Most Expensive Item on the Menu? Worth It?

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

No, I really don't follow this plan either. If I'm equally stuck between 2 choices I'm probably going with the more expensive. I'm one of those people who have to eat what sounds good to me at the time.

Last time I did get the $13 dessert at Tutto's just because it was the most expensive.

 

[clkelley]

When we went for Free Dining my DH generally ordered the most expensive item, but he LOVES steak. Especially at Yachtsman. That big Cowboy steak was his favorite meal. I tried all different kinds of things, so I rarely had the most expensive item.

 

[copperbrick]

Great thread.

Disney restaurants aside, someone told me that some restaurant owners intentionally make the special of the day the most expensive item (or jack up the price), just to cater to those who DO have a tendency to order the most expensive thing on the menu -- and again, this is in regular restaurants, I'm not talking about Disney or free dining.

Here's the thing: From what I was told, that "most expensive item" is often what they want to get rid of the most! The cost to the restaurant might very well have a very low wholesale price . . . but by jacking up the price, it makes it look more attractive to some, and so they move the item faster.

I have absolutely no idea if this is true, but I found it fascinating. Are there any restaurant owners/managers out there who might know?

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

I order what I feel like eating, and if it happens to be the most expensive thing on the menu then that's bonus.

 

[Colleen27]

To me, ordering the most expensive items to maximize the value of the plan would be just as tedious and unenjoyable as always ordering the cheapest item to keep food costs down when paying OOP. Half the appeal of being on a dining plan is the ability to order without thinking about prices, IMO!

 

[chocovrdmicears]

Last June we went to 2 different TS meals in the MK.

1. Tony's Town Square
2. The Plaza

The bill at Tony's was much more expensive than our bill at the Plaza.
NONE of us enjoyed our meal at Tony's. We all LOVED our meal at the Plaza.
I feel we got the best *deal* for our TS credit on the dining plan at the Plaza.
As many PP's have mentioned...the best value of the dining plan isn't about a $ to $ comparison if you are not ENJOYING what you are eating. For us the dining plan value is about being able to eat what you want when you want it and NOT having to think about the actual cost.

 

[copperbrick]

Last June we went to 2 different TS meals in the MK.

1. Tony's Town Square
2. The Plaza

The bill at Tony's was much more expensive than our bill at the Plaza.
NONE of us enjoyed our meal at Tony's. We all LOVED our meal at the Plaza.
I feel we got the best *deal* for our TS credit on the dining plan at the Plaza.
As many PP's have mentioned...the best value of the dining plan isn't about a $ to $ comparison if you are not ENJOYING what you are eating. For us the dining plan value is about being able to eat what you want when you want it and NOT having to think about the actual cost.

I know what you mean! Last year when we ate at San Angel Inn, one of us ordered the "prime -- high price" entree, only to be disappointed. But the rest of the orders were delicious!

 

[2Tiggies]

Copperbrick makes a good point: your best value is the meal you feel like eating, enjoy eating, at a place you enjoy eating at, and it's a meal which, when you're done, doesn't make you feel uncomfortable to the point that park touring isn't pleasant. I personally have never understood why anyone would want to eat something they don't particularly feel like having at the time and/or be sooooo full afterwards that park touring has to be put on hold for a "recovery period" until you are ready to get up and moving again. I mean, if you factor all things into the equation, lost time at the park also costs you something if you really want to consider the pro-rata cost of your park ticket for that period of time...... Value, with most things, is never just about the money - it's the whole experience. However, having said that, I do understand that on vacation we all like to eat slightly differently to the way we do at home. Ordering the most expensive thing on the menu just to feel like the value of the plan is increased, is not for me. Some people really enjoy their meals out and if maximising value is part of the challenge that adds to the excitement of the trip, then by all means, go for it! For me, I have different priorities when we go to Disney.

 

[Greenfield1984]

I'll be honest. We've gone for free dining before and the first year I did try to maximize the value. My wife ordered what ever appealed to her on the menu. After day 5 I noticed that I was eating a lot of steak and she was having some very interesting tasty meals.

This year I'm following her plan.

Ditto for the first time i got the plan. While the steak was fantastic i'm really not that big a steak eater. I modified my plan halfway through. However if you do like stake boy oh boy does it just melt in your mouth.

 

[Stitchnut]

My thinking is, I don't have to cook or clean. I'm in my happy place with my family. We've always paid for the dining plan and feel blessed to in Disney. When it comes time to order dinner, we each order what we want and not about getting the most expensive thing. If you are thinking along those lines, I think you've missed something along the way.

