If you visit WDW regulary do you feel the meals have gone down ever so slightly?

[4HppyCamprs]

I think the point that people miss when saying that people expect to much from theme park food is that Disney is choosing to offer gourmet food at gourmet prices but not living up to those standard in the food that is presented. When you start charging prices that are comparable to non disney upscale restaurants that is who you end up being compared again. Apples to Apples. Now I know that if I order a hot dog at Disney I am going to pay 8.00 just like if I order a hot dog at a hockey game. I will compare the two hot dogs mentally (intentionally or not) and my decision on whether it was worth it or not will come from that comparison. I am already paying premium room prices (because it is a theme park) plus ticket prices (because it is a theme park) and parking prices (because it is a theme park) and I want my food to be comparable to what I would get elsewhere for the same price. We rarely eat out at home anymore because we have found that in general restaurants are making food bland to suit the general public and chefs are not doing what they do best and that is make outstanding food. People complain so so much if they get a food that is actually seasoned that the company stops flavoring food for fear that it will have to "eat" the cost of the food. I can make bland food at home but it seems to be the trend of restaurants all over. When i go to a restaurant I want the chef to actually practice his art.

 

[SnowWitch]

I'm going to make this short and sweet, and clear for everyone on this board:

When you have a family of four sit down at a Signature restaurant, or even a one-credit TS, and Mommy is a vegetarian, and Daddy is a carnivore, and Johnny can't eat gluten, and Sally is a diabetic, you have to have menus and food items which will accommodate the lowest common denominator in any eating scenario. WDW feeds 50 million guests each year. That's 50 million different tastes in food, diet, appetite, affordability, etc. etc. Given that, WDW does an excellent job.

BTW, show me that restaurant near where you live that is so phenomenal, and I'll show you how that restaurant doesn't have 1/1000th the patronage of any WDW TS in a given year. Also, I'll bet that restaurant doesn't have to pay the salaries of 60,000 employees and the third largest bus system in the state. Yeah, that's where a good portion of your $18 goes when you order the Honey Sesame Chicken at Nine Dragons. Where did you think the money came from to do all that landscaping, the fireworks spectaculars, and the monorail? From the ticket sales? From the merchandise? Uh, no. Not even close.

One last thing. The quality in food may have gone down in WDW, but so has the quality of the visitor. That... I've been noticing for quite some time.

Disney has always dealt with serving a diverse population with different dietary needs this is nothing new to them and therefore not a valid excuse.

Disney has always had an enormous number of employees, nothing new, so not a valid excuse.

What is new is the popularity of the Disney dining which can be linked to the success of the DDP. 10 yrs ago you could walk into any dining establishment in Disney and be seated. This includes Le Cellier and Chef Mickeys. 5 yrs ago one had to think about gettings adr's for the more popular places in advance. Present day, make ever adr 180 days out or be shut out of any popular places. Why? The dining plan popularity. The mentality that your getting more for less and in this case we are getting less quality of food served.

To each his own. We love Disney but the mentality that they are doing the best they can given this excuse or that excuse is ridculous. We still do the DxDP for part of our trips and then no dining plan for the rest. We enjoy 2 TS dining which offers the small children a better menu than the standard crap that they now serve at every single place. We still enjoy a few buffets, Boma and Crystal Palace, and I do believe they still have some nice above average counter service options.

And I have to agree there does seem to be more of a "I'm entitled, I'm paying alot for my vaca" mentality "so get out of my way, its all about me" population visiting Disney parks the last few years. I have seen more agruments and ugliest out of guests over the last 3 years than I had combined in the previous 20 years. Its very sad!

 

[Eastern]

We are now concentrating our dining on places that do not take DDP. Going forward, Jiko (and possibly Citrico's) are the only signature restaurants to which we'll return.

I found your comments very helpful; thanks for posting!

 

[Eastern]

Like I said, Disney used to actually advertise about the great restaurants. So golden age. I would probably say I noticed it ~2005. I know early 90's we use to dream of going just for the food.

And yes I totally admit that when you charge me 35 bucks for a New York strip, call me crazy I think it should be great.

Same here.

 

[Colleen27]

I really haven't noticed a decline, but I've only been going to Disney as an adult since 2005 so I don't remember the Eisner-era "heyday" of Disney dining and I don't come from/live near a "foodie" town like New York so I'm not comparing Disney's restaurants to great places back home.

There have been changes since our first trip in 2005, some good, some bad, but overall I still think there are plenty of good meals to be had at Disney and very much enjoy their signature restaurants. I do think Disney has made a conscious decision to put mass appeal over uniqueness and cultural authenticity, which is a shame for those of us who are adventurous enough eaters to appreciate more unusual and ethnic choices, but I can't honestly blame them for catering to the average American appetite and I still find plenty to enjoy.

