Le Cellier - why so many empty tables??

[mrspopeye]

Like most of you, I pined over Disboards for months to snag the elusive Le Cellier reservation.

We ate there on Fri 10-9 for lunch and I was shocked to see so many empty tables! I would estimate about 1/3 were empty between 1 and 2pm that day. When we left, there was no one waiting for a table. We did not see this at any of the other TS restaurant all week - they were all packed.

The cheddar soup and breadsticks were fabulous, but the cheese steak sandwich lacked flavor. Overall, it didn't live up to the hype.

As we experienced in absolutely every single TS restaurant on our trip, service was slow there.

 

[LilyWDW]

Like most of you, I pined over Disboards for months to snag the elusive Le Cellier reservation.

We ate there on Fri 10-9 for lunch and I was shocked to see so many empty tables! I would estimate about 1/3 were empty between 1 and 2pm that day. When we left, there was no one waiting for a table. We did not see this at any of the other TS restaurant all week - they were all packed.

The cheddar soup and breadsticks were fabulous, but the cheese steak sandwich lacked flavor. Overall, it didn't live up to the hype.

As we experienced in absolutely every single TS restaurant on our trip, service was slow there.

I think, and this is only my opinion, that with how HARD it can be to get Le Cellier that people think they need to have that reservation during their vacation or else. So people book it even if they don't know if they can use it. Then, they just do not show up.

OR it could have been a fluke that day. No way to really know.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

Interesting...I could have written the same post about our lunch in Aug.
We had no wait, there was not one person in the waiting area...there were several tables empty and our lunch was not good.
We had the same thing...soup and breadsticks were very good. The steak sandwich was terrible. Very dry..no flavor at all. And the creme brulee was soupy.

We have had many nice dinners there...we just thought it may have been the lunch time that was the difference?

 

[The_Aviator]

I think the previous comment is right, a lot of people book it straight away when the booking period opens just so they are guaranteed a spot if they decide to use it, then they just don't bother showing up.

In regards to the poor sandwiches at lunch, thankfully the dining plan means we could have a steak instead!

 

[Alabama Minnie]

We had a 2:30 lunch there in Sept. and alot of empty tables then. When I asked about it they said it was because there was a short break between lunch/dinner ressies?? I got the filet at lunch and my DH got the NY strip and they were both just as good as we have had at our dinners there in the past. We didn't notice too much difference in the portion size either.

 

[B-Ride]

Maybe they are having a hard time getting staff. We Canadians are at a real premium.

 

[mrspopeye]

Maybe they are having a hard time getting staff. We Canadians are at a real premium.

Our waitress was from Newfoundland, and we were interested to know how she ended up there- she told us that she answered a Disney advertisement and passed and initial phone interview, then had to pay her own way to fly to Toronto for a personal interview. She drove 3 days to Florida and was hired for a one year period. She seemed happy about the opportunity, as did our waiter at Rose and Crown who was from Ireland.

 

[mcd2745]

I think, and this is only my opinion, that with how HARD it can be to get Le Cellier that people think they need to have that reservation during their vacation or else. So people book it even if they don't know if they can use it. Then, they just do not show up.

OR it could have been a fluke that day. No way to really know.

I think the previous comment is right, a lot of people book it straight away when the booking period opens just so they are guaranteed a spot if they decide to use it, then they just don't bother showing up.

Agreed...which is why Disney needs to start charging fees just for making ADRs and/or charge fees for no-shows.

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

I read somewhere that a TA books 3 ADR and let the people decide to eat that day.

 

[GovieMom]

We had the same experience with many empty tables all around, but at dinner time (6:30 p.m.). And even so, we had to wait about 15 minutes before being seated. We were surprised at how many tables were sitting
empty. I have to agree about people booking Le Cellier, and then
changing their minds later without cancelling.

 

[verticalchaos]

While I agree there are a probably people who book the ADR and don't use it, there is also the possibility that they ARE short on staff and so keep the number of reservations available even smaller. I don't know for sure that they are, but it's definitely a possibility, and like any restaurant, Disney is not going to open up everything and have service be even slower than it might be otherwise.

Unless there were servers just standing around doing nothing, I'm inclined to think that at least part of the issue is a staffing one.

 

[bomzar]

During Free Dine, so many people make ADR's that they don't keep! I work in MK and my restaurant averaged about 35% no shows every day for Free Dine. The worst day, we had 47% of the ADRs not show up! Granted, that means you can take more walk ins, but it still kills business!

 

[mommahnina]

I am hoping its not because of the menu change. I am kind of worried. This is the only ADR I have made that I am really worried about. We have never been and heard had wonderful it is then I finially get an ADR and since then I have heard nothing but negative reviews on it so needless to say I am really worried!

 

[blondietink]

We had the same experience of many empty tables in August when we ate at the Rose & Crown and Chef Mickeys. Both were for dinner and there were empty tables everywhere. We even commented about it, because it looked so strange. Maybe it is worth walking up to restaurants without a reservation to see if there are no-shows.

Just got the illusive Le Cellier ressie for lunch today during our trip in April 2011. I will try to remember to stay away from the cheesesteak sandwich. I have had the chedder soup at the past at the F&WF so that will be a must for an appetizer.

 

[KungFoomF]

I am hoping its not because of the menu change. I am kind of worried. This is the only ADR I have made that I am really worried about. We have never been and heard had wonderful it is then I finially get an ADR and since then I have heard nothing but negative reviews on it so needless to say I am really worried!

I'm not going to be too hard on Le Cellier because it is definitely one of the better restaurants at Disney. But it truly is wildly over-rated. Its popularity is due to some sort of vicious circle where an ADR is hard to get because people know they are hard to get, so they get snatched up. I think it also has something to do with free steak. But if this restaurant were down the street from my house I'd never pay $100+ for dinner with my family.

It is very good, don't get me wrong. You are likely to have an excellent meal. But you are equally likely to walk outside and say "that was it?"

 

[yxe dad]

During Free Dine, so many people make ADR's that they don't keep! I work in MK and my restaurant averaged about 35% no shows every day for Free Dine. The worst day, we had 47% of the ADRs not show up! Granted, that means you can take more walk ins, but it still kills business!

That's terrible!

I can understand if a family has to cancel due to illness or injury but to no show is just plain selfish.

 

[Limetree]

The food is bad?

 

[k-murph]

We ate lunch there recently and really enjoyed it. We were on the dining plan so went for the steaks, but there were good. I wouldn't say it's the absolute best steakhouse I've ever been in, but it was good.

 

[dburg30]

Well, you dont have to worry about me taking up a ressie since they took the maple BBQ filet off the menu, and one of the desserts that I loved too is gone. I am looking forward to the cheese soup at F&W next week . Do they sell the pretzel bread at F&W too lol??

 

[derricksonb]

We finally ate at LeCellier (Sep 10). I was generally surprised to see how small the restaurant was and to see the limited number of tables. It was for this reason that I attributed to how hard it has been in the past to get ADR. With LeCellier moving to 2TS it may become easier to get ADRs.