is paying attention to the negative press WDW is receiving lately.They must be...there was even a recent NYT article on it. It's no big secret that the tight purse strings have lead to this quality decline. What will it take to change things...less attendance in the parks? Or will that just inspire more unsavory changes?

 

[JustGotBack]

I hate to say I was a victim of the Garden Grill Web which suckered me in last evening. We were on our way to Soarin and because the line was so long decided to stop and have dinner instead.

There was the Garden Grill which our (obviously out of date) guidebooks rated very highly. They touted the all you can eat farm style meal with its great salad and fresh loaves of bread. We were thrilled to be able to get a walk in table but soon knew why. Everything had changed and it was obvious that people like you guys reading these boards were all in the know and stayed away.

What a total rip off this place is! I don’t know what the old food was like, but this stuff was really bad. Small portions, poor choices, lousy inattentive service! The salad was too sour; the breadsticks were chewy and served with really bad tasting dips. I ordered the steak which was fatty and came with some rock hard mashed potatoes and a couple of string beans. My wife had some ravioli which tasted as bad as they looked. Our daughter thought the chicken was a safe bet but wouldn’t eat the rice it came with because it “tasted funny”.

We picked at our dessert: watered down chocolate sauce with stale bits of cake and cookies, some canned pineapples and a couple of yellow strawberries.

When we paid our check we asked to speak to the manager and our waitress said she would send him over. After about ten minutes of no waitress and no manager we just left.

What a shame, this place has such potential with its great revolving gimmick and the characters walking around. But no way was it worth the close to $100.00 it cost us for three meals and a few drinks. I felt like standing outside the place and warning the people to stay away.

I will never go back and I will make sure that my guidebooks are up to date in the future. Better yet, I’ll check out these boards which I never knew existed until another guest told me about it outside when I complained about our Garden Grill experience. She explained that she too used to go there all the time until she started reading such bad reviews. Good for her, too bad for me. You guys are really doing a great service, keep it up. Spread the word to boycott this place

 

[bevon]

I am cracking up!!! I am sorry you had to experience such a bad meal. We do enjoy going there for the ice cream social in the afternoons. It is a nice relaxing break, but you can't screw up ice cream! I was thinking of eating there in October, but I think I will pass. Before too long, you might have to wash your own dishes if you want Mickey's autograph!

 

[DeeCeeSW]

bevon--there is no more ice cream social, so I guess you really won't be going back...

 

[Onceamonther]

I am cracking up!!! I am sorry you had to experience such a bad meal. We do enjoy going there for the ice cream social in the afternoons. It is a nice relaxing break, but you can't screw up ice cream! I was thinking of eating there in October, but I think I will pass. Before too long, you might have to wash your own dishes if you want Mickey's autograph!

I hate to tell you this, but the ice cream social is long gone!! Just stay away, no reason to go back.

 

[Wishing123]

I hate to tell you this, but the ice cream social is long gone!! Just stay away, no reason to go back.

I had forgotten about the old ice cream social. Now I'm angrier than ever about how they changed this place.

 

[s&k'smom]

Holy smokes they even took away the ice cream social. My God the tales keep getting worse and worse.

 

[goofyforlife]

What a shame! My Dh and DD loved to go there for the old menu..

I myself loved the bread and salad (and it should be included in the meal; not just surcharged).

Guess that just another $75 bucks in my pocket better spent outside the world....

The whole point of garden grill was that you "were getting" items grown/raised right there at the land pavilion and the whole farm theme. Now it's just lost on food I wouldn't pay for.

 

[cobbler]

I think I may have posted this before but based on these reviews I canceled our Garden Grill reservation. I would hate to have my son's birthday lunch ruined by nasty food, sub par service and such.

 

[pjupton]

I'm going to cancel our ADR too. We ate there in January 2001 with our 4 y/o niece for lunch and LOVED it. I thought it would be great to take my twins there on their first trip to WDW.

I have not heard one positive comment about the change, except that the place is a lot less crowded these days.

We're going to find somewhere else to eat that day.

 

[ChristopherK]

Just wanted to put my two cents in about this place. If this thread will really be going to the powers that be, I want to be heard.