 

[Colleen27]

We are now concentrating our dining on places that do not take DDP.

You say this, but your "biggest disappointment of all" was at a restaurant that doesn't take the dining plan - Bistro de Paris never has. And you said you enjoyed Sanaa and Kouzzina, both of which do accept the plan.

 

[BriarRosie]

I've noticed a decline, and I've been eating at the table service restaurants for years. I can even sum a couple observations from past birthday trips.

When I turned 27, I was at the Chef's Table at Victoria and Albert's. The Chef's Table was still good 6 years later, and the main dining room is also pretty high in quality still. It just needs a creative kick in the butt now and then to change up the menu.

When I turned 30, I had Chateaubriand at Yachtsman Steakhouse. Back then, I enjoyed the steak. Last December, I had a "filet mignon" in the Crew's Cup Lounge that was not even close to the quality I'd expect from Yachtsman.

When I turned 33, I had gone to California Grill and had foie gras as an appetizer. Disney decided to ban foie gras from its restaurants in October of 2008, much to the disappointment of the foodies who loved it at California Grill and Victoria and Albert's.

When I turned 40, where did I eat? Las Vegas.
I didn't have any more birthday trips to Disney in many years, and Las Vegas has turned into a major foodie town. It was awesome, just a year ago!

I've noticed that the food at some of my favorite places is still good, and that's why I still return. But it's kind of sad that on my food and wine festival trip last month, the meal that really stood out for me as outstanding was Emeril's Tchoup Chop at the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal. I couldn't beat it for the price AND quality beating the pants off Disney.

It's saying something that I had a lot of time eating appetizers and desserts (and the occasional entrée) at the Swan/Dolphin. But I still like places like Kona Cafe, which have a laid back atmosphere and pretty decent food for the price. I haven't been back there for a few years now, so I'm due to return there.

 

[blurgh]

Not sure if it's a case of being picky. for example, as bad as I know they are for you I love Mcdonald's french fries. don't know what they do to them but I love knowing that no matter where I go, if I go into a Mcdonlds the french fries will be consistent. You know what to expect and no matter how many they serve, the quality will be the same. Now yes I know deep frying french fries is not the same as making an entire meal but you get my point. no matter how "plain" or "simple, food can be prepared tasty and for goodness sake it should be hot.
For example we went to a ts dinner one day and the soda was flat. well after questioning the server we found out that they fill the sodas up with ice about 1 hour before serving them to speed up the operation.
Now, that's not tragic but what I found funny is that no one said to themselves "hummm guest do not like flat, watered down soda". You would have thought after 20 people requesting fresh drinks some thing would have sunk in.
So it's not about how "picky" some one is, some thing as simple as a drink can be a reflection of poor management and putting other things (cost, speed) ahead of quality.





So you're saying if I stop going to the world, my food should taste better? LOL. I'll let you know, this year (2010) we skipped our annual trip for Europe. We've got a trip planned next August so I hope you're right. I've given Tony's 3 tries and the sauce still taste like Ragu.
I guess we expect it based on previous experience. Like I said, Disney used to actually advertise about the great restaurants. So golden age. I would probably say I noticed it ~2005. I know early 90's we use to dream of going just for the food.

And yes I totally admit that when you charge me 35 bucks for a New York strip, call me crazy I think it should be great.

Well, if you're going to Tony's, that's part of the problem. lol. I don't know why you'd expect even remotely "in the ballpark" Italian there. Maybe it's been good at some point, I doubt it. I went as a kid and thought it stunk as a kid.

As for the cost, yeah, that sucks, but that's the "captive audience fee". You don't have to pay $35 bucks for a non-great NY Strip, but you'll have to leave to property in order to do so. That's how it is everywhere in a tourist trap.

If there was a time where the food was better than average, that I missed, clearly it was a business mistake on their part, because they've gone to a different model since. And honestly, when you look for ADR's, doesn't it seem a disproportionate amount of "signature" restaurants pop up?

That's not what the audience wants, I guess.

 

[GeorgeG]

I do have to admit, people complaining about food quality in a theme park complex is pretty amusing. And yes, I know it's on the list. lol. I don't know how you could expect something with that much traffic, which is generally centralized, to be any good.

Honestly, I'm not exactly sure when this "golden age" of Disney Dining took place. I did have a few years' window, where I didn't go, I guess it was possible it was then, but the food isn't significantly better (or worse) than when I went as a kid. And then, it was pretty mediocre.I think it's a case of people going to the same place over and over and over again, and burning themselves out on it.

