Has the food quality at Disney gone down lately?

[vacationer1954]

Certainly nothing has been sudden.... Disney World food has been going downhill for at least a decade....

I don't think "going" downhill is accurate... As I mentioned before, the full service restaurants were incredible for a while in the mid-1990s and went downhill between, let's say, 1995 and 2005. I don't think Disney World food has been going downhill since then. Instead, I think what we're hearing about is a lot of people either remembering or having had heard about how great things were back in the 1990s and because of that thinking that quality is still declining. The only significant changes are that some of the high quality table service has shifted from some older restaurants (like Artist Point) to some brand new restaurants (like The Boathouse), and that counter service has clearly gotten a lot better. But other than that, things have been quite consistent. Prices have gone up, but that's a different matter.

 

[sleepydog25]

What they seem to be doing constantly is not only putting prices up way beyond inflation, but shaving off the quality ingredients and more expensive food items. Examples going back to 2016 off the top of my head:

1. Narcoosees surf and turf deal disappearing, now paid add on for lobster tails.
2. More expensive items such as guacamole disappearing off QS toppings bars.
3. Allegedly the fish at Yorkshire County being changed to Tilapia. 99% of people from Yorkshire have never heard of tilapia which is a quarter the price of cod and haddock which it must be if it’s Yorkshire fish and chips.
4. Make your own pasta recently disappearing from food courts.
5. General reports of diminishing meat and steak quality.
6. The pot meals at Sanaa, removing meat options for the deal.

It goes on and on.

Now some of it could be justified to keep prices the same, but putting up prices well above inflation AND doing all this stuff?

Largely this. The emphasis is on cheaper ingredients which naturally will lead to poorer quality. I've also noticed a bait-and-switch tactic at work the past few years. A new place comes along with promising food, and within 6 months menu items disappear or are changed drastically. Let's look at just one resort with which I'm familiar: Wilderness Lodge. When Geyser Point opened, they had a unique breakfast menu with two types of eggs benedict among other items. Those were soon dropped, the menu scaled back in other areas. Then, they stopped serving hot breakfast. Then, they just stopped breakfast altogether. For the regular menu, they had a great salmon sandwich--gone in about 4 months despite its seeming popularity. About that same time, Roaring Fork--which had above average QS food and the best Mickey waffles at Disney as they were made-to-order with fresh sauces--was closed for renovation. When they reopened, gone was the freshness and the quality--the waffles are mass produced and the sauces gloppy. Most of their really good sandwiches also disappeared. Whispering Canyon? They changed the skillets lately, I've read, and now corn bread is an extra charge? Finally, Artist Point. Aside from the fact they changed it entirely away from Signature dining (so now no really nice place to go for an adult meal), and the veal shank from opening is now a pork shank--far cheaper that way as is the entire menu since it's all made ahead of time, and you're constrained in the appetizers and desserts. Again, it's cheaper that way, though the cost begs to differ. All of this and, yes, prices increasing far beyond the creep of inflation. Of course, that's a Disney-wide strategy.

 

[BrianL]

It is going to vary from place to place. The places change their menus sometimes and that can lead to a perceived drop in quality. Sometimes though it is also an improvement. Only the frequent guests even notice that stuff though. I don't really think there have been any major declines across the board recently though.

 

[gharter]

Largely this. The emphasis is on cheaper ingredients which naturally will lead to poorer quality. I've also noticed a bait-and-switch tactic at work the past few years. A new place comes along with promising food, and within 6 months menu items disappear or are changed drastically. Let's look at just one resort with which I'm familiar: Wilderness Lodge. When Geyser Point opened, they had a unique breakfast menu with two types of eggs benedict among other items. Those were soon dropped, the menu scaled back in other areas. Then, they stopped serving hot breakfast. Then, they just stopped breakfast altogether. For the regular menu, they had a great salmon sandwich--gone in about 4 months despite its seeming popularity. About that same time, Roaring Fork--which had above average QS food and the best Mickey waffles at Disney as they were made-to-order with fresh sauces--was closed for renovation. When they reopened, gone was the freshness and the quality--the waffles are mass produced and the sauces gloppy. Most of their really good sandwiches also disappeared. Whispering Canyon? They changed the skillets lately, I've read, and now corn bread is an extra charge? Finally, Artist Point. Aside from the fact they changed it entirely away from Signature dining (so now no really nice place to go for an adult meal), and the veal shank from opening is now a pork shank--far cheaper that way as is the entire menu since it's all made ahead of time, and you're constrained in the appetizers and desserts. Again, it's cheaper that way, though the cost begs to differ. All of this and, yes, prices increasing far beyond the creep of inflation. Of course, that's a Disney-wide strategy.

I don't believe its a bait and switch. More that the guests preferences are to blame for the change in menus.
Several restaurants, immediately Tiffins, Jiko, skipper Canteen and many others, had unique menu items. Unfortunately, they didn't sell well and the menu changed to a more traditional menu. While they may still offer a few unique items, the menus are drastically different.
Other restaurants clearly have gone to cheaper ingredients and has had an effect on quality.

