If the food was that bad or inedible...

[lilandvisma]

and service was that terrible, why not complain about it then?? I just don't understand, I know I would.

Just sayin'.

 

[OurDogCisco]

 

[rubato]

On our last trip, we had a few REALLY bad experiences. We complained. We expected nothing and just wanted to let management know that their wait staff or food quality was subpar. We received our TS credits back for one meal, and were told to please leave $0 tip for the server at the other restaurant. The manager said she would then take our ticket to the server and explain why they were getting no tip (it was the worst service I have ever experienced in my life). Now, I don't go around talking about how bad our dining experiences were, but, if someone asks for an opinion about a certain restaurant, I will give mine.

 

[2Tiggies]

Now, I don't go around talking about how bad our dining experiences were, but, if someone asks for an opinion about a certain restaurant, I will give mine.

That's why you don't go round talking about how bad an experience is; if there is a problem, you address it then and there so by the time you leave, you are not seething and looking for people to relate your bad experience to.

 

[lilandvisma]

On our last trip, we had a few REALLY bad experiences. We complained. We expected nothing and just wanted to let management know that their wait staff or food quality was subpar. We received our TS credits back for one meal, and were told to please leave $0 tip for the server at the other restaurant. The manager said she would then take our ticket to the server and explain why they were getting no tip (it was the worst service I have ever experienced in my life). Now, I don't go around talking about how bad our dining experiences were, but, if someone asks for an opinion about a certain restaurant, I will give mine.

Totally understandable. You made your complaint right then and there as would I. I love opinions too, I promise lol. I just can't understand why some people don't speak up in that moment. If my food was bad or the server was horrible, etc. etc...you better believe I'm going to make a complaint, Disney or home. My brother was in corporate management for years and I can tell you that any professional manager would WANT to know if you are having these kinds of experiences. Most will do everything in their power to fix it for you.

With our next Disney trip fast approaching I'm seriously hoping that we will get to experience some awesome food ! In the event that something is as horrible as some of the things I've been reading about you can rest assured that I will not refrain myself from making a complaint.

 

[coopersmom]

Totally understandable. You made your complaint right then and there as would I. I love opinions too, I promise lol. I just can't understand why some people don't speak up in that moment. If my food was bad or the server was horrible, etc. etc...you better believe I'm going to make a complaint, Disney or home. My brother was in corporate management for years and I can tell you that any professional manager would WANT to know if you are having these kinds of experiences. Most will do everything in their power to fix it for you.

But when every meal is just barely so-so or your server has already ignored you for the bulk of the meal, to return only when they bring the check and are suddenly all smiles ... I went into Disney not expecting great food, and got what I expected. I wasn't gonna waste any more of my vacation time complaining about things done poorly than I already had. Based on my experiences, bringing things not right in our room to the attention of the Polynesian staff, very little was going to be done.

For instance, at Tusker House for breakfast I asked for a diet Coke and got, I don't know what. But it was completely flat, oddly syrupy and undrinkable. Obviously something was wrong with the machine/mix. I waited a LONG time for our waiter to return and, when he did, I asked very nicely for a replacement. 30 minutes later he brought me out ... The exact same watery, weird thing. I took one sip and said it still tasted really off, but he was already gone, and didn't show up again until the check. He saw the completely full soda, but never said a word and I didn't want to wait another half hour. Now, I could have escalated the complaint, but obviously nothing was going to come of it, so why waste the energy and get myself upset? It's only a soda. It was way easier, and less stressful, for me to go out into the park and buy a bottled one.

That's just one example ... When our Le Cellier waitress literally did nothing but take our order (within 30 seconds of being seated) and return with the check, reeking of cigarette smoke. (Someone else brought our food and drinks, my son's hotdog was ice cold and I never got the soda refill I requested.) I could have argued about the automatic gratuity, but it would have been an argument, and I would have had to find someone to have that argument with, and it would have just been an unnecessary stressor on my day. Instead, I figured, hey, my son probably wasn't going to eat more than a bite of that hotdog anyway (he's 3) and life is too short to go through the hassle of finding a manager, explaining the whole thing and asking for an exception, all to save about $12.

It just seemed like a waste of breath and I figured I had better things to do other than get angry at being ignored and repeating complaints over and over. I tried, really hard, to just put anything bad out of my mind and enjoy my very expensive vacation. I'm pretty confident that a server who sees NOTHING eaten knows there was a problem. It's kind of exhausting chasing people around trying to get them to do their job correctly. If I complained about everything that went wrong during our vacation, all I'd have done was complain, which just seems counter-productive to having a halfway decent time.

