Is it me, or does the DIS, as a group, pick restaurant "darlings"

[Harambe]

Seems like at any given time, certain restaurants are HOT. Over the last few years, Cali Grill was a top pick, along with Hollywood Brown Derby and 'Ohana. We all flooded those places, putting high demand on cooks and waitstaff.

Then they fell out of favor, and a LeCellier or Boma ADR was the covetted item. Then they started to "go down hill" in an attempt to keep up with the crowds of diners.

Lately, I see that Coral Reef and Chefs de France are getting a lot of lip-service on the restaurant board. Will we be bombarding them with ADRs and can they keep up?

Hey, I know tons of business is good for any restaurant, but I find myself feeling bad for the present "darlings" of the DIS. Sometimes it seems to be the Kiss of Death! LOL!

 

[CathrynRose]

I agree 100% with you.

Ive been on Disney boards a loooong time (10+ years) and I recall when Chef Mickey's was *the* place to hit.

Now - People dont even care for it and give it thumbs down.

I agree with you.

 

[Gina]

A thumbs down for Chef Mickey's?? Blasphemy!! Even if they had the worst food at WDW, it is still such a fun place... and no trip to WDW would be complete without a trip to Chef Mickey's!!

It can stay "out of favor" as far as I'm concerned... makes it easier to get ADR's.

 

[disney09]

But isn't it what happens to all restaurants in general? I do not care myself to go to a restaurant just because it's hot, I prefer good food and nice atmosphere... but I've seen restaurants rise and those same restaurants close afterwards because it's not hot anymore, and then some other is it.

 

[purpliequeen]

Oooo good point. Currently my family is obsessed with Boma. We're trying Le Cellier and Les Chefs next week. Will be interesting to see how we like or dislike it. But you're absolutely right, Harambe.

 

[zookeeper]

That's so true! I remember a couple years ago my friend (a Disney veteran) going on and on about the Brown Derby. At that time it was "the" place to eat. When I finally started planning our own trip last year there wasn't much talk about it (and still isn't), but now it's LeCellier this and Kona that.

 

[antmaril]

I had high hopes for LeCellier when we went to WDW earlier this year. Everyone on the Dis just raves about it. The cheese soup, the pretzel bread, etc. We had lunch and it was fine. Nothing special. A little over priced (it's Disney, what can you say?), but okay.

I've decided that for our next trip in January I'm not going to let the Dis influence my dining decisions.

 

[Harambe]

I remember actually feeling a little guilty because me and my family didn't like Boma. When I made a ADR for our next trip, DH wondered why, and I told him that so many people on the Dis loved it - we must have gone on an off night. Well, a hundred bucks later - we still didn't like it. Which is weird, because Jiko is one of our all time favorites!

 

[DeterminedOne]

I remember actually feeling a little guilty because me and my family didn't like Boma. When I made a ADR for our next trip, DH wondered why, and I told him that so many people on the Dis loved it - we must have gone on an off night. Well, a hundred bucks later - we still didn't like it. Which is weird, because Jiko is one of our all time favorites!

We didn't like Boma (or zebra domes) and I figured we must be weird 'cause they were all the rage on this board. But that was two years ago. Seems like Le Cellier is it now.

 

[Merriwind]

Glad I'm not the only one who doesn't get all the hype about Le Cellier. Boma, on the other hand, has been a must-do for us every trip. But, then again, so is Chef Mickey's!

 

[firemanx]

personaly for me i take suggestions from the boards, but if my family doesnt like it we wont go back. Every Kitchen always has bad nights, but if ran poperly a manager can always cure a bad meal, unless its a family just looking for a free meal. You will always have nights that your short handed on restaurant lines, but kitchens do it all the time and still run properly. I have been working in the restaurant BIZ for 6+ yrs and know that a restaurant the size of LeCellier could never be to busy as the restaurant isnt that big. Also most cooks llike the line being busy as it makes the hours past more quickly. So the two things i think are #1 it is either a lack of proper training being done by WDW or #2 Bad Management of the restaurants.