 

[RangerPooh]

This will depend on what your tastes and expectations are. We have noticed that some restaurants have experienced a decline in quality, while others have remained about the same.

Overall for us we have noticed a decline from where things were 15 years ago. Don't know if there is a single thing to point to as a factor, but free fining/dining plan may have contributed. As well as knowing that people will pay higher prices for lower quality just because they're at Disney.

 

[jess20k]

The ones that I have noticed that have gone down hill over the past few visits are: 50's Prime Time, Rose and Crown, Sci-Fi, and Teppan Edo.

 

[vacationer1954]

Largely this. The emphasis is on cheaper ingredients which naturally will lead to poorer quality.

Yesterday, I watched a YouTube video from a pretty well known Disney parks influencer. He was at a restaurant (I think this was off property, but no matter) deciding between the filet mignon and a burger. He went for the burger. I do the same thing. This past Saturday we went to a new restaurant. They had a really interesting sounding entree but I ended up ordering a wrap. I think this is very telling about why Disney and the vast majority of other restaurants make the decisions they make: More and more diners are making decisions based on what they like rather than how high quality it is.

I've also noticed a bait-and-switch tactic at work the past few years. A new place comes along with promising food, and within 6 months menu items disappear or are changed drastically.

That's been standard practice in the industry for years. A new restaurant opened here, north of Atlanta, about five years ago. The menu was really unique with a lot of items that were really remarkable. Within six months, practically all that was left were "popular" items. We spoke to the chef-owner about it and he relayed that this is what restaurants need to do to remain in business. They give the control over to the diners. Whatever the diners like they keep on the menu. Anything diners rarely order or only a few diners order, get removed from the menu to make the operation more efficient. It's not just restaurants that work this way, either. Supermarkets keep close tabs on what is selling and what isn't.

I don't believe its a bait and switch. More that the guests preferences are to blame for the change in menus.

Yes. That's it exactly.

 

[sleepydog25]

I don't believe its a bait and switch. More that the guests preferences are to blame for the change in menus.
Several restaurants, immediately Tiffins, Jiko, skipper Canteen and many others, had unique menu items. Unfortunately, they didn't sell well and the menu changed to a more traditional menu. While they may still offer a few unique items, the menus are drastically different.
Other restaurants clearly have gone to cheaper ingredients and has had an effect on quality.

"Bait-and-switch" is a bit of a pejorative term, so my bad on that. Primarily, I intended to imply that Disney is smart enough to know that certain items likely won't sell well--in particular, say, that salmon sandwich. It piques the attention, but they know going in that it will likely fall off the menu, hence my use of bait-and-switch. A more clear cut example is the pork shank at AP. Which sounds more appealing to most, veal or pork? Veal. So, they start the new dinner service with the more eye-catching, cachet-filling "veal shank" and then wind up switching to pork. Purposeful? I'm sure many would say "no." I simply disagree. They certainly didn't lower the price when they began using cheaper meat. I'm aware many industries, including the restaurant biz, do such things, letting patrons "decide." I think many are being disingenuous including Disney. That's all.

 

[MomOTwins]

"Bait-and-switch" is a bit of a pejorative term, so my bad on that. Primarily, I intended to imply that Disney is smart enough to know that certain items likely won't sell well--in particular, say, that salmon sandwich. It piques the attention, but they know going in that it will likely fall off the menu, hence my use of bait-and-switch. I more clear cut example is the pork shank at AP. Which sounds more appealing to most, veal or pork? Veal. So, they start the new dinner service with the more eye-catching, cachet-filling "veal shank" and then wind up switching to pork. Purposeful? I'm sure many would say "no." I simply disagree. They certainly didn't lower the price when they began using cheaper meat. I'm aware many industries, including the restaurant biz, do such things, letting patrons "decide." I think many are being disingenuous including Disney. That's all.

I actually think bait and switch sounds right in the example you gave. They know all the blogs out there are going to post photos and reviews of a menu as soon as the restaurant opens, so they know it is going to be the "Veal shank" that everyone sees when they look up AP's new menu online, and not the "Pork shank" it is now.

That said, I don't mind it when they cut corners a bit at a 1-credit restaurant--I expect them to be cost saving there. I do start to question when they cut corners at signature restaurants though. For example, when they switch from Wagyu to standard steak without changing the price, or when Yachtsman started offering the spiny Caribbean lobster instead of Maine lobster. At a certain point, the signature becomes not much of an upgrade food-wise at (for those on the DDP) is literally double the cost. #firstworldproblems

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I think if anything it's gotten better. QS has definitely improved.

 

[KenHutch]

Well during our last trip (last June) we found Boma and Ohana to be excellent but it was the 1st trip that I ever called the manager and complained on (Pizzafari) it was just foul. And I had to complain at one of our standard restaurants Rose & Crown. It still seems to be hit or miss. I am sort of dreading our next trip because we are looking at eating at 5 Signature restaurants.

 

[sleepydog25]

#firstworldproblems

Very true.

 

[Jessicavoet]

I agree with the poster who said it was inconsistent. Eating at Disney is one of my favorite parts of our Disney trips, but there have definitely been some misses over the years. Just try everything, what some people may not like you may find is your new favorite.