No more Fried Chicken being substituted at TE..

[4077]

Crystal Palace and Tusker House - both character. I think Cape May too.

Cape May is back to buffet (I had it when we were there in August). I would have to check on Tusker house, but I think it may be back as well.

 

[honeymo78]

Chef Mickey's is the one going back to buffet at the beginning of March. That might be the last one other than TE.

 

[bama_ed]

Anyone want to bet Trails End will be the LAST one (if it does come back at all)?

 

[miamimom2012]

P&J’s still offers the fried chicken, you just have to do it as a take out meal.

Ok this is a big relief. Though we booked a large gathering for saturday at TE bc of that fried chix for my husband now cant get out of it. How terrible would it be if i brought him the fried chix from the togo place ? Is that allowed? He is not a guy that likes attention of any sort so i would have to ask the waitress or seating person for permission out of earshot. He hasnt shut up about that fried chicken and i havent wanted to ruin it for him and tell him they are not serving it at TE.

 

[miamimom2012]

P&J's Southern Takeout is the Quick/Counter service dining restaurant at Fort Wilderness. It literally shares the same kitchen that prepares the food for TE (Roasted Chicken) and HDDR (Fried Chicken). You can research the menu for P&J's on the Disney website.

They (P&J's) have fried chicken mealsthat serves an individual or a small family:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/d...d-js-southern-takeout/menus/lunch-and-dinner/

Trails End went to a skillet meal offering (like Whispering Canyon at WL) during Covid. Other buffet meals have come back on property post-covid but the TE buffet (my favorite meal on property) has not yet.

So you can still get the chicken but as take-out only.

Bama Ed

PS - But .......

Trails End is currently CLOSED on Tuesday and Wednesday (they have food trucks available outside) but P&J's is open 7 days a week. On Tues and Weds, Disney opens up the Trails End dining room to P&J customers.

See my post #141 in the November 2022/Thanksiving trip report I wrote.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/november-trip-reports.3899929/page-8

So go on Tues or Weds, Hubs and you can get a fried chicken meal, then sit at the TE tables and enjoy it (as much as you can) like the good ol' days.

Hopefully the old TE buffet will be reinstated soon. Other buffets have been reinstated on property.

PPS - the 8-piece family chicken meal at P&J's used to be marketed as the "Giddyup And Go" meal or GAG as we used to call it. The 2-piece individual meal was marketed as the "Lone Ranger" meal .

Ah, those were the days ....

 

[miamimom2012]

P&J's Southern Takeout is the Quick/Counter service dining restaurant at Fort Wilderness. It literally shares the same kitchen that prepares the food for TE (Roasted Chicken) and HDDR (Fried Chicken). You can research the menu for P&J's on the Disney website.

They (P&J's) have fried chicken mealsthat serves an individual or a small family:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/d...d-js-southern-takeout/menus/lunch-and-dinner/

Trails End went to a skillet meal offering (like Whispering Canyon at WL) during Covid. Other buffet meals have come back on property post-covid but the TE buffet (my favorite meal on property) has not yet.

So you can still get the chicken but as take-out only.

Bama Ed

PS - But .......

Trails End is currently CLOSED on Tuesday and Wednesday (they have food trucks available outside) but P&J's is open 7 days a week. On Tues and Weds, Disney opens up the Trails End dining room to P&J customers.

See my post #141 in the November 2022/Thanksiving trip report I wrote.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/november-trip-reports.3899929/page-8

So go on Tues or Weds, Hubs and you can get a fried chicken meal, then sit at the TE tables and enjoy it (as much as you can) like the good ol' days.

Hopefully the old TE buffet will be reinstated soon. Other buffets have been reinstated on property.

PPS - the 8-piece family chicken meal at P&J's used to be marketed as the "Giddyup And Go" meal or GAG as we used to call it. The 2-piece individual meal was marketed as the "Lone Ranger" meal .

Ah, those were the days ....

Super helpful tips and links! Good to know about the work around on tues/wed but unfortunately we wont be there on those dates. Maybe i’ll surprise him with some takeout of that coveted fried chicken on a night he isnt expecting it.

 

[Teamubr]

I would explain to the hostess that your husband only wanted to come for the fried chicken and since it is available at P&Js, could they make an exception. They may be unlikely to do it for the whole group, but would for 1 or 2.

j

 

[Stratman50th]

If it were me, I'd get him the carry out chicken and the rest of you order off the menu. What are they going to do, kick him out? I doubt it. Always loved the fried chicken off of the buffet.