We started going in 1986 and the food was great up until several years ago. There were a few times the food wasn't quite as good as we expected, but most of our favorite restaurants were well above average. Of course, tastes vary considerably, which is why I'm always puzzled when people ask what we think they will like. It's not always what is better, but more often it's about what you're used to. If you grew up on Chicago-style pizza you probably don't like New York-style, and vice versa. Still, for what WDW charges for food it should be better than what they serve now, whether you like the food or not, or pay OOP or go with a dining plan. Nothing at WDW is really ever "free."

 

[TheRustyScupper]

To quote the famous comic philosopher, Pogo . . .
. . . We have met the enemy and it is us.


1) Demand better and we shall get it.
2) Settle for DDP, and it will continue to decline.
3) Murphy's Law at its best.

 

[eliza61]

As for the cost, yeah, that sucks, but that's the "captive audience fee". You don't have to pay $35 bucks for a non-great NY Strip, but you'll have to leave to property in order to do so. That's how it is everywhere in a tourist trap.

If there was a time where the food was better than average, that I missed, clearly it was a business mistake on their part, because they've gone to a different model since. And honestly, when you look for ADR's, doesn't it seem a disproportionate amount of "signature" restaurants pop up?

That's not what the audience wants, I guess.

But why does it have to be mediocre? Most people are willing to suck up to the "captive audience fee", we pretty much expect that. But why does it have to be so bland and badly prepared? and that's the major difference. I will gladly pay up, I would just like to leave the restaurant saying, "Wow, what a great meal".

Definitely agree with that, we've seen it here on the Dis, pretty much as long as we "think" it's free or discounted we are pretty much willing to accept slop on a stick. I've read tons of post where people say if they had to pay cash for the meal they wouldn't. mainly because they don't think it's worth the charges. My contention is that if it's not tasty enough to pay cash for, why is it acceptable any other time.

bottom line for me, is that when I go out to dinner whether with reward points, coupons, paying for it myself, or being treated I like a tasty meal.

 

[Sofia's Dad]

The dining has gone significantly downhill in recent years. While there are several reasons for this, the biggest is free dining.

I have not read every post yet but what you said is very interesting. I can say there are alot of the free dining plans available. I wonder if it is the main reason for this decline. I can't believe how Jiko's decided to exclude there baby back ribs. The waiter said the New Chef said it was to expensive to make..... Wow.

 

[TDC Nala]

I don't know how you could expect something with that much traffic, which is generally centralized, to be any good.

It used to be good.

Some of the restaurants are still good. I don't eat at the ones I don't like anymore. I won't go to Tony's for example, and I am so disapppointed in the buffets recently that I no longer go to any of them. Not even my former favorites, Boma and Biergarten.

Going to WDW for the weekend and the meals will be a bunch of Food & Wine events, the only restaurants I am planning are Bluezoo (not a Disney restaurant) and Kouzzina (such an unusual menu for a Disney restaurant that it gets plenty of bad reviews on this board) and perhaps Sanaa (another unusually themed dining experience). Needless to say, no dining plan.

 

[Colleen27]

But why does it have to be mediocre? Most people are willing to suck up to the "captive audience fee", we pretty much expect that. But why does it have to be so bland and badly prepared? and that's the major difference. I will gladly pay up, I would just like to leave the restaurant saying, "Wow, what a great meal".

Definitely agree with that, we've seen it here on the Dis, pretty much as long as we "think" it's free or discounted we are pretty much willing to accept slop on a stick. I've read tons of post where people say if they had to pay cash for the meal they wouldn't. mainly because they don't think it's worth the charges. My contention is that if it's not tasty enough to pay cash for, why is it acceptable any other time.

I think a previous poster summed that up rather nicely - bland food is an American trend, not unique to Disney. More people are eating out on a regular basis (as a long term trend, the recession not withstanding) and going to more sitdown restaurants. Places like Chilis and Applebees have created a niche as essentially sitdown fast food; nothing creative or well seasoned, just a hair more expensive than the drive through, and absolutely predictable. And in that niche they've been immensely successful.

Disney seems to be working from that same perspective, especially with their 1TS restaurants - nothing too "scary" unique/creative/ethnic, just basic meals dressed up a bit with familiar sides/flavors. And they're equally successful with it; most posts about the golden age of Disney dining talk about how easy it was to get into even popular restaurants, because the demand just wasn't there for that better quality of food. The demand is there for what Disney is serving now. And maybe I've just been lucky, but in our experience they do it well - we haven't had any more service or preparation complaint about Disney dining than I'd expect to have out of the same number of meals out in the real world.

As far as whether or not one would pay OOP for it, that's a really subjective thing. A lot of people, especially those of us from relatively low-cost middle America, are so unaccustomed to $100+ meals (much less the $200+ that is so easy to get to at a Disney signature restaurant) that there's precious little in the way of food or service that can overcome that sticker shock.

