Nutty rumor - is it true?

[anthony2k7]

If Disneys makes it more uncomfortable to eat in their restaurants, guests simply must stop using those eateries. Maybe then Disney will recognize their mistakes and change it back.....................NAH! Disney cares nothing about the customer any more. Only their bottom line.....and Igers $alary..

But with ever growing number of people tied into eating at those eateries because of the DDP, Disney no doubt see this as an opportunity with no downsides to it.

Its so sad that even disney, where you think customer satisfaction is the highest priority are ruled by the bean counters who think that even in the service and entertainment industry those two things (service and entertainment) are entirely expendable to their business. Sooner or later they're going to reach a tipping point where customers will say "no more!" and visitor levels will drop dramaticly.

 

[CanadianGuy]

But...this only works if the seating capacity is filled. Every time we go, even during Free Dining, we have had no trouble finding tables at any CS restaurant we've eaten at.

Oh well, I guess I wouldn't put it past the suits doing this...I just don't see the practicality of it.

SkierPete

I pretty much agree that I don't think CS seating - overall - is that big of an issue ... but then what the heck do I know? I'm there at most 7 to 10 days a year.

I really just meant to convey that such considerations (table turnover) is an issue in most restaurants from Wendy's to Narcoosee's.

And yeah, I wouldn't put it past the bean counters. Even if it was just on the 'hey, these chairs are cheaper' reasoning.

Knox

 

[tjkraz]

As others said, this phenomenon isn't exactly new in the dining industry. For decades certain chains have tweaked their seating specifically to make things a little less comfortable for guests. Studies show that changes as simple as removing the padding or just angling the seat in a slightly uncomfortable manner have an impact.

That said, I do question whether Disney really has anything to gain from something like this. The Disney theme parks have a much more captive audience than a street-corner McDonald's or Burger King. If you walk into a McDonald's and find all of the seats filled, they may lose your business. But at a Disney theme park, guests still have to eat.

I doubt many people respond to ABC Commissary being full by making the 30+ minute journey to an off-site restaurant. (That's a trip which includes walking to the front of the park, taking the tram, driving off-property, etc.)

Based upon my own experiences, one of the biggest problems at Disney CS locations is a lack of seating during prime dining times. We visited WDW in early-June (not nearly peak summer crowds) and still had trouble finding seats about 40-50% of the time that we dined at Counter Service restaurants.

While a move like this may be designed to move the traffic in-and-out faster, I don't see any big potential for profit growth. But what I do see is a less stressful experience for those who don't enjoy walking around for 5 minutes with a tray of food waiting for a seat to open up.

Will Disney actually do this at all restaurants? Let's just say that I'll believe it when I see it. Some restaurants have booths and I doubt those are being ripped out to replace with stools.

In retrospect I think we dined at one or two places that had benches / stools, and it never really dawned on me until reading this thread. Seems like either Columbia Harbor House or Pecos Bill's had them.

 

[Mith]

I don't see the big deal. Just another thing for some of the haters to get in a fury about. I can't think of one time that I sat there eating and thought to myself "Wow, this chair is COMFY!". I am there to eat, get a brief respite from the sun, and then move on to more of the magic.

The table service meals are the ones where we are apt to linger a little bit and get a good rest before tackling the parks some more.

 

[TDSAXX]

I don't see the big deal. Just another thing for some of the haters to get in a fury about. I can't think of one time that I sat there eating and thought to myself "Wow, this chair is COMFY!". I am there to eat, get a brief respite from the sun, and then move on to more of the magic.

The table service meals are the ones where we are apt to linger a little bit and get a good rest before tackling the parks some more.

Shhhhhhhhhh! Don't give Disney any ideas or TS will be the next to get stools.

Of course knowing Disney the next step will be just to make everyone stand. Not only will it get people in and out quicker, but they'll also save the expense of buying chairs/stools and be able to squeeze even more people in the restaurant. On the upside at least this will make getting ADR's easier.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

Shhhhhhhhhh! Don't give Disney any ideas or TS will be the next to get stools.