 

[kes601]

Trail's End is closing in the spring and will re-open as a completely different concept:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1619122649724239872

 

[Teamubr]

Trail's End is closing in the spring and will re-open as a completely different concept:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1619122649724239872

Just saw this in News and Rumors. I posted this in it's own topic.

j

 

[bama_ed]

Trail's End is closing in the spring and will re-open as a completely different concept:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1619122649724239872

Farewell Trails End.

The road back to that crispy fried chicken just got a little longer.

Becuz the $mArT BeAn KoUnTerz in D1ZnEE DiN!nG R Zo MiCh $MarTER TjAn TjErE KuZtpMeR BaZe.

Bama Ed

PS - this is the sign of sheer desperation when the prior business models say, "Trails End buffet won't hit the profit targets we were given for the next year".

PPS - Disney management turns the skrews every year on management. Resorts. Dining. Merch. More profit. More earnings. Etc. At some point leaders break. Helen Keller and her family might stumble across a new TE marketplace. A couple lost families thinking the Fort is Wilderness Lodge might too. But the skillet mealz obviously didn't produce the profit (not even open for lunch. Duh.). What a sad turn of events.

 

[bama_ed]

Farewell Trails End.

The road back to that crispy fried chicken just got a little longer.

Becuz the $mArT BeAn KoUnTerz in D1ZnEE DiN!nG R Zo MiCh $MarTER TjAn TjErE KuZtpMeR BaZe.

Bama Ed

PS - this is the sign of sheer desperation when the prior business models say, "Trails End buffet won't hit the profit targets we were given for the next year".

PPS - Disney management turns the skrews every year on management. Resorts. Dining. Merch. More profit. More earnings. Etc. At some point leaders break. Helen Keller and her family might stumble across a new TE marketplace. A couple lost families thinking the Fort is Wilderness Lodge might too. But the skillet mealz obviously didn't produce the profit (not even open for lunch. Duh.). What a sad turn of events.

In a way, Disney management is paying us a compliment.

Fort guests are likely the majority audience for Trails End. Oh sure, you might pull in some Magic Kingdom guests or Wilderness Lodge folks. But us FW folks are the main group. Walt Disney wanted a campground at Walt Disney World before he died - and we don't have to accept overpriced slop when we have our own kitchens and refrigerators within reach.

Of course, some people will choose it for convenience but to go Quick Service only? They're throwing in the flag admitting that they can't give us a table offering worth the money. Dang it, I didn't know I was SUCH a good cook. And I would have paid $10 more than the skillet dinner price for the old TE buffet.

I wonder what survey data/research they have from Fort guests? Likely answer is "not enough".

Ed

 

[happycamper47]

I wonder what survey data/research they have from Fort guests? Likely answer is "not enough".

Ed

Ed, I think you will find just the opposite. Responses probably say many want increased breakfast, lunch and dinner options similar to what you find at the Value Resorts. Granted, that probably doesn't apply to many of us "old timers", but the RV crowd has taken a major turn over the last few years. Those new owners are also the ones who eat out or get carryout multiple days & nights weekly when at home.

 

[Teamubr]

I think @happycamper nailed it. The same people the DoorDash, GrubHub and UberEats are the ones getting into camping. There is a whole generation (or 2 or 3) that don't cook.

j

 

[bama_ed]

Ed, I think you will find just the opposite. Responses probably say many want increased breakfast, lunch and dinner options similar to what you find at the Value Resorts. Granted, that probably doesn't apply to many of us "old timers", but the RV crowd has taken a major turn over the last few years. Those new owners are also the ones who eat out or get carryout multiple days & nights weekly when at home.

You might be on to something, @happycamper47.

Because when I look at myself, I'm definitely an old timer.

Bama Ed

PS - i hope Jack sees this. I picked this gif thanks to him.

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

PS - i hope Jack sees this. I picked this gif thanks to him.

There are a lot of "shaking fist at cloud" statements going on the last few days. Not because they're blowing hot air, but more because any comment defending nostalgia, consumer enjoyment, anything not related to maximizing profit, etc might as well be shouting to the clouds.

I don't have the history nor the devotion that many of you old hands do for the Fort nor Disney in general, but I do wish that the corporation would attempt to take some steps closer to what Walt always talked about (our trip to Marceline and the Imagineering series were real eye openers for what the man wanted) instead of slumping further into the sludge of corporate monopoly.

I'm no economy dude, but I'm pretty sure this is saying the parks are making mega cash. Maybe the parks could help sell the rest of the IP instead of fund the IP and fill the kitty.


PS - When is Mickey's Backyard BBQ coming back?