I agree with what someone said on another thread (and I'm paraphrasing) ... If you complain, you're labeled a whiner with a negative attitude, but if you don't, you're labeled a schmuck who deserves what he/she gets.

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

I try to go with the flow and do not set my expectations too high. I have seen the standardization of the menus, and I know that this is the telltale that the quality is diminishing. I still expect good service, clean establishments, and food that is prepared correctly. But I try to limit my complaints and not add stress to my vacation. OTOH, I am not a pushover and I will definitely request a manager when the issues are many or severe.

BTW, I probably would have found a manager on the Diet Coke issue mentioned above. Someone has to tell the guy in charge when he very likely has a machinery issue.

 

[Zife]

For instance, at Tusker House for breakfast I asked for a diet Coke and got, I don't know what. But it was completely flat, oddly syrupy and undrinkable. Obviously something was wrong with the machine/mix. I waited a LONG time for our waiter to return and, when he did, I asked very nicely for a replacement. 30 minutes later he brought me out ... The exact same watery, weird thing. I took one sip and said it still tasted really off, but he was already gone, and didn't show up again until the check. He saw the completely full soda, but never said a word and I didn't want to wait another half hour. Now, I could have escalated the complaint, but obviously nothing was going to come of it, so why waste the energy and get myself upset? It's only a soda. It was way easier, and less stressful, for me to go out into the park and buy a bottled one.

This is probably the only type of time I'll mention something food related to the server. It's an easy fix, but you have to *tell* them what's wrong with it, not just ask for a new one. If the carbonated water they mix the syrup with has run out, you get what you had. Non-carbonated syrup. But it's hard to notice this without actually tasting it, so the server doesn't know. You can get the opposite too, where the syrup is running low, and you basically get carbonated water with a bit of Coke. But again, if you don't actually tell them what's wrong, they don't know, and you get the same thing.

 

[coopersmom]

This is probably the only type of time I'll mention something food related to the server. It's an easy fix, but you have to *tell* them what's wrong with it, not just ask for a new one. If the carbonated water they mix the syrup with has run out, you get what you had. Non-carbonated syrup. But it's hard to notice this without actually tasting it, so the server doesn't know. You can get the opposite too, where the syrup is running low, and you basically get carbonated water with a bit of Coke. But again, if you don't actually tell them what's wrong, they don't know, and you get the same thing.

I didn't clarify in my original post, but I did tell them what was wrong, saying it was flat and the syrup was off, maybe it's the machine? Didn't seem to make a difference.

Seriously, I'm reporting here (in my dining review) what happened, but it was NOT the end of the world for me. I don't think much of Disney food/restaurant service, but that doesn't mean I had a miserable time.

I don't know if the lackluster-ness is the dining plan's fault, because I'm brand new to all this, but I will say we were asked if we were on the dining plan multiple times each meal. It became a joke to us. They would ask, we'd say no, and they'd ask again. Once my husband and I counted we were asked seven times at a single restaurant from when we arrived to when the check came.

 

[larryz]

I went expecting cold, nasty-tasting food served up by fleeting waiters with bad attitudes.

What I got was 180 degrees out -- every one of our table service venues was EXCELLENT, from check in personnel to the wait staff, appetizer thru dessert.

The only issue I had was a 35 minute wait for our table at Biergarten (at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon). We checked in on time, and got seated at 5:05. So as to not waste the time, I managed to calm my frustration with a shot of Jagermeister from the nearby CS location.

Let me count the ways: a tender, perfectly rare filet mignon at the Brown Derby. Wonderful turkey and roast beef (mmm!) at Liberty Tree Tavern. Unagi to die for appetizer and a deluxe sushi platter at Tokyo Dining that were as good as any I've had anywhere else (including Tokyo), and (of course) the wonderful buffet at the Biergarten. And in every case, a chef came out to personally guide DW and DS about their allergies -- a great service that really personalizes the dining experience (and keeps us from hugging toilets later that night).

So I have to go on record saying Free Dining hasn't killed the quality of food at WDW, nor has it stifled the service ethic of those who cook and serve it. We had a great time with great food, and I hope we can do it again real soon.

 

[coopersmom]

...And in every case, a chef came out to personally guide DW and DS about their allergies -- a great service that really personalizes the dining experience (and keeps us from hugging toilets later that night)....

Having been and seen people around us getting chats from the chef I kind of think the way to get decent food at Disney is to have a food allergy. I'm not saying this is NOT a service they should offer, and think it's great they do, but if you have your meal(s) specially prepared just for you, they're bound to be better than the made-in-advance stuff we saw a lot of. Just a suspicion ... Not that it helps me, other than breaking into hives if I eat coconut, no one in my family has any sort of food allergies, unless you count my lactose intolerant cat. Don't really think that's gonna help us much with Disney dining.