Of course knowing Disney the next step will be just to make everyone stand. Not only will it get people in and out quicker, but they'll also save the expense of buying chairs/stools and be able to squeeze even more people in the restaurant. On the upside at least this will make getting ADR's easier.

Silly - Silly - Silly.

Ok, what do we 50' somethings (with a formerly crushed ankle) do by mid-day when our little feet are saying SIT DOWN !!!

Well, I guess my "dogs" will be barking to sit down....but I"ll have no trouble getting into Victoria and Alberts!!!

 

[mitros]

I don't see the big deal. Just another thing for some of the haters to get in a fury about. I can't think of one time that I sat there eating and thought to myself "Wow, this chair is COMFY!". I am there to eat, get a brief respite from the sun, and then move on to more of the magic.

The table service meals are the ones where we are apt to linger a little bit and get a good rest before tackling the parks some more.

So, "haters", huh? Ya' got it wrong my friend. We are the folks who have given Disney our money for the last 38 years, and have always loved Disney.....until now. Walt would indeed spin in his urn if he knew what they {read: Iger} are doing to his company. He wanted the guests to enjoy themselves. He made changes for the BETTER as needed during his tenure, not to make his guests unhappy and uncomfortable. THAT is what made Disneyland different, and for many years WDW as well. A Disney vacation was a wonderful experience at one time. What they are doing to it is criminal. Remember, friend we do NOT hate Disney, just what the bean counters are doing to it................

 

[anthony2k7]

doesnt matter a whole lot anyway, give it another 5 years and 90% of visitors will be on mobility scooters anyway going by how popular they are already even with what appear to be physically well people.

 

[tjkraz]

So, "haters", huh? Ya' got it wrong my friend. We are the folks who have given Disney our money for the last 38 years, and have always loved Disney.....until now. Walt would indeed spin in his urn if he knew what they {read: Iger} are doing to his company. He wanted the guests to enjoy themselves. He made changes for the BETTER as needed during his tenure, not to make his guests unhappy and uncomfortable. THAT is what made Disneyland different, and for many years WDW as well. A Disney vacation was a wonderful experience at one time. What they are doing to it is criminal. Remember, friend we do NOT hate Disney, just what the bean counters are doing to it................

Perhaps true. But Walt didn't have to deal with Wall Street in the 80s, 90s and 00s. He also had no intentions of putting four theme parks, two water parks and 20+ hotels on that Florida land.

What we have now is the result of decades of input and development from scores of Disney executives, Imagineers and Cast Members. Some ideas are good...some ideas are bad. We can't even conclude that things would be better under Walt. All we know is that they would be different.

(I happen to think that Walt would have gone forward with his futuristic E.P.C.O.T. city concept, and that its failure would have permanently tarnished his legacy.)

Of course that's all academic since Walt has been dead for over 40 years.

it's ridiculous to assume that in the 50s people were walking around Disneyland, smiling from ear-to-ear, thrilled with everything from prices to crowd levels to the comfort level of their chairs. Walt was a businessman and he often made rational business decisions, even when those decisions meant 60+ minute attraction lines and non-functional drinking fountains.

 

[mitros]

Perhaps true. But Walt didn't have to deal with Wall Street in the 80s, 90s and 00s. He also had no intentions of putting four theme parks, two water parks and 20+ hotels on that Florida land.

What we have now is the result of decades of input and development from scores of Disney executives, Imagineers and Cast Members. Some ideas are good...some ideas are bad. We can't even conclude that things would be better under Walt. All we know is that they would be different.

(I happen to think that Walt would have gone forward with his futuristic E.P.C.O.T. city concept, and that its failure would have permanently tarnished his legacy.)

Of course that's all academic since Walt has been dead for over 40 years.

it's ridiculous to assume that in the 50s people were walking around Disneyland, smiling from ear-to-ear, thrilled with everything from prices to crowd levels to the comfort level of their chairs. Walt was a businessman and he often made rational business decisions, even when those decisions meant 60+ minute attraction lines and non-functional drinking fountains.

