Need to vent on 'Ohana experience

ArtieRyder

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 8, 2017
First off, I need to start by saying that I am not a complainer, I usually take things in stride. I think this is the first time I've complained about anything on this board.

Second, I was really looking forward to 'Ohana on my trip. This was our third trip to 'Ohana in as many years. We do a big trip every April. When anyone asked me what I was looking forward to most on this trip, it was 'Ohana.

One our first trip, two years ago, there was 11 of us celebrating a birthday. We sat, had a round of drinks, the kids played games, it was a really nice night.

Our second time, it was just my wife and kids - so 6 of us. They brought out a giant platter of grilled cheeses and chicken nuggets, so my kids loved it. We had a table by the window and saw the fireworks. It was my best memory from the trip.

<Rant start>

So, we had a reservation for 9 last Tuesday. We arrived a little early, walked around a bit and got our table. We sat down around 6:30 and the waiter came over, actually the same waiter as last time. I wanted to make sure we had a nice relaxing dinner, so I specifically asked the waiter to give us a little time to settle in before food was delivered. I offered to take care of him in the tip, knowing he would want to turn over the table. We ordered drinks for the kids and asked for a few minutes to look over the cocktail list.

We had a couple pieces of bread and no more than 3 minutes later they dropped the first big platter of appetizers. It was way too quick. We didn't even order our drinks yet. I saw the waiter and let him know that was too soon. We placed our drink order and less than a minute later they were already at the table with the skewers. It was crazy. I was pretty annoyed at this point. I asked someone to grab our waiter and send him over and I explained again that we wanted to enjoy ourselves a little. He said he would take care of it. Again, more skewers came over and a platter of chicken nuggets and fries (no grilled cheeses anymore, so my son was really disappointed).

I said something again to the waiter and he finally understood, but it was already too later. The drinks finally arrived.

I know this might seem nit-picky. It was just so crazy. I felt so rushed. I didn't even get to sit and have a conversation with my family. We were just being bombarded. Again, I just felt so rushed. I knew how much the dinner would cost, the final bill was just under $550.

Am I crazy to think that after spending $550 on a meal we could sit and enjoy the company a little bit enjoy the music, the entertainment, etc...?

I know its a busy place and they have to turn over the tables, but its also a very expensive dinner. I even specifically asked that we be given some time.

It was a very disappointing experience for the one experience I was looking forward to the most.

Am I being a baby?

<rant over>
 
I think this has been a common complaint. I know they rushed our meal a bit, but we were wanting to get to MNSSHP, so we didn't mind. I didn't think the food was very good though. We probably won't be back.
 
My last two experiences there were disappointing to me. Last time they dumped a lot of meat on my plate without even asking how much I wanted. Maybe they did this because they were in a rush, but it caused a needless waste of food, plus I felt it was not polite. I'd rather they ask, how much do you want. I've taken this place out of my rotation, as I've had better service and better food in so many other restaurants.
 
Honestly, it's a bit of a nit picky complaint BUT not one that isn't warranted. The waiter should have taken care of the speed of service like he said he would, but I also don't think you should be as worked up about it as you are. That's of course my opinion. I probably would feel differently if it was ME that was out the $550 after service I felt was subpar.
 


This was one of the main issues I had here years ago, aside from 2 broomsticks to the shins from the coconut races. I just keep sending full plates of food back and then telling them when I wanted stuff. It sucked to have to wait for fresh food but to heck with them if they think they are going to determine my pace of eating at that price point.
 
Honestly, it's a bit of a nit picky complaint BUT not one that isn't warranted. The waiter should have taken care of the speed of service like he said he would, but I also don't think you should be as worked up about it as you are. That's of course my opinion. I probably would feel differently if it was ME that was out the $550 after service I felt was subpar.

I don't think it is nitpicking at all. One thing a guest should be in control of is the pace of a meal he is paying for. 'Ohana has a reputation lately of herding people in and out like cattle at a trough, with no regard to the wishes or requests of the diners paying a fortune for the meal.
 
I don't think it is nitpicking at all. One thing a guest should be in control of is the pace of a meal he is paying for. 'Ohana has a reputation lately of herding people in and out like cattle at a trough, with no regard to the wishes or requests of the diners paying a fortune for the meal.
I don't disagree that you should control the pace of your meal, I'm just saying being as worked up as the OP seems to be may be a bit excessive. BUT like I said, if it was me paying the huge bill I may feel just like the OP.
 


I don't disagree that you should control the pace of your meal, I'm just saying being as worked up as the OP seems to be may be a bit excessive. BUT like I said, if it was me paying the huge bill I may feel just like the OP.

I had a similar experience at 'Ohana a few years ago and I am still worked up about it. We were 9 of us and if I ever classified a meal as the meal from Hell, that one would be it. You see it was not just the food, which was for the most part terrible it was the lack of concern by management that people who were paying goo money for a decent experience were impacted buy the chaos.