 

[larryz]

Having been and seen people around us getting chats from the chef I kind of think the way to get decent food at Disney is to have a food allergy. I'm not saying this is NOT a service they should offer, and think it's great they do, but if you have your meal(s) specially prepared just for you, they're bound to be better than the made-in-advance stuff we saw a lot of.

The consult doesn't always result in a specially-prepared meal. The chef often would discuss what ingredients are used and steer us toward meals that didn't contain those ingredients.

Take, for example, pine nuts. One chef said, "No worries -- there aren't any pine nuts in my kitchen." Another, on dairy, said, "We have steamed vegetables without any cream sauce we can put on the plate for you. For dessert, we have chocolate tofutti."

 

[TwoAtDisney]

Just got back from our first DDP (18 nites) & we were very impressed with the food & the service; both were excellent. Only food we did not like was 50's Prime Time (meatloaf & pot roast were dry - we didn't say anything, but won't go back).

I think I can safely say that we 'never' complain about food or service while dining. It puts a damper on our meal & our time going out. Often, while dining, we don't even mention dissatisfaction to each other, so the other one can enjoy his/her meal. Plus, we aren't there to train someone's server or kitchen staff. If the service and/or food is bad, we don't go back - best way to send the message!

Sometimes at a restaurant we frequent often & know the quality is better, we may 'mention' something as we are leaving for informational purposes, such as, at Rain Forest the Rasta Pasta was 'off' (sauce too runny & not green, which meant pesto not used) & I advised the server as we were leaving, mentioning I was doing so in order for the kitchen to be advised.

Also, if it is a restaurant we frequent & know the food/service is a higher quality, we write it off as a bad nite. If twice one of our regular restaurants has a bad nite, we call the manager after we get home & thoroughly describe the situation - not angrily, just informatively.

But, that's just us. Each to their own way - as long as no one acts like a bully! I hate it when people think the way to handle a problem or situation is to holler or raise one's voice. If I were the server or manager, I wouldn't do anything for those types of people.

Julie

 

[Elliesmommy]

The one inedible meal I had was at ABC and I was not going to wait in line again to complain about my sandwich that was the most disgusting thing ever. I just wanted to get out of there ASAP!

 

[AirGoofy]

I think it is because expectations are so high. We have sent food back when it was served cold (when supposed to be hot) on those rare occasions. But, since we are in the Most Magical Place on earth, and paying the prices being charged, I think we are expecting the magic. Compare that to say McDonald's. When running late and the family eats there, I pretty much expect that it will taste like McDonald's food. But, I have a $10 or $15 dollar check, then I got what I paid for it. But, when you go to WDW and pay $100 for a meal, then you should receive more. There are some really good restaurants and really good servers, but you will get the dud as well.

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

Just got back from our first DDP (18 nites) & we were very impressed with the food & the service; both were excellent. Only food we did not like was 50's Prime Time (meatloaf & pot roast were dry - we didn't say anything, but won't go back).

I think I can safely say that we 'never' complain about food or service while dining. It puts a damper on our meal & our time going out. Often, while dining, we don't even mention dissatisfaction to each other, so the other one can enjoy his/her meal. Plus, we aren't there to train someone's server or kitchen staff. If the service and/or food is bad, we don't go back - best way to send the message!

Sometimes at a restaurant we frequent often & know the quality is better, we may 'mention' something as we are leaving for informational purposes, such as, at Rain Forest the Rasta Pasta was 'off' (sauce too runny & not green, which meant pesto not used) & I advised the server as we were leaving, mentioning I was doing so in order for the kitchen to be advised.

Also, if it is a restaurant we frequent & know the food/service is a higher quality, we write it off as a bad nite. If twice one of our regular restaurants has a bad nite, we call the manager after we get home & thoroughly describe the situation - not angrily, just informatively.

But, that's just us. Each to their own way - as long as no one acts like a bully! I hate it when people think the way to handle a problem or situation is to holler or raise one's voice. If I were the server or manager, I wouldn't do anything for those types of people.

Julie

I find it odd that you would give a WDW restaurant only one chance (your comment above about 50s PT), but are open to the idea that one of your hometown favorites can have an off night and can be forgiven. Why wouldn't you consider that a WDW restaurant could have an off night too?

I often see DISers take one shot at a restaurant and vow never to return. In the real world, restaurant critics visit establishments two, three, or more times before writing their evaluation. So much can change from one visit to the next.