 

[Family Fun Mom]

I remember actually feeling a little guilty because me and my family didn't like Boma. When I made a ADR for our next trip, DH wondered why, and I told him that so many people on the Dis loved it - we must have gone on an off night. Well, a hundred bucks later - we still didn't like it. Which is weird, because Jiko is one of our all time favorites!

We didn't like Boma either. Waaaay overpriced for my kids to eat mac and cheese (the only thing they liked there). I kind of liked a few things, but I wasn't blown away. I didn't think the atmosphere was to die for, either. Different strokes.

 

[adrock1976]

OP I think you are totally correct. This is the same with any restaurant...something gets HOT and it gets flooded...remember not so many years ago when Coral Reef was the rage, and now people seem to have much more mixed reviews...and to the same token, when no one really went to Le Cellier!

 

[Leota]

Absolutely. And, alot of the times, we dislike the darlings. We've been picking restaurants off the beaten path & liking them more. I've also learned whose opinions on here are in line with our tastes & which ones we disagree with.

 

[AussieAngel]

And also!!! Because these restaurants are "darlings", the expectations are so high!

Never in my life have I planned a meal 6 months in advance, before planning my trip to Disney and hitting the DIS boards.

I've seen the all ears menus, I've seen photos of everything I'm planning to order, I've read squillions of reviews...

It's fun to plan, but in some ways I wish I didn't know what the dessert sampler at Le Cellier looked like, because then I would have been like, "WOW! That looks SO cool!" and now? I'll be like, "Yes, just like the DIS photos."

Anyhoo, I'm still very excited about my restaurant choices, especially Spoodles and Raglan Road - ones I haven't read that much about!

 

[disney queen]

we have eaten at Boma for both breakfast and dinner and it is not high on our return list. however, jiko is a different story. love it. chef mickey was fun and we will return but not a must do everytime.

 

[crisi]

There does seem to be a group think about restaurants. And I think the problem is that things get referred to as a "must do." Then, if you can't get the reservation, you are disappointed.

We like Le Cellier. If it is still as popular next trip, I probably won't even bother with the reservation - not worth the hassle. Its a good meal, but I don't think my trip will be less enjoyable without it.

We fell for the "Boma as darling." Although it wasn't as bad as other meals I've had at Disney, it was the most disappointing meal I've ever had.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I think what happens is that people who go once a year, or are first or second timers try to rely on others opinions because they have no frame of reference to choose Disney restaurants. And when people are making this kind of large financial decision (and I'm not talking about one meal, but the whole trip) they rely on people they view as "seasoned Disney travellers".

So one person posts, "Boma's was great! It was the best buffet I've been to in a long time."

So the next person thinks, well, it must be good, I'll book there too. When they get back they post, "Thanks to the Disboards, I booked Boma's and it was great - a must do!"

And they tell 2 (hundred) people, and they tell 2 (hundred) people, and so on, and so on.

And then with so many people booking the meal, it is bound to happen, "We tried Boma's and it was awful, we didn't like it at all!"

And then another poster thinks, gee I just thought my family was "uncouth" and didn't get what everyone else did "We didn't like Boma's either" they say.

And so on, and so on. Until someone else pipes in with, "Yea, we didn't like Boma's but _______________ was Amazing!!!".

And the round robin continues....

I've always said, for every person who complains about a certain restaurant, there is someone behind them saying it was the best meal of the trip.

 

[Disney Ella]

I came on the boards when everyone was raving about Boma so I was expecting great things from it. It was okay, but not nearly as wonderful as I expected. The zebra domes were good, but again, I didn't see what the big deal about them was once I'd had one.

I hadn't really heard much about Jiko, but it was the best meal we've ever had at WDW.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

I figured I'd try a much ignored one, Cape May, this time around. I was glad my family tried Teppanyaki last Christmas...it was wonderful...although it got a lot of "eh, so what"s from the DISers. I'm also going to try Artist Point. Although popular, it doesn't seem to have the same crush of folks rushing to book it. Same with Jiko last year...some folks loved it, but there didn't seem to be a rush on it, and I had the best meal of my stay there.