Le Cellier: The worst meal we've ever had on Disney property

[keishashadow]

sorry the OP didn't enjoy the meal.

FYI, there are only a very limited amount of tables for two @ LeCellier. Had a conversation w/waitstaff wherein they mentioned that parties of 2 will book a table for 4 just to get a ressie, then adjust the original res. @ a later date - effectively lessening the house "take". Was told this happens quite frequently during CP, when non-package tables are hard to come by. Perhaps they "profiled" you similarly...not stating that you were (no judgement or flames intended).

Would chalk it up to a bad situation & try another steakhouse next time. However, IMO - the waitstaff @ the Yaughtsman are REALLY snotty & condescending.

We go to Disney 2-3 times a year and eat at LeCellier at least once a trip and have never had a bad meal or service.

I hope everyone that goes there hates it so it makes it easier for me to get ADR's when I want them

 

[maciec]

We didn't have any problems with Le Cellier like you had, but we definitely think it's overrated and overpriced. We won't be going there again (and if we do, it'll be a long time from now). We get better cuts of meat from the Outback down the street and it's cheaper there.

ITA! We won't be back anytime soon

 

[daisyduck123]

That's too bad you did not have an enjoyable experience.

We ate there the same day you did (6:20 p.m. dinner ADR) & found everything to be very nice. We probably won't go back though because there are too many other restaurants in Disney that we want to try.

 

[AussieAngel]

Don't walk by a table, and avert your eyes to the floor.

Maybe he was frightened. Because...

My appetizer (cheese soup...yummy... I will make this at home) came promptly and was promptly cleared. Even the waiter said, "Wow! That went down fast." I replied, "Well, we were made to wait quite awhile and we were good and hungry before we ever arrived."

... it sounds like he was being nothing but pleasant and light-hearted at this point, and even if you did have a smile on your face, your reply would have sounded snipey, blunt and, let's face it, a little rude.

You said you didn't have a chip on your shoulder when you were seated, but you also said this before you even arrived at Le Cellier -

We arrived early becuase we were hungry. At this point, I'm grouchy and hungry.

You were grouchy before you even arrived at the restaurant!?

Of course you're going to see the bad side of things if you're already grouchy.

 

[eclectics]

We had a great meal and service at LeCellier. I would go back in a flash. I find if you treat your WDW server with a big smile and a friendly hello right from the word go, you always get treated well. At least that was our experience. We stayed 10 days last September with the free dining and we didn't encounter one instance of sub par behavior at any of the restaurants. We went out of our way to be extra friendly and we were treated wonderfully.

 

[lovehoney]

Thanks for posting your review. These reviews can be a good barometer of how the restauraunt is doing.

On our visit last December, our service was a little slow and a couple of our requests were delayed but the food was excellent.

 

[Paging Tom Morrow]

LeCellier, in my opinion, is the most overrated restaurant at WDW. I'm guessing that most people view it as a great value due to the price of the meals and the fact that it is only on TS credit on the DDP.

About your ADR and long wait, I have eaten at Le Cellier and I also expect a long wait. It is extremely popular. They can't help that.

I totally disagree, they most defintiely can help that, even if means taking less reservations.

They changed the name from Priority Seating to Advanced Dining Reservations and with that you should actually have a reservation. I can see waiting a few minutes, but both times we went to LeCellier we waited over 45 minutes on days that they said they were totally booked on ADRs. I counted 16 tables of parties for 2 on my most recent trip. That means that by 5PM that day, not very late by any means, they fell behind 45 minutes on 16 tables of 2. That is unacceptable and a reflection of the poor level of customer service that permuates that establishment.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

... it sounds like he was being nothing but pleasant and light-hearted at this point, and even if you did have a smile on your face, your reply would have sounded snipey, blunt and, let's face it, a little rude.

I would interpret his remark as snipey. But he's the server and she is the customer. He forgot that when he put her on the ignore. I thought want a tip was a great response myself.

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

I would interpret his remark as snipey. But he's the server and she is the customer. He forgot that when he put her on the ignore. I thought want a tip was a great response myself.

Thanks.

This is a losing battle. People were not there, and have always had positive experiences, will not want to believe anything other than what their experiences have told them. Why would they? It's a survival mechanism really. Touch hot stove; don't do again type deal.

