Le Cellier.......Don't believe the hype

[bicker]

So they don't have a maximum number of people allowed in the queue?

I think you're asking about this portion of what I wrote:

WDW restaurants don't take reservations, and so they don't hold tables for no-shows. They have daily experience with how many people tend to no-show, and fill tables with walk-ups based on their experience.

So to clarify, they will stop taking walk-ups when their experience tells them that taking more walk-ups would tend to boost the wait-for-table time for folks with ADRs too much. Remember, these folks can look at what's happening, both in the restaurant (where things like how long some parties decide to linger may affect load) and at check-in (such as if there is an unusually low or high number of no-shows so far that day) and respond to those things accordingly.

The only hard-and-fast maximum is the maximum occupancy of the dining room. Everything else "depends" on what's actually happening.

 

[mmtska]

I'm sorry that your experience was that bad. We're still trying it on our July trip, but for lunch. I'm wanting the pretzel bread and soup-anything else....eh lol

 

[GeorgeG]

Le Cellier is off our list since our last meal there several months ago. I'm not sure what makes some people like a particular restaurant and others not like it. I like good, basic food so I am turned off when restaurants gourmets things up in a big way. Others are turned off by "plain" food. That's why I am constantly puzzled by those who ask, "Will I like...?" All we can do is describe our own experiences.

I think Bicker hit the nail on the head when he mentioned how Disney takes advantage of a captive audience. Everyone needs to eat, at least something. Unless you're willing to go outside the parks and resorts for your meals, you eat what's offered and pay what they charge. I agree, too, that the resort restaurants tend to be better than those in the parks. Unfortunately, people might have breakfast at the resort, but spend the rest of the day in the parks.

 

[TisBit]

I am sorry you didn't enjoy your experience. We ate at Le Cellier a few years back and agree that there is a huge hype about it for various reasons, but we were not disappointed either. Seems from your report, you maybe were looking for some things that might not be 100%, but that is just my opinion. Whenever your expectations are too high or too low, you will usually wind up disappointed. While there were some issues with your service, I think a lot of it was just a perception (not being able to get in early, empty tables, too expensive, bar too slow, etc). Obvisouly the over salted fries should have been redone and I would have told them directly to do it.

But how long do the restaurants keep the tables open for? I have noticed this at every restaurant we have been to at DW - there always seem to be about 5-10 empty tables and you wonder why there is such a long wait.

I remember having lunch ADRs at Les Chefs, and having to still wait 15 minutes for our table and hearing the CMs tell walk up guests that the wait was about an hour, an see at least a dozen empty tables inside.

I think people should lose their table if they are 15 minutes late. They could call if they are delayed for some reason,, but a no call/no show should lose their table. Period.

A huge thing, that most people that have not worked in a restaurant forget is that you cannot seat all your tables at the same time your negatively affect your service. As a waiter, you get somewhat peeved when they double seat you, all the sudden you are in a rush because both tables are doing the exact same thing. You can't greet them both, they both order drinks, entrees, etc at the same time....it is bad for the server and bad for the guest. Also, if a server has a huge table (over 6 people), they will spend almost all their time trying to help that table...it is like having two or three tables, not one. So, these empty table are on purpose, to turn over the tables and stagger the service.

The other thing is, most servers will not have more than 3-4 tables in a seciton...if there are not enough servers, those tables will not be sat. You won't see a group of tables, because they will actually divide them up for the servers, but never seat them extra tables, unless the server says they can handle it (some tables are less needy than others).

 

[SnowWitch]

We have almost always enjoyed our meals at Le Cellier. Now that they have increased the evening meal to 2 TS credits, we will take in the lunch meal. I prefer YS, FF, or CG for the prices or 2 TS credit status. Although the servers tend to be very attentive at LC they are not on par with the other 2TS servers and the tables are just to close together.

 

[dmslush]

I've not read through the whole thread, but wanted to say that we didn't like it either. My husband and I ate there several years ago. I can't remember everything that we had... the bread that they brought in the beginning was the best part. It was fresh and a wide variety.

I remember that I had a steak. It was so fatty.. literally there was more fat than meat. It was tough and just yucky. My husband's was the same. The waiter was very rushed even though the restaurant was half empty. It seemed like he didn't have time for us and we should just be happy that we were getting to eat there.

We won't be going back. There are so many places at disney to eat.. we have our favorites that we always go back to. But on each trip, we try to step out of our comfort zone and try something new.

 

[nicki.momof3]

Sorry you did not enjoy your meal.

We were there most recentlly in Dec. 2010 (x-mas week) and the dinner was AMAZING we loved eveything we had.

The best advise is try eveything once and make your own opinion. Everyone has different tastes.

 

[SarahKate]

I will say what I've said on numerous other threads over the years. Every restaurant will have good and bad days. We hold our Disney meals to a much higher standard because, well, it's DISNEY. And if we have a bad experience, that's it. It's off the list. This is no different than any restaurant, even nicer ones, in any city in the U.S.