Yea, but he was pretty pissed off about those fountains not working. As well as all the things that did not go right and caused the guests to be miserable. But he did something about it. The guest was the boss. Yes. I do realize it's not Walt, it's not the 50's,but these guys running Disney now really need to listen to the people about what is going on, and act on it.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

So, "haters", huh? Ya' got it wrong my friend. We are the folks who have given Disney our money for the last 38 years, and have always loved Disney.....until now. Walt would indeed spin in his urn if he knew what they {read: Iger} are doing to his company. He wanted the guests to enjoy themselves. He made changes for the BETTER as needed during his tenure, not to make his guests unhappy and uncomfortable. THAT is what made Disneyland different, and for many years WDW as well. A Disney vacation was a wonderful experience at one time. What they are doing to it is criminal. Remember, friend we do NOT hate Disney, just what the bean counters are doing to it................

Ok Mitros - here we go agreeing again - people will begin to talk!

I DO agree.....more and more Disney fans are becoming troubled. Why - because we LOVE Disney and we only want to hold them up to their own standards.


.....and as far as scooters are concerned.....you are right about the increasing numbers.

I had to use a scooter for the first time last December. It was a scooter or cancelling the trip because of an ankle injury. I kicked and spit, I whined and cried - I did not want a scooter but couldn't walk as far as the lobby without one.

We had a wonderful holiday - but I took the time the first day to get used to using it.....not eveyone does.

You are right. The numbers are increasing. One reason I believe - it is SOOOOO easy to rent a scooter and not heart-crushingly expensive. There are multiple companies, easy to use, convenient - they deliver to the resort. When you are at your resort, valet parking is FREE with a handicapped tag on your mirror.

They are NOT fun in a crowd - we avoided crowds...but for us, it saved the trip. I am sure there are more than a few who abuse the priviledge.....but I wish those who DO rent them....would take a little time to learn how to DRIVE one!!

Sorry, it looks like I hijacked my own thread!

 

[Mith]

So, "haters", huh? Ya' got it wrong my friend. We are the folks who have given Disney our money for the last 38 years, and have always loved Disney.....until now. Walt would indeed spin in his urn if he knew what they {read: Iger} are doing to his company. He wanted the guests to enjoy themselves. He made changes for the BETTER as needed during his tenure, not to make his guests unhappy and uncomfortable. THAT is what made Disneyland different, and for many years WDW as well. A Disney vacation was a wonderful experience at one time. What they are doing to it is criminal. Remember, friend we do NOT hate Disney, just what the bean counters are doing to it................

Sorry, based on the posts I've seen you make around here, we'll have to disagree "friend".

 

[mitros]

Sorry, based on the posts I've seen you make around here, we'll have to disagree "friend".

You have made 23 posts and you say....................
Never mind, I'll be wasting my breath on you.

 

[ChrisFL]

(I happen to think that Walt would have gone forward with his futuristic E.P.C.O.T. city concept, and that its failure would have permanently tarnished his legacy.)

How do you know it would have been a failure? A lot of people said Disneyland was going to be a failure too, but look what happened.

 

[tjkraz]

Yea, but he was pretty pissed off about those fountains not working. As well as all the things that did not go right and caused the guests to be miserable. But he did something about it. The guest was the boss. Yes. I do realize it's not Walt, it's not the 50's,but these guys running Disney now really need to listen to the people about what is going on, and act on it.

Those are easy claims to make in the abstract and much more difficult to implement in real-life.

Walt didn't have to deal with today's Wall Street. He didn't have to deal with competition from Sea World, Universal, Busch Gardens, etc. Walt didn't have to answer to bloggers trying to save the Conestoga Wagons or demanding to know how he had the audacity to put the Matterhorn in Tomorrowland. He didn't have to schedule around the preferred touring plans and "best days" posted to dozens of websites and tour guides.

And his one little park out in the former orange groves didn't have a fraction of the following that the Disney parks have today.

All-in-all, I respect the opinion that the Disney parks have slacked off in some areas. And I have my own list of issues that make me growl. But many of the topics raised often come across as complaining for the sake of complaining. There are no solutions offered...just more "Walt wouldn't have let that happen!"

So perhaps some restaurants are replacing chairs with stools. And perhaps it is to increase turn-over. As I said in my first post, I have walked around restaurants tray-in-hand waiting for a table to open up. And I've seen photos of people eating their meals on restaurant floors during peak periods because there was no seating. So, if these moves are designed to keep people from lingering in restaurants I say "bravo!"