 

[eliza61]

To quote the famous comic philosopher, Pogo . . .
. . . We have met the enemy and it is us.


1) Demand better and we shall get it.
2) Settle for DDP, and it will continue to decline.
3) Murphy's Law at its best.

So very true.

I think a previous poster summed that up rather nicely - bland food is an American trend, not unique to Disney. More people are eating out on a regular basis (as a long term trend, the recession not withstanding) and going to more sitdown restaurants. Places like Chilis and Applebees have created a niche as essentially sitdown fast food; nothing creative or well seasoned, just a hair more expensive than the drive through, and absolutely predictable. And in that niche they've been immensely successful.

little in the way of food or service that can overcome that sticker shock.

That is a very interesting perspective Colleen (very sad but interesting). So I'll admit, I'm the exact opposite. You're right I can get chilis at home so when I go on a vacation especially a vacation that uses words like "magical & celebrate" as buzz word, I expect more. I totally admit Applebees is not where I would go with my kids on a special occasion (we tend to look at our wdw vacations as special.) even when they were little kids, that's pretty much where I go after black Friday shopping and I'm so tired I don't care what they serve as long as it's hot.

But I do kinda stick to my view that it is very possible to do both. for example people shell out major dollars to eat at the castle. Yes, I know for the most part you want to pay for the experience. Princesses, pictures, the castle. But how much creativity does it take to make pancakes and eggs that are halfway decent? 49 bucks for CRT lunch and you can't find chicken nuggets that are actually made of chicken breast meat? not pasty fillers?

I think a lot of us who see the decline are more dismayed that we pretty much have to book a signature restaurant in order to guarantee that the meal would be decent.

My experience is a bit different, I'm a NYC gal so while I do get quite a variety in types of food, I get really good food at medium prices. How much harder is it to make a great pizza as opposed to the stuff they sell at pizza planet? I know quite a few Italian mama's that manage to feed tons of people with marinera sauce that have made grown men cry. Vats and Vats of the stuff. Yeah we have the high end $200 meals but we also can get a mean bowl of Black bean soup that actually taste like black bean soup (imagine that).

Thanks for the interesting think this morning.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

Well eliza, you're my new hero. I agree with virtually everything you've said and in its context.

I'm with Briar Rosie too, my 'foodie' destination is Vegas. Even in this recession that is hitting them horribly the food somehow still manages to thrive.

The sad thing is people are just willing to settle. People accept mediocrity or less, as long as it's perceived to be a good deal. Disney is a paradox though because the food is not cheap BUT Disney has created an atmosphere where, for some reason, people feel lucky to be there. Now this is a different debate altogether but it's sad that offering a great product is not the goal of the Disney Company anymore. Good enough is good enough.

 

[cluvsdisney]

I don't know what happened to the food at Disney. I don't buy the "it's not bad for a theme park meal" because they market vacations...magical practically all inclusive vacations. But they must use black magic on the food because I don't know how they can make a hamburger or a steak inedible. I don't understand how restaurants with relatively limited selections can not prepare those items well. I wouldn't mind paying the inflated captive prices if I enjoyed the meal but I think it is grossly overpriced for the quality they serve. I would rather spend my time and money going to non-Disney restaurants or just eating off property.

 

[DipsyDoodles]

I agree with the OP, the quality of food has diminished over the years and it's unfortunate.

 

[Planogirl]

I think that it's mostly about expectations. Disney markets itself as being excellent at everything and when they fall short, it's disappointing particularly at the prices they charge. It's true that themeparks tend to be bulk feeders and the food often reflects that. However, Disney comes across as being such a fabulous place to dine due to their own press and overall it's not.

 

[BriarRosie]

We started going in 1986 and the food was great up until several years ago. There were a few times the food wasn't quite as good as we expected, but most of our favorite restaurants were well above average. Of course, tastes vary considerably, which is why I'm always puzzled when people ask what we think they will like. It's not always what is better, but more often it's about what you're used to. If you grew up on Chicago-style pizza you probably don't like New York-style, and vice versa. Still, for what WDW charges for food it should be better than what they serve now, whether you like the food or not, or pay OOP or go with a dining plan. Nothing at WDW is really ever "free."

I'd like to take your Chicago-style pizza analogy and run with it, since that's what I grew up eating. I do enjoy some thin crust pizza, so I'm not completely biased in favor of Chicago deep dish. But Disney pizza was just...bleh. Edible but not "good".

I went to Via Napoli and tried some of 4 types of their pizzas and enjoyed them. I think they've actually found a way to get "good" pizza at Disney.