 

[cymbaldiva]

I find it odd that you would give a WDW restaurant only one chance (your comment above about 50s PT), but are open to the idea that one of your hometown favorites can have an off night and can be forgiven. Why wouldn't you consider that a WDW restaurant could have an off night too?

I often see DISers take one shot at a restaurant and vow never to return. In the real world, restaurant critics visit establishments two, three, or more times before writing their evaluation. So much can change from one visit to the next.

Simple difference. I'm at Disney once a year at the very best ~ I have a limited number of meals to eat and a lot of restaurants to choose from. If I get a bad meal at one of them, I'm not likely to go back because there are so many other options. I may give a restaurant another shot....eventually.

In the real world ~ my hometown? If I have a bad meal? Sure, I'll go back and give a spot another go....eventually.

The difference in Disney eventually and real world eventually? Disney - could be ten years or so; I'm not there much. My hometown - maybe 6 months ~ if the place is still open. In my hometown bad restaurants don't stay open too long!

Just my .02

 

[gillep]

I really did not enjoy my food at O'hana or LeCellier but to be honest I think that it was just that I don't like my food prepared the way that they prepare it at these restaurants. It doesn't mean that the food is horrible and a lot of people clearly like these places, it is just that the specific preparation (in my opinion way overcooked and overseasoned) just isn't how I enjoy my food. We did try to ask O'hana for less cooked beef and they brought out the same medium well dryness that we had before, it is fine that this is how they were doing their meat DH and I just don't like it that way so we probably will not return.

 

[goofy4prez]

and service was that terrible, why not complain about it then?? I just don't understand, I know I would.

Just sayin'.

For me, if the food is that bad and inedible, I will complain about it then. If it is treated in a respectful matter and then corrected, I'm happy and will not tell others about my experience (other than the positive) and chalk it up to human error, which does happen. However, if the problem is not treated professionally or is not corrected once telling them, I will be certain to tell as many people as possible.

Fortunately, I have only had two encounters in my WDW experiences I would call terrible and unacceptable: ABC Commissary which was just horrible, and Le'Cellier, where the food was ok (not great), but the wait time's and the rudeness of the manager (I made the mistake of asking politely to be moved away from the restroom entrance) put a real hamper on the whole experience.


Just sayin'.

 

[NMW]

We have had not great food and pretty lousy service at 'Ohana a few times. Did we complain? No, we didn't think it was worth our time. We just wanted to get out of there and on with our vacation. To me, complaining is stressful, unpleasant, and something I just don't enjoy...why would I want to do any of that on my vacation? I'd rather just move on. In the case of 'Ohana the 3rd bad meal was the charm, we are not going back for dinner. Too many other places to choose from. Only reason we gave 'Ohana that many chances was we were trying to recapture that 1st, very good meal we had there years ago. After reading others on this board that complained and were blown off by mangers, I'm convinced that complaining would have been a huge waste of time.

We had terrrible food at ABC in DHS once in 2004 and ended up throwing it in the garbage. It was really terrible and unedible. However, there was no way I was going to get back into a long line just to complain. I just wanted to get on with our vacation. Plus, maybe it's me, but I find it hard to believe that ABC was not aware of the fact that the food they were putting out that day was that bad. I felt like saying something would have fallen on deaf ears and been a waste of my time. We have no plans to EVER go back to ABC.

We had terrible service at 50's Primetime in 2008. Meal was very long to begin with, over 2 hours for lunch. Our CM was mostly MIA throughout our meal. CM brought checks and they were a mess and totally incorrect. We were dining with my in-laws. We waited another hour and 15 minutes...SO NOT exaggerating... for our checks to come back to us correct. My father in law actually got up and left. My mother in law and I looked at each other as the CM was approaching with her 3rd attempt at correct checks and decided we would just pay them, no matter what. After all, we had just waited another 20 minutes for these checks...so we were into 1 hour 15 minutes of waiting for checks at this point!!! They were NOT correct, which I just find amazing since we went over them line by line the last time she was there. I even circled all of our items. We just paid them and got the heck out of there.

The food was not that great, probably the most dissapointing of our trip that year. Meatloaf, chicken, pot roast all dry and bland. The food combined with the service makes this place a "never again" for me. I know some people would say that I should have complained, but I had just spent 3 1/2 hours at a terrible lunch and I just wanted to get out of there.

On the other hand we had excellent service for lunch at Tonys in 2003, but the food was not that great. We are giving Tonys another chance in 2011.

I just can't see going back to 50's...2008 is just too recent for me! Maybe in another few years...

So that's why our family doesn't complain at restaurants. I guess we just don't want to put a damper on our vacation. To me, it would just be making an unpleasant situation worse.