Also, think of this. You're eating a LOT of sit-down meals in a short amount of time. More than some people would eat in 6 months. The odds are not in your favor that every single dining experience will be phenomenal.

I guess I don't agree that the original poster should make an overgeneralization and try to dissuade people from going there. Fine to share an opinion, but it's just that. For every few people who have a less-than-stellar experience, there are plenty who love LC.

For those of you who are now scared to keep your ADR - just go for it. You'll never know until you try.

We've eaten there 2x. Once in 2006, our very 1st trip to WDW and it was wonderful. We ate there for dinner in Feb., right before they switched to Signature Dining. It was even BETTER that time than the first. We both had the mushroom filet w/ risotto and everything was amazing. The risotto was perfectly cooked and I can still remember the savory taste. Yum.

My only complaint is that service was a little slow. But our server was new and he had some ticket troubles at other tables. They did assign another server to us. Everyone was very friendly. Also, I'm really glad we had the dining plan because it was all expensive. But for filet, it wasn't much more expensive than the nicer restaurants in our hometown that serve filet.

 

[DCDisney]

We have eaten at Le C a number of times for lunch and dinner but after we noticed a decline in food and service we gave it one more chance and now it's on our do not return list (along with Mama Melrose). The people who seem to give Le C great reviews are going for the filet and soup. I do like the soup but it's not worth the waits past our ADR time, indifferent service, tables crammed together, and fatty gristly steaks. I think they keep tables empty to pace things for the kitchen. No shows don't matter because they over book which when they are off on you end up with long waits past your ADR times. WDW seems to be doing a better job of estimating lately and taking into account holidays,etc so it seems like waits have been better but certain places seem to still regularly be off like Le C and Ohana dinner.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

We have eaten at Le C a number of times for lunch and dinner but after we noticed a decline in food and service we gave it one more chance and now it's on our do not return list (along with Mama Melrose). The people who seem to give Le C great reviews are going for the filet and soup. I do like the soup but it's not worth the waits past our ADR time, indifferent service, tables crammed together, and fatty gristly steaks. I think they keep tables empty to pace things for the kitchen. No shows don't matter because they over book which when they are off on you end up with long waits past your ADR times. WDW seems to be doing a better job of estimating lately and taking into account holidays,etc so it seems like waits have been better but certain places seem to still regularly be off like Le C and Ohana dinner.

I don't think that's completely true - the people who criticize LC are the ones who went expecting something amazing when they ordered the soup and then were disappointed. Those dishes do get a lot of praise, but I doubt most WDW visitors spend much time studying reviews on these sites until they know what dishes to order; it's always better to choose what sounds appealing to your own tastes. I really enjoyed LC's new dinner (after not being a fan of their lunch offerings), but the dishes I loved were the lobster chopped salad, steak tartare, poutine, salmon, lemon cheesecake, etc.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

The first thing I noticed was that their menu was different from everythig I had been reading online. I was SO looking forward to the Coffee rubbed KC strip, alas it was not on the new menu. The next thing I noticed was how they've raised their prices 6-10 dollars depending on the entree.........

Le Cellier recently changed to a signature restaurant for dinner (I believe the change was March 1, 2011) and yes because of this, the dinner menu was changed and prices increased.

 

[Tiger926]

I always thought it was over rated to begin with, It probably still is, only with a bigger price tag

I've read numerous reviews of LC, about 80-85% outstanding and 15-20% AWFUL. There seems to be no middle ground. One of the recurring themes in the awful reviews is the saltiness. That doesn't surprise me. Canadians eat a LOT more sodium than Americans, to the point that foods are actually reformulated before being shipped to Canada. (By contrast, Americans tend to prefer more sugar; many sugary sodas have been repeatedly offered in Canada only to be yanked due to poor sales.)

Where do you get this info from? It is well known that Americans love both sodium and sugar, very much. But I will say that North Americans eat a disgusting amount of packaged/processed foods, and these are very heavy in salt. As is all of the fast food that is consumed...

I come from a restaurant family, and we don't use excessively high amounts of sodium at all. Hubby and I have sent back entrees at Disney World for being very salty - it's difficult to get a chef to part with his/her salt, but I haven't heard that Canadians use more salt or sodium. Interesting...I'll have to ask my dad who has been a restauranteur for over 40 years.

We actually don't even use salt in my home to cook with at all, as hubby and I can't stand salt. We don't eat hardly any packaged/processed foods, and we don't eat out either. Very low salt intake for us, and that's why we struggle with some meals at Disney as they are too salty. We are cooking more in our DVC villa for this reason. But I will agree that all of the times we ate at Le Cellier, it was way too salty. Haven't been back, and this is one of the reasons, but we also find many other Disney restaurants to use too much salt as well.

Tiger

 

[goofyintoronto]

I honestly dont understand the hype of this restaurant.The steak i had was fatty & tasteless.....the cheese soup was blah. I've had much better at my local subway shop. The bread was honestly not great either. I bit into it thinking what the heck??? Whats so great about this? I have had way better bread, soup, and steak at my local CANADIAN steakhouse. Yes im Canadian!