The server knew the meal was supported to be slowed down, and I bet you a buck he tried to get that message across each time the family asked for time. Those people just did not care. They were more concerned about getting them in and out on their own schedule, and that is where I woudl have lost my patience. If you need to ask for time more than twice and are still ignored, it is because you do not matter. Your money? Yes. You? No.

For that meal I was too mad to complain, and for me to be so angry that I am better off walking away than to attempt to rectify a situation, I have to be very angry. DIsney charges an exorbitant amount of money for meals, and we all know that going in. What we have the right to expect in exchange for hundreds of dollars left on a table is courtesy and consideration.
 
Since you asked that the pace allow time to relax & enjoy and then let your server know more than once that it was too fast, I actually think you are under reacting! And I think the way you requested things be timed is the way dinner should be served. If someone is in a rush that should be the exception .

I do not apricate it when my food appears before my drinks. That is just poor service.

Its all about herding people in and out!
 
@ArtieRyder - My recent experience at 'Ohana (04.10.18) was the exact opposite from your meal, thank goodness.

We were seated close to our arrival time (somewhere around 7:00 PM) although there was a small wait as we requested a window seat in hopes of seeing the Electric Water Pageant (or whatever it's called, LOL). Upon reaching our table we were immediately given the bread service and cocktail menu. Everyone knew what they wanted except me so I started w/ a glass of water. About 10 minutes later the server returned to take my drink order (don't order the mojito; poorly made with hardly any mint and no muddling) and while he was still at the table I took a sip, knew it wasn't for me, and ordered a mule instead. A few minutes later our salad arrived and we all enjoyed the newly improved version which has lovely dark green lettuce and was obviously freshly dressed. Within a reasonable time our appetizer platter was placed on the table followed by our main courses. One thing I noticed about the service is it was carried out by a team of 2. The one who brought the meats on the skewer always asked if we wanted something else before plating it. It was nice that he recalled the degree of cooking we preferred our beef and we didn't have to repeat ourselves. One of the kiddos was in love with the dumplings and asked for more after the entree service had begun and they were promptly brought. The dessert wasn't brought out until the table was cleared which is a persnickety bugaboo I have; hard for me to eat another course with dirty dishes on the table.

We had no plans after our meal and completed eating by a bit after the fireworks started from MK.

I'm sorry the service wasn't up to your standards and know that it can make or break a meal:(.
 
Some years ago, we had a large family meal, food was ok, but at the end of the meal, while all still have full plates of food and dessert shows up. We said not now. So we eat, plates are clear, aaaaaaaaaaannnnnndddd nothing. We had to hunt down our server to get dessert. I remember my SIL saying "we said not now, not NOT EVER"

But aside from the food timing, were there games for the kids? THAT'S the memory my grand kids have of the meal, not the chicken or the dessert.
 
When we went in January, we had a similar very rushed experience. The pacing was so fast it was like getting hit by a truck to be honest, lol. We tried to talk to our server about the pacing but she was pretty much MIA (even though the food was NOT). We did try to speak with another server about it since we couldn’t find ours and that server gave us so much attitude it was rather shocking. I think the whole meal lasted less than an hour and the bread pudding everyone raves about seemed stale and hard. It was our first time at Ohana. My daughter and I are going back this summer as part of a group trip (another member’s request) so maybe it will be better this time, but the whole pacing and the attitude of the CM really threw our January meal off.
 
My last two experiences there were disappointing to me. Last time they dumped a lot of meat on my plate without even asking how much I wanted. Maybe they did this because they were in a rush, but it caused a needless waste of food, plus I felt it was not polite. I'd rather they ask, how much do you want. I've taken this place out of my rotation, as I've had better service and better food in so many other restaurants.

This is exactly what happened to us the last time we went. They didn't even ask if I wanted the meat, they just plopped, literally, pounds of it on my plate. It was gross. Service was completely uneven. We got bread and salad and then . . . . nothing. Our server mentioned her "helper" would be by to give us apps, etc. and he/she never appeared. She then served the entire meal and looked like she was sprinting through the restaurant to try to get all the food to her tables. When the apps finally appeared, it was a tiny plate that was not enough for our family, so I asked for more and it never arrived. I took my DS to the bathroom at one point and noticed a table for 2 who had a larger plate of appetizers than we had received. I really think they were just randomly pulling plates of food from the kitchen and just plopping them on tables with no regard to how many people were actually at that table. Then the meat plopping began followed quickly by dessert and the bill. And there were NO games. It was just terrible. We've been going to O'hana on and off for 12 years and it was never like this during past experiences. It used to be leisurely and fun. I don't know what they did in terms of changing the system of serving at this restaurant, but it's terrible. Like the OP, I was really disappointed to have to pay that exorbitant bill at the end of the meal for such a subpar experience. We went to AP a few nights later (when it was still a non-character signature), paid almost the same amount for our meal and finally had an experience that warranted the cost - super attentive service and great food.