And I am fully aware of the my side/your side/the truth. I was fully honest in the OP. I read it now and see that even in writing it, the situation still bothers me. It certainly put me in a snarky after the fact.

 

[willidc]

We have also hit it 'bad' two out of the three times we have dined there.

The first time was about 18 months ago and it was pretty good. The past two times, the meals were a slight cut above Ponderosa and the service was not much better.

I agree with this place being 'overrated'. We will not go back.

 

[all4disney98]

We ate at Le Cellier last October. I thought the food was delicious, however the service was sooooo slow! Our server kept apologizing which I think was a nice gesture. She could have just ignored the fact that it took us 3 hours to get out of there or she could have said "sorry but we are the most popular restaurant in EPCOT" which it sounds like a few of you have heard.

The slowness was hard on the kids (2 and 3 at the time), which made it hard on the table next to us... oops sorry about that! After waiting at least 15 minutes for the bill, my DH took the kids outside to wait for me (which took an additional 10 minutes after they left). Unfortunately we missed Illuminations (heard it from inside).

If Le Cellier is that popular, that is great for them and Disney, but I do think that they could then hire some more help to speed things up. It did literally take us 3 hours from start (check-in 5 minutes before ADR) to finish (finally paying the bill and walking out the door). To wait 25 minutes for a bill means they need some additional help if they want to book the restaurant as solid as they do.

Again, our food was excellent and our server was so nice and friendly. I would eat there again...when the kids are a bit older and can handle the long wait that is.

Just my experience and my opinion (for what it's worth).

 

[themudd4]

About your ADR and long wait, I have eaten at Le Cellier and I also expect a long wait. It is extremely popular. They can't help that.

I dont know if I agree with that. They do the same job day in and day out...if they can not get people in within 15 minutes of their ADR then I think they should allow a greater time frame in between ressies. I know things come up and problems occur...allow time for some mix ups in your system. Don't allow the consumer to suffer.

To the OP: Sorry you didn't have the meal you were expecting. We have never been to Le Cellier, but have ADR's in a couple of weeks. We had already be second guessing ourselves mainly because our 12 yr. old who is supose to eat off the adult menu that doesn't appeal to her at all. This is not the only thread I have seen lately about the quailty of service here lately. I think we are going to look around a little bit more and see where else we would like to try and check out the menus. Thanks for keeping us posted on your experiences!

 

[MHopkins2]

I have worked at hotels/restaurants for several years and my manager told me that when he eats out, he has a method of ensuring good service. When the server greets his table, he'll immediately put 20% of the expected bill on the table in cash (mainly singles) and let the server know that this is his tip right now. Everytime the server messes up, he'll lose a portion of his tip.

What unimaginably rude behavior. If I were his waitress, I'd make it a personal challenge to see how fast I could get all that cash cleared off the table. OY.

I've said this before, but it's worth a repeat here: treat a server inappropriately on a first date with me, and don't bother asking for a second. I don't know that I'd make it through the appetizer course with this guy!

 

[Conservative Hippie]

What unimaginably rude behavior. If I were his waitress, I'd make it a personal challenge to see how fast I could get all that cash cleared off the table. OY.

I've said this before, but it's worth a repeat here: treat a server inappropriately on a first date with me, and don't bother asking for a second. I don't know that I'd make it through the appetizer course with this guy!

You are not the only one that thinks this is a little, um, tactless. She's a waitress, not a prostitute...

 

[MHopkins2]

You are not the only one that thinks this is a little, um, tactless. She's a waitress, not a prostitute...

OT, but who would treat a hooker like that, either? Or a bartender, or a hairstylist, etc., etc., etc. That is simply not how you behave toward anyone in the service industry.

I think I'm even more appalled - if that's possible - because we know that this person works in restaurants himself. Maybe he's a manager bitter because all his staff make more money (via tips) than he does? FWIW, I'm a retail manager, and my top sales associates make way more in a good week than I do - and they deserve every penny!

 

[4theloveofdisney]

Hi all-
I know that our experience is not like many others, but we were incredibly disappointed with the whole situation. We went to Kona Cafe to make up for it though... and there's a meal and wait staff to write home about.

What a disappointment for you at Le C!! I think we might be crossing them off our list if I continue to read such "wonderful" reports.

We agree with you on Kona but please don't let that secret out of the bag...SHHHH!