I also wanted to say that I am kind of surprised at how often i get attacked and critisized on this board for posting my honest opinion about Le Cellier. I can understand when you love a place, but to attack others for not liking it??? Really people??? Thats sad. Nothing anyone can say can make me like that place again or go back...new or old menu, 1 or 2 tableservice credits, you get my drift!!

 

[Ken_Breadbox]

Where do you get this info from? It is well known that Americans love both sodium and sugar, very much. But I will say that North Americans eat a disgusting amount of packaged/processed foods, and these are very heavy in salt. As is all of the fast food that is consumed...

I come from a restaurant family, and we don't use excessively high amounts of sodium at all. Hubby and I have sent back entrees at Disney World for being very salty - it's difficult to get a chef to part with his/her salt, but I haven't heard that Canadians use more salt or sodium. Interesting...I'll have to ask my dad who has been a restauranteur for over 40 years.

We actually don't even use salt in my home to cook with at all, as hubby and I can't stand salt. We don't eat hardly any packaged/processed foods, and we don't eat out either. Very low salt intake for us, and that's why we struggle with some meals at Disney as they are too salty. We are cooking more in our DVC villa for this reason. But I will agree that all of the times we ate at Le Cellier, it was way too salty. Haven't been back, and this is one of the reasons, but we also find many other Disney restaurants to use too much salt as well.

Tiger

The Globe and Mail--Canada's national newspaper, for those who don't know--ran a very interesting series back around the beginning of this year concerning Canadians' sodium addiction. Kraft in particular puts, I believe it was 30% more sodium in a wide variety of their products for the Canadian market.
I work in a grocery store and talk to the reps who come in. Coke has tried three times to market Cherry in Canada and twice with Vanilla. It won't take--the complaints are that they are too sweet.

Count me among the people who love Le Cellier...if they'd just have a little Tim Horton's kiosk in the Canada pavilion, it would REALLY feel like home.

 

[rachel09985]

Did you not know that it changed to Signature before you left?? Thats probabaly why you were so dissapointed. I would have been to if I had to use two credits.

I really really loved the Mushroom filet!! I dream about that truffle butter sauce. The soup was good but it wasn't amazing, the pretzel breadsticks were good but not any better than Biergarten's.

I did not like the desserts. They could stand to revamp their desserts. I had the maple creme brulee and it wasn't good consistency.

 

[HunnyJar]

The Globe and Mail--Canada's national newspaper, for those who don't know--ran a very interesting series back around the beginning of this year concerning Canadians' sodium addiction. Kraft in particular puts, I believe it was 30% more sodium in a wide variety of their products for the Canadian market.
I work in a grocery store and talk to the reps who come in. Coke has tried three times to market Cherry in Canada and twice with Vanilla. It won't take--the complaints are that they are too sweet.

Count me among the people who love Le Cellier...if they'd just have a little Tim Horton's kiosk in the Canada pavilion, it would REALLY feel like home.

I've always wished there was a Tim Horton's in the Canada pavilion! Timbits and honey glazed..yum!

 

[handinpocket]

I have been to Yachtsmen twice and had subpar steaks. Le Cellier is always a winner, I have never had a bad steak there.

 

[Tiger926]

The Globe and Mail--Canada's national newspaper, for those who don't know--ran a very interesting series back around the beginning of this year concerning Canadians' sodium addiction. Kraft in particular puts, I believe it was 30% more sodium in a wide variety of their products for the Canadian market.
I work in a grocery store and talk to the reps who come in. Coke has tried three times to market Cherry in Canada and twice with Vanilla. It won't take--the complaints are that they are too sweet.

Count me among the people who love Le Cellier...if they'd just have a little Tim Horton's kiosk in the Canada pavilion, it would REALLY feel like home.

Thanks for the info. I missed that, so I will check it out.

By the way, I can't stand Tim Horton's, but I know lots of Canadians would probably love a kiosk in the Canadian pavillion.

Tiger

 

[goofy4prez]

I'm really not all that surprised in the many recent reviews I have read about Le'Cellier being less than spectacular, even just ok for that matter. The only time I was there was when it was a 1TS and I found it to be one of the most average dining experiences (food wise) I have encountered in WDW, and without a doubt the most arrogant management staff. But then again I bought into the hype hook, line, and sinker. For me the mushroom filet was an average piece of beef, smoothered in Campbells mushroom soup straight from the can, and sitting on a bed of Uncle Ben's white rice in which they called Risotto. Time will tell if going signature is the right move from the Disney bean counters, but my early prognosis is "mistake."

 

[mmtska]

Thanks for the info. I missed that, so I will check it out.

By the way, I can't stand Tim Horton's, but I know lots of Canadians would probably love a kiosk in the Canadian pavillion.

Tiger

I'm not Canadian and I want a Tim Horton's!