OP - I would have been super frustrated, too. Unfortunately, something seems to have changed with the service structure at O'hana that causes this type of service. As much as your server may have wanted to grant you your wish of slowing down the meal, I don't know if he/she had a lot of control over it. Particularly if others were actually bringing the food to the table. I'm not making excuses for them. I just think this is how the current O'hana operates and it's why we will not go back unless they make some changes to how they handle their service. I, too, would have been appalled to pay over $500 for that experience.
 
I'm sorry but I wouldn't have left a tip at all. I'm tired of waitstaff expecting to have their income supplemented regardless of service. You tried and tried to explain your reasoning and were rudely ignored, so I would have rudely ignored the tip at the end. A tip is for a job well done and not a requirement. Maybe then he would have realized that service is important especially when someone is dropping that much on one meal. I'm sure they have to split tips with the other servers that bring the meats, and if he were stiffed he would have certainly given them a piece of his mind if it were not entirely in his control on how fast they came around. They all would have lost out and learned a lesson.....but that's just me and I'm the Evil Queen lol.
 
expecting to have their income supplemented regardless of service. You tried and tried to explain your reasoning and were rudely ignored, so I would have rudely ignored the tip at the end
Not in this case. The OP states thatvtgeir server tried to get service slowed down, but the server wasn't heeded until the third or fourth attempt.

We were seated close to our arrival time (somewhere around 7:00 PM)

We had no plans after our meal and completed eating by a bit after the fireworks started from MK.
This is a lonnnngggg time. Wanting a leisurely meal is fine, but leisurely diners could well be the primary cause of extreme waits for later diners and the restaurant rushing the food.
 
Unfortunately this has kept me from going to 'Ohana for my last trips. I went in 2012 for my honeymoon and loved the food but when we started going more recently I saw a lot of complaints about rushing like this and didn't want to deal with it. I know if I turned away the servers as they came I could keep the pace but then when I want food I'm sure I'd have to flag someone down.

OP,
Out of curiosity do you remember when you finished, how long it took?
 
1. Most likely the restaurant managers are coaching the employees to "speed things up". More turn over = more $$$.
2. The waiter probably told you he would delay the food without any actual power to do that(other runners bring out these items).
3. For the cost of the meal OP 100% has the right to be frustrated.
 
If you want a slowly paced meal, go to a signature restaurant. O'hana isn't meant to be that kind of experience. You can sit and chat for as long as you want AFTER you finish eating. We lingered at Ohana for over an hour after finishing dessert, with a couple extra drinks/coffees. They can't physically make you leave until you are ready to. Next time, if you want a relaxing meal, go to a relaxing restaurant. Or, arrive an hour early and relax at the lounge with a drink and some chatting with your family. It doesn't make sense to make a dining reservation, be seated at a table and then say you aren't ready to eat, when you go to a buffet or family style meal. The whole point of those is that you don't have to order and wait forever for your food.

OR, go to Ohana after 9pm. They don't rush diners with later reservations.
 
If you want a slowly paced meal, go to a signature restaurant. O'hana isn't meant to be that kind of experience. You can sit and chat for as long as you want AFTER you finish eating. We lingered at Ohana for over an hour after finishing dessert, with a couple extra drinks/coffees. They can't physically make you leave until you are ready to. Next time, if you want a relaxing meal, go to a relaxing restaurant. Or, arrive an hour early and relax at the lounge with a drink and some chatting with your family. It doesn't make sense to make a dining reservation, be seated at a table and then say you aren't ready to eat, when you go to a buffet or family style meal. The whole point of those is that you don't have to order and wait forever for your food.

OR, go to Ohana after 9pm. They don't rush diners with later reservations.

This is your opinion (which you are fully entitled to). My opinion is that one shouldn’t be forced to eat only at signatures if they want a well paced meal. Ohana isn’t cheap and you shouldn’t feel like you’ve been hit by a truck or steamrolled by the pace of the meal.
 
I do not appreciate it when my food appears before my drinks. That is just poor service.

Its all about herding people in and out!
I agree!!! I'm the weird person that needs a drink with my meal. And I usually have 2/3 non-alcoholic beverages per meal, I don't know why. When mine runs out i just pause eating until I'm able to get a refill, so this really wouldn't have worked for me. All the food would've been sitting there getting cold with how long it took them to bring you out beverages. I would've asked for the manager if I were you. I get that they may not be able to comply with the "slow" pace you requested due to turnover, but to start throwing piles of food out before you even have a drink is just bad management.

I know pete reviewed this not too long ago, but I have to wonder if they recognized him and that's why he got such good service, because there are SO many reports of bad service here lately and its ashame its gone downhill.
 

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