I ate at Garden Grill dozens of times over the years which is why I went back in June. I heard some rumblins but just had to see for myself. There were four of us for dinner and despite trying to make the best of it, we ended up having to admit that the palce was ruined. The menu choices were horrible and the food was even worse. I didn't know about ordering extra entrees but it really didn't matter. None of us finished our first. We came expecting a good old farm style all you can eat meal and got some of the worse food in all of Epcot. I felt really angry but didn't say anything at the time because I figured it was just me.

Nice to see so many other people with the same opinion. I feel a lot less like a freak now. I swore never to go back. I guess I'm not alone.

Why did they have to fix something that wasn't broken? I'm sure the answer lies in greed. No matter how much Disney likes to pretend otherwise, we are not "guests" we are just customers to be squeezed in our pocketbooks until we yell uncle. Well "UNCLE". THere's not a lot I can do about the other changes, but I can boycott Garden Grill and intend to tell everyone I know to do the same.

Thanks everyone. We should all send this thread to the new Disney management. Let them know we're not as stupid as they think we are.

 

[allie5]

The change to the Garden Grill, to me, smacks of "Cashing in" due to the crowds brought into the pavillion due to Soarin'. Regular visitors really need to speak up about this, its disgusting. Even if all of us that are "clued up" on this place never darken its door again, it will still get hundreds and hundreds of people eating there everyday, so I dont believe a menu change will be particularly fast in happening. Only once the initial pull of folks due to Soarin subsides, will they consider looking at it again. Thats what I think anyway.

 

[Madhatter123]

I agree. Disney sold out its regulars for the thousands of unsuspecting passing through people on thier way to Soarin. Looking to make a fast buck. They don't care if these people ever come back. THere are new suckers right behind them.

We've got to update the guidebooks and quick!

 

[Goneallday]

We've got to update the guidebooks and quick!

I hope our moderators are reading this because, I hate to say, even the DIS Board restaurant rating section is still using this outdated description:

"The all-you-can-eat family-style breakfast includes scrambled eggs, breakfast casserole, sausage, ham, fresh fruit, biscuits and gravy, French Toast sticks and cheese grits. At lunch and dinner, roasted chicken, hickory-smoked steak, catfish, smashed potatoes, gravy, salad, vegetables (from the gardens of the Land) biscuits and apple butter is offered. Vegetarian meals are available upon request[/B]"

Ah, the good old days!!!

The latest review seems to be years old. How are we ever going to warn the innocentscif even the DIS board is giving out misinformation.

I think that when a restaraunt overgoes such a major menu and format change as Garden Grill, that all old posts should be cancelled out and ratings reset to zero. Ayyone reading the review on the DIS board would quickly make a reservation and be very disappointed.

I vote that our moderators replace their outdated description with the one posted by Sevenofus at the begining of this thread. Then let the people vote on the New Garden Grill!

Moderators - Are Your Listening???

 

[PatsGirl]

Just my 2 cents but....

Why would anyone pay for food and service so lacking? I've spent more than 20 years in the restaurant business and understand better than most that at any place one can dislike their meal or have slow service but to feel that I've thrown away $100 would never happen!

Once you observe service is lacking or the food is served and obviously lacking in either quantity or quality it is up to YOU to refuse it. Also, if these do not apply but you taste the food and it doesn't seem "right" you are within your rights to send it back.

Now I will admit that I am more lenient than most, or what I thought was most until I read this thread, I would not hesitate to speak up and refuse paying for a meal that is subpar. Of course, you can't eat 80% of it and then complain

There are of course times that the food/service is lacking but not sufficient enough to complain/refuse, usually when I have a very hungry child with me that would eat the tablecloth if necessary, and I sit tight and deal but it sounds like this place doesn't even come close to that standard -- so I say, try it if you must, but know that there is a turkey leg just around the corner, so tell em "TAKE IT BACK AND RIP UP THE CHECK"!

Brenda

 

[FanofDis]

I am so glad I read this post BEFORE my visit to WDW next week. I definitly won't be eating there! What a shame, I used to really like it there!