No More Complimentary Bread?

[mustinjourney]

Unfortunately I don’t think they’re as concerned about guest satisfaction. They’re more concerned about increasing dollars per head which they likely will by eliminating free bread. I completely agree though about it becoming tougher to wait with kids — I have a 3 year old and an 8 year old and feel the pain when they get “hangry”!!

Crackers were an effective way to keep my kids from going crazy. Almost every restaurant has some, even if not already at the table.

 

[Crystal824]

I don't eat bread at home with most meals, but for some meals, you just want some bread. Italian dinners come to mind. Also, Le Cellier is famous for those pretzel rolls. Come on Disney.

 

[TeresaWen]

The less bread people eat before a meal, the more likely they are to order appetizers & dessert.

No bread = nothing to soak up the alcohol = Way less drinks ordered.

 

[MinnieMSue]

I remember getting complimentary bread at Via Napoli in July.

we definitely had to pay for bread in June. Weird how it varies like that.We weren’t sure if we had to pay until it was on the bill. The waiter asked if we wanted bread and we said yes.I wondered if it was free or not and specifically checked the bill when it came.

 

[MinnierellaMama]

No bread = nothing to soak up the alcohol = Way less drinks ordered.

Or just more drunks wandering around Disney

 

[Jadyreen1282]

I honestly don't remember getting bread at a TS unless I ordered Pasta. I do remember the bread at Sanaa I paid extra for. But really if they did offer bread I might eat less at the buffet or drink less so maybe it is double edged. I don't really care either way.

 

[sls404]

Confirmed tonight they are still serving bread at Chefs de France.

 

[Snowbird67]

That’s good to hear about Chef de France. Thx for update

 

[soniam]

I don't mind no free bread.I would pay for bread for my super picky teenage son, but it's usually too fancy or flavorful for him anyway if costs money. He won't eat most appetizers either. I guess we'll have to carry something small for him when he gets hangry.

 

[Disneylover99]

I don't mind no free bread.I would pay for bread for my super picky teenage son, but it's usually too fancy or flavorful for him anyway if costs money. He won't eat most appetizers either. I guess we'll have to carry something small for him when he gets hangry.

I don’t mind the lack of free bread either. After a week or so of TS, that bread doesn’t look too complimentary on me. Lol.

 

[DISNEY1975]

So, if true, do you think it is health/obesity related or profit/cost related?

Hilarious! Have you seen all the new snacks at Disney? Got to be 1000+ calories each! But..we pay for it, so they dont care! We are not paying for the bread.

Restaurants where I live only give the bread if you order an entree. If you go for soup, salad, pizza, sandwich/burger, apps, desserts etc.. no bread for you!

 

[kaytieeldr]

I wonder, though, whether they've been noticing people not eating the bread (for their own health) and are trying to stop wasting money because they have to throw it out,* or whether it's just a ploy to get people to spend more on apps?

Or, are diners filling up on bread, then not eating the full meal?

 

[starousse]

Or, are diners filling up on bread, then not eating the full meal?

Yes and that's probably the real reason why they're doing it. When people are posting about how to do Disney on a budget and talk about how they visited all the signature restaurants, ordered a salad, cup of soup or a kid's meal for under $15, drank water and filled up on the bread baskets instead. These places are banking on at least a $200 bill per table, not a $17 one, so of course they're going to eliminate it.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Or, are diners filling up on bread, then not eating the full meal?

Exactly! Im guilty of this. Quite often I take half of my meal home. Now, I only ask for bread when im REALLY hungry. Most of the time I tell them to hold off on the bread.

I also want to say that its not unusual for a restaurant to charge for bread (and for pop/soda refills).

 

[revdon64]

It may appear that way to you, but reality is that WDW is busier than it's ever been before.

They are a LONG way from reaching the breaking point for most.

The crowds don't lie.

Just because people aren't seeing the cliff, doesn't mean it isn't there. If Disney doesn't do something to re-address guest experience and quality of service, the very things that set them apart from all other theme park experiences, then the cliff is coming. Putting Bob Cheapek in charge does not bode well.

 

[revdon64]

We have rarely gotten bread at Disney restaurants in recent trips. Used to at Skipper Canteen and no longer do, none at Via Napoli (we had to pay for 2 years there). I feel like we didn’t even get any at BOG dinner last time but might be wrong about that. Definitely did at Mama Melrose though last summer. I’m too sleepy to remember the other restaurants right now.

That's exactly the point! A basket of bread on the table isn't necessarily something you'd miss if it was never there before at that restaurant. But take it away and it absolutely will be missed. And let's be honest, no one wants to believe that Disney would ask you to pay more for less product, less service, or less quality of experience. But that is exactly what it seems they are doing.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Just received bread at Via Napoli. Plain Italian bread. There is a garlic focaccia basket available for $4.55

 

[DisBuckMan]

Just because people aren't seeing the cliff, doesn't mean it isn't there. If Disney doesn't do something to re-address guest experience and quality of service, the very things that set them apart from all other theme park experiences, then the cliff is coming. Putting Bob Cheapek in charge does not bode well.

People here have been saying that for years.

Crowd levels just keep going up.

Will the breaking point eventually be reached for Disney? Sure. Nothing lasts forever.

But the end is not going to happen over bread in restaurants.

 

[SteveH]

Crowd levels just keep going up.

Actually I recall one of the more recent earnings reports stating that attendance was down, but profits were up. Based on that, I'd say it is having an impact, though I won't say it's been a huge impact. You are right, while many won't consider this the line they won't cross, it does seem Disney keeps doing things to push some group of people away. Would it push me away? No, but I'm not the person that goes to Disney every year, heck we took over a 10 year break of all Disney parks.

 

[Beer Me]

I don’t really think about bread and wouldn’t normally miss it but it’s nice when it shows up.

We were at enzos hideaway last year. It was like 3pm and mostly empty. We only wanted a cocktail and made sure the wait staff knew this. We ordered the drinks and low and behold they brought out bread and olive oil. What a nice surprise. Totally unexpected especially as we weren’t ordering food at all.

It made a good impression (service overall was impeccable) and I will definitely be back as soon as possible.

The little things add up and sometimes have a large impact on your opinion and desire to come back