What would Walt have done differently? The restaurants at Disneyland are not noticeably bigger than at WDW so apparently he thought there were right-sized.

I've read first-hand accounts of lines for the Matterhorn stretching past the FOUR HOUR mark at Disneyland. So please don't tell me that Walt would have built a fifth, sixth and seventh theme park at WDW to guarantee everyone wait times of 20 minutes or less.

Walt was a businessman. He had a philosophy of giving customers a certain quality product and felt that it would lead to personal success (and wealth.) But let's not pretend that he was entirely altruistic, nor that he threw common sense out the door and made non-sensical business decisions simply because they might improve the experience of a select group of guests.

How do you know it would have been a failure? A lot of people said Disneyland was going to be a failure too, but look what happened.

Oh, I never claimed to know that they would be a failure...it's just my opinion and certainly open to debate. Based upon what little we know of his vision (including the TTA model) it was to be a futuristic city with the business district in the central hub and public transportation extending to the surrounding residential areas.

That description alone raises a number of red flags, IMO. Back in the 60s and 70s people weren't particularly warm to the idea of public transportation. And even in today's "green" society things aren't much better.

Futuristic stylings tend to look outdated and corny quite fast.

The Florida swampland may not even have been suitable for construction on such a scale.

I'm nowhere near an expert on urban planning, but I think the fact that nobody has pursued Walt's concept over the last 40+ years speaks volumes.

Granted there will never be any hard evidence to support either argument. But I have my doubts as to whether even Walt would have been able to pull off such a project--a project that makes Disneyland construction seem like child's play by comparison (27,000 acres vs 160 acres--WDW is a combined 168 times the size of Disneyland.) Where would the money come from? How would you get hundreds of businesses and thousands of residents to commit to such a project?

And I question whether people would have embraced such a lifestyle.

The only certainty is that Walt did NOT buy that land to build four theme parks and a host of resort hotels. The mere existence of Walt Disney World is, quite frankly, a testament to Walt not seeing one of his dreams come to fruition.

 

[Chuck S]

So, "haters", huh? Ya' got it wrong my friend. We are the folks who have given Disney our money for the last 38 years, and have always loved Disney.....until now. Walt would indeed spin in his urn if he knew what they {read: Iger} are doing to his company. He wanted the guests to enjoy themselves. He made changes for the BETTER as needed during his tenure, not to make his guests unhappy and uncomfortable. THAT is what made Disneyland different, and for many years WDW as well. A Disney vacation was a wonderful experience at one time. What they are doing to it is criminal. Remember, friend we do NOT hate Disney, just what the bean counters are doing to it................

Gosh that sounds familiar. I'm sure glad they replaced Michael Eisner Be careful what you wish for.

 

[bsbrady]

Look if they replace the chairs on some sort of schedule, and they decide to buy less expensive chairs what is the big deal.

 

[fireflymedic]

VERY good point! I never thought about this.

Parents - what do you do with your small children when the only choice is a stool vs. a chair with a back?

my 3 yr. old sat in my lap last time this happend to me. It was a bar type resteraunt at Panama City Beach, with high tables so a high chair would not have worked. Never be back to that place buy it was the only place without standing room only so we took it.

 

[dwonders]

I have a hard time believing this...the practicality of replacing maybe 5,000 - 10,000 chairs in all the CS restaurants, making the guests more uncomfortable just to make it so that they'll stay in the restaurant for shorter time? So, at $100 a chair, that $1 million. And what's the point, it's not like guests can't get seats at most CS restaurants.

Disney's not this dumb. Stupid rumor made up by a hater.

SkierPete

I agree ... but then again they might not be thinking about it in the long run - the profits from the people moving out "quicker" would take a while to repay how much they spent on the chairs ...

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

doesnt matter a whole lot anyway, give it another 5 years and 90% of visitors will be on mobility scooters anyway going by how popular they are already even with what appear to be physically well people.

What has this to do with the matter being discussed? You don't know if that person on a scooter is able bodied!! You don't even deserve this response, so that is all I will say to you!!