 

[DsnyQueen]

We got caught up in ordering the "most expensive" item the first time that we had the DDP back in 2005. Unfortunately, it is usually the steak option, and I'm not a big beef eater. I enjoyed my meals much more on my last trip when I ordered exactly what I felt like eating that day. If it ended up being the cheapest thing on the menu, so what? I added up the receipts and we still came out WAY ahead of paying OOP - not to mention we lucked out and had free dining which is even better.

 

[Ahabart]

I don't select the most expensive entrees, but I do select a few expensive restaurants to use our TS credits on. In some ways, the mentality of maximizing the plan is the same I guess. Aside from Character meals, I select restaurants that we would not be willing/able to pay OOP for. I also make our TS meals in the evening both because that is when we typically eat our largest meal of the day and because the meals are usually more expensive and I feel like I'm getting more for my money. I'm sure that seems dumb and pointless to some, but it makes me feel better about paying for the dining plan especially when we are staying in a villa with a full kitchen. The other 51weeks of the year, I run a pretty tight budget and it feels like a special occassion to eat a meal that would be in excess of $100. The bonus is not feeling guilty for it afterward.

 

[nan214]

I dont pick the most expensive meals to maximize my DDP, but I do try and make most of my ADR's for dinner. Example - had dinner at Norway instead of breakfast to meet the princesses. We love the breakfast at CP, so we do try and always do that instead of the dinner.

 

[copperbrick]

Many VERY smart posts here . . . I am so enjoying what everyone is posting, and I'm sure others are as well.

 

[2Tiggies]

My thinking is, I don't have to cook or clean. I'm in my happy place with my family. We've always paid for the dining plan and feel blessed to in Disney. When it comes time to order dinner, we each order what we want and not about getting the most expensive thing. If you are thinking along those lines, I think you've missed something along the way.

YES!!! I forgot about the cooking and cleaning!! Funny, I always mention that as something I look forward to and really remember when we get back. It means my daughter and I get solid quality time together without the usual chores. Try factoring THAT into the value of the Dining Plan! Thank you for reminding me to count one more of my many blessings!

 

[2Tiggies]

By the way, I don't think there is anything wrong with choosing the most expensive thing on the menu - it's just when the whole thing becomes a chore I think people should seriously consider whether it is worth it! My personal choices just happen to be less expensive things on the menu, but 99% of the time, I REALLY enjoy my meals at Disney!

 

[WantToGoNow]

This will be our 2nd trip using the DDP - last time we paid for it, this time it's free. We didn't go into it with the plan of eating the most expensive entrees - but that is usually what happened. I love steak, so does dh. Had we been paying out of pocket, we probably wouldn't have ordered three $35 steak dinners at LeCellier, plus 2 kids meals. We probably would have chosen chicken or something we really didn't want just because of the price. But having the DDP pre-paid, it felt as if you weren't paying for it so you had no problem choosing the expensive items. My dh would have had heart failure the nights we went to LeCellier and Coral Reef and the checks were over $200 each. Now this time, I'll still have a few steaks, but I want to venture out and try some other dishes as well - the pork chop at Kona and the Mahi Mahi at Coral Reef for instance.

 

[lemondog]

I'd like everyone's opinion, please.

A lot of folks on the Dining Plan order the most expensive item on the menu, just so they can make sure they're getting their money's worth.

Your thoughts?

Well actually, yeah. For example, I would not be able to afford lobster or filet or other similarly expensive entrees for EVERY meal if we were paying OOP, maybe only for one super special meal. But on the DDP I can, so that's what I order. Why not? Hehe. I was actually able to try a wide variety of items on our last trip (we do the DxDDP)...different types of entrees, apps, desserts, etc. I never ate everything on the plate because it really is SO much food, but it was nice to be able to step out of my normal grilled chicken/club sandwich mode for a few days.

And like someone else said, the convenience of having it all paid upfront makes it worth it even without getting the most expensive items!

 

[Bete]

Actually, we have used the DP and not care about maximizing it. Other times if it's not FD then we have tried to maximize it. Still other times we do a little bit of both. We are all over the place with it.

After many times doing it we've have gotten to the point where we really go to the places we like more than anything else. I will say though if I use 2 credits for a signature place we will get our monies worth as much as possible.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I'll admit that there's a certain budget-minded side to me that wants to get the most for my dining credits. I don't think that anyone wants to spend money for a meal plan and then get less than what they would have paid for OOP.

But OTOH, there's a certain convenience factor involved with having a dining plan and not having to think about money at all when I open my menu. Because that same frugal side of me would be so much less likely to order the Coffee-rubbed Kansas City Steak at Le Celier when I could fill my stomach with potato gnocchi if I was paying OOP, even though the steak would be more appealing.

For this next trip, I have every intention of ordering what I want to eat without regard to whether I'm getting my money's worth. And if that pennypincher in my head starts to nag me about it, I'll just shut her up with some key lime creme brulee.