 

[Momto8]

We had a terrible experience last June at LeCellier. We ate there for lunch with a party of 14. The service was terribly slow and the food portions were small. We had eaten here many times and had raved about eating here to our family who were all eating there for the first time. Needless to say I was so embarassed that I recommended LC to everyone.

I can understand that it takes longer to serve a large party and am very easy going for the most part. However, when you get your drinks and don't see your server for another 40 minutes before he comes back to take your order, that is unacceptable. Then once we finally ordered, it took another 45-60 minutes to get our food. Since we had two 2 year olds with us, their parents ended up leaving with the kids before the food was served because it was too hard on them to sit still any longer and they needed their naps. Plus my 2 DDs and my DD's friend also left because of the wait. So what was a party of 14 ended up being a party of 6. Usually I would object to leaving after ordering. However, I think it's also rude to keep customers waiting that long and didn't blame them at all for not wanting to wait any longer.

Also my BIL ordered a steak (I think it was a filet) and it was so small, he and his wife were laughing at the size of it. Because of the long waits and poor service by our server, we asked to speak to the manager and he finally showed up at the end of our meal. He just apologized and said that they were short on help that day. I can understand that things like this happen and am not an unreasonable person. However, I did see many families come after us, order their food, eat and leave before we even got our food. We also told him that because of our long wait our fast passes were no longer valid because we had spent so much time there for lunch. He said that he would take care of them and issue us new ones, but we never got any. We got tired of waiting (again) and finally left. It wasn't worth it at that point.

We are going back in September this year and I have ADRs there because I thought this was an isolated incident. We have been eating there for many years and always loved this place. Now after reading so many negative reviews, I am going to cancel. Plus my DH just reminded me that he told me last year that he refuses to go back (I didn't tell him I made ADRs for Sept. until just now). I think I am going to try someplace new instead - not sure where at this time.

BTW this is the 2nd restaurant at Epcot that my DH now refuses to go to. Alfredo's used to be another favorite but after 2 years of bad experiences there, he won't go back there either.

I don't think the OP was rude at all. It sounds to me like this restaurant needs new management as this seems to be happening more and more.

Sorry you had also had a bad experience there. Paying customers deserve better than this.

 

[rhiannonwales]

I have worked at hotels/restaurants for several years and my manager told me that when he eats out, he has a method of ensuring good service. When the server greets his table, he'll immediately put 20% of the expected bill on the table in cash (mainly singles) and let the server know that this is his tip right now. Everytime the server messes up, he'll lose a portion of his tip.

I would imagine that this gentleman really likes the "extra seasoning" he gets with every meal.
Yes it is gross, and ive never done it personally, but ive worked in enough restaurants to know that behavior like that is a sure fire way to get flagged.
Frankly a person who does such a thing probably has no intent of paying up the full amount on the table, because anyone who is that obnoxious at first meet, is probably so nitpicky that even the slightest infraction takes $$ off the table.There is no way to win with this kind of person.Theyve already decided that your not up to the challenge and are only playing to see how far youll go.


As far as the OP goes, im sorry that youre experience was so bad.I think in a way that the DDP is the bane of my existence since with the automatically figured in tipping no one tries very hard anymore.New CM's never learn how to hustle to get good tips because DDP does it for them whether they stink or not.With so many people using it nowadays, even if the tips from non DDP guests arent that good, its more than made up for by the DDP.
I have an ADR for LC in Oct. I hope it improves before then, but ill give it a try before i cross it off my list for the future.
Sherrie

 

[KJHawley]

People's opinions of food can vary- one person's excellent meal can be grossly undercooked or overcooked to someone else. People's opinions about what constitutes "great service" can vary too. So, I take restaurant reviews with a grain of salt (no pun intended).

However, I've noticed that wait times tend to be realistic. I guess because "45 minutes" to one person is 45 minutes to everyone else too.

Lots of people have mentioned the long waits. This really has me wondering whether I should try LC at lunch on our first full day, as planned.

 

[scrump]

Thanks for the review, I am sorry this was a less than stellar experience, but am really not surprised. LeCellier was always just ok for me, and never really found the heart to go back since I find other restaurants much more interesting. I did find our last experience at LC (2003) to be annoying, as the waiter tried to pressure me into ordering a drink. I was almost ready to walk out by the end of the meal.