Kona Cafe now Reservation Only

[tnolan]

Just came from the Kona Cafe at the Poly with a long standing tradition broken. For many years, on the day of our trip to Disney Springs, we would have breakfast at the Kona Cafe, as walk ins with no reservation needed. Today that all changed and our long standing tradition was broken when we were informed that the Cafe was now Reservation only. We went and had breakfast at Captain Cooks instead, but I wanted to let everyone here know that if you want to eat here, you must make a res, or you will be turned away, no exceptions.

 

[bladiator]

What? Are there are other restaurants like this? I thought everything was available for walk-ins if you were willing to wait forever.

 

[duketennisgal]

Really? I was just thinking that I really wanted to go to Kona on our trip at the end of the month but I couldn't find an early morning reservation and assumed if we showed up at 7:30 we might have a little wait but that we would be able to get seated...

 

[Allison]

I was told there were no openings at a Disney restaurant recently so I looked at MDE and made an ADR for 10 minutes later. Be aware of that possibility in the future.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Just came from the Kona Cafe at the Poly with a long standing tradition broken. For many years, on the day of our trip to Disney Springs, we would have breakfast at the Kona Cafe, as walk ins with no reservation needed. Today that all changed and our long standing tradition was broken when we were informed that the Cafe was now Reservation only. We went and had breakfast at Captain Cooks instead, but I wanted to let everyone here know that if you want to eat here, you must make a res, or you will be turned away, no exceptions.

OP, you spoke with ONE CM who gave you this information. I would take it with a grain of salt. That being said, if you know you are going to eat somewhere and absolutely don't want to risk being turned away, you do have to make an ADR.

What? Are there are other restaurants like this? I thought everything was available for walk-ins if you were willing to wait forever.

This isn't the case at any restaurant (except the Plaza in MK and ESPN Club which only take reservations at certain times and Big River Grill). Being able to be seated as a walk up is luck of the draw and you have to be prepared to be turned away.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

And don't count on "but it looks empty!" There may be staffing issues involved. If you have waitstaff and kitchen staff sufficient to cover 10 tables, you can't just toss 5 more in the mix and have anyone end up happy (and there's a union contract involved too).

 

[AngiTN]

I've always operated on all Disney TS restaurants are ADR only, with few published exceptions
I never expect any of them to take walk ups. Never have, with few exceptions
Too easy to open the app and make an ADR. Just do that.

 

[AngiTN]

What? Are there are other restaurants like this? I thought everything was available for walk-ins if you were willing to wait forever.

You'd have been incorrect in most all cases. Disney has never operated their restaurants like the ones do outside in the real world

 

[sponica]

You'd have been incorrect in most all cases. Disney has never operated their restaurants like the ones do outside in the real world

Best exchange from my honeymoon while we were waiting to be seated @ Le Cellier

Guest walks in: How long is the wait?
CM: 180 days
Guest in flabbergasted tone: Seriously
CM: Seriously

 

[bladiator]

Too easy to open the app and make an ADR. Just do that.

While I have no problem doing this, it seems like a ridiculous notion when the availability is there and someone has to get their phone out to "reserve" the spot. Isn't that what a walk-in is? The CM can look down and say "ah, there's a reservation open" and then tell the guest "yes, there is a table available"?

 

[GreatLakes]

Don't believe that OP. If there is unused capacity and someone walks up the restaurant manager isn't going to deny a table to a paying customer. Now, actually being there at a time when there is unused capacity is another issue.

 

[AngiTN]

While I have no problem doing this, it seems like a ridiculous notion when the availability is there and someone has to get their phone out to "reserve" the spot. Isn't that what a walk-in is? The CM can look down and say "ah, there's a reservation open" and then tell the guest "yes, there is a table available"?

Don't believe that OP. If there is unused capacity and someone walks up the restaurant manager isn't going to deny a table to a paying customer. Now, actually being there at a time when there is unused capacity is another issue.

Right. It's the timing. If you aren't there at the time when the opening is they don't do wait lists. Why put yourself in that position of not knowing when it's so much easier to open the app and know, yes, I can eat at X or no, I can't.
They may not have any openings because they don't have the staff, not because they don't have any tables.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

While I have no problem doing this, it seems like a ridiculous notion when the availability is there and someone has to get their phone out to "reserve" the spot. Isn't that what a walk-in is? The CM can look down and say "ah, there's a reservation open" and then tell the guest "yes, there is a table available"?

Not really. The CM cannot then pick up the ADR to remove the capacity, which can lead to issues if someone then books that spot and shows up.

 

[bladiator]

Right. It's the timing. If you aren't there at the time when the opening is they don't do wait lists. Why put yourself in that position of not knowing when it's so much easier to open the app and know, yes, I can eat at X or no, I can't.
They may not have any openings because they don't have the staff, not because they don't have any tables.

Guess I'm just thinking about those times when I'm "winging it". I just want to roll by .. "eh, you wanna eat something? Hey, you got an opening? No? Cool."
But the thought that you shouldn't even waste your breath because they won't allow anyone in without a reservation just knocks the wind out of my sails.

 

[AngiTN]

Guess I'm just thinking about those times when I'm "winging it". I just want to roll by .. "eh, you wanna eat something? Hey, you got an opening? No? Cool."

Sure, folks can if they happen to be waking by. I think the thing is at Disney, there aren't really many times when you are just wandering by a restaurant and just struck with an urge to eat. Unless it's over at Epcot where you have a restaurant every few feet. Most of the time, you've made an effort to go to that restaurant so it would be most worthwhile to be sure they have an opening.

 

[bladiator]

Sure, folks can if they happen to be waking by. I think the thing is at Disney, there aren't really many times when you are just wandering by a restaurant and just struck with an urge to eat. Unless it's over at Epcot where you have a restaurant every few feet. Most of the time, you've made an effort to go to that restaurant so it would be most worthwhile to be sure they have an opening.

You're totally getting what I was thinking. Mostly I imagine walking up to restaurants in the WS. You're right, at resorts and the such, it's not so normal to just be wandering by.

 

[AngiTN]

You're totally getting what I was thinking. Mostly I imagine walking up to restaurants in the WS. You're right, at resorts and the such, it's not so normal to just be wandering by.

And over at Epcot, some of them are not Disney owned and they are actually more prone to operate with different rules and take walk ups. DS too. So the 2 restaurant-centric places are actually the 2 you can probably try this and have some success.

 

[bumbershoot]

Fwiw we were told back in 2011 that it was reservation only.

 

[kdonnel]

You'd have been incorrect in most all cases. Disney has never operated their restaurants like the ones do outside in the real world

Never?

I loved the 90’s and 00’s.

We never had ADR and decided on the spur of the moment where we wanted to eat. We would even just walk up and eat at Chef Mickeys.

 

[Farro]

That's odd. Two weeks ago my brother was a walk up for breakfast at Kona twice while we were on vacation. Both around 8 am. We were walking to get coffee and found him sitting at a table alone!