Ohana's 18th wedding anniversary disappointed.

[TigerGuy]

So the wife and I tried this place out last week for our 18th wedding anniversary as we had heard that it was one of the better places to eat at Disney. We got to our reservation a little early and had a drink at the bar before being seated which didn't take too long. It all went down hill from there. As soon as we were greeted by the hostess I explained that we were celebrating our 18th wedding anniversary and requested that if we could be seated some where as private as possible with a view of the fireworks that it would make it all the more special for us on our special day. As we were being walked to our table I noticed that there were 3 smaller tables near the window and though how perfect it would be to get one of those tables. Our hostess then set us in the middle of the room in between a loud party of 10 to 12 and a couple with young kids. We did have a good view of the fireworks though so I just let it go and we decided to just make the best of it. After waiting for 15 minutes our waiter did finally show up and took our drink order and asked if we wanted some bread. It was another 20 minutes until we saw him again. This was a common theme for the rest of the night as he was more concerned with the big party beside us that were seated almost at the same time we were. My assumption was that he was more concerned with receiving the bigger tip from the larger party than from a party of two. Never once did he even say congratulations as we were wearing our buttons even though we were greeted by multiple strangers in the lobby with a congrats on our special day. The food was ok I guess the Chicken was ok and the bread pudding was good but the service was so bad that it ruined the whole experience. Maybe my expectations were too high but most of my dining experiences at Disney we have received much better service and food. The dining experience was definitely not of the $150 price tag that I paid.

 

[maxiesmom]

Never ever go in celebrating something and expect them to make a big deal about it. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.

Having said that, there is no excuse for having to wait so long for drinks and bread.

 

[AngiTN]

I hope you called over for a manager while you were there. Bad service should be reported on the spot

 

[Parker Clan]

Agree with the PP on the celebrations. We were on our Honeymoon last August and only one restaurant acknowledged it, but we knew going in, some do and some don't, no biggie.
I'm sorry you had poor service though, in all of our times at Ohana we've had good service & food, but I agree you should report it!

 

[TigerGuy]

Never ever go in celebrating something and expect them to make a big deal about it. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.

Having said that, there is no excuse for having to wait so long for drinks and bread.

Never ever go in celebrating something and expect them to make a big deal about it. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.

Having said that, there is no excuse for having to wait so long for drinks and bread.

It was more about the poor service than the acknowledgment. It was just in my mind something else that was missed. Had the service been better than it wouldn't have mattered.

 

[TigerGuy]

I hope you called over for a manager while you were there. Bad service should be reported on the spot

We should have. At the time though it was so late and after a day in the parks my wife didn't want to fight that battle. We both decided to just enjoy the rest of the night.

 

[Shell54]

We were a party of 3 that also ate dinner at Ohana last week. We too found the service very slow. Took forever to be greeted, get drinks and first salad course. The food itself was very good, but service was not.

 

[maxiesmom]

We were a party of 3 that also ate dinner at Ohana last week. We too found the service very slow. Took forever to be greeted, get drinks and first salad course. The food itself was very good, but service was not.

Funny thing is not so long ago the complaints were all about the food coming too fast. Seems they can't find a happy medium.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

About the table assignment, keep in mind that wait staff is union, and they have to distribute table load equally. They won't generally change up table assignments/timing much for that reason. The near-window tables often seat more than 2, although less than 10, as well.

 

[Pkltm]

Our experience was similar, it was very slow and our server was missing form our table for most of the night. We actually never even got the bread. We watched him make a huge fuss over the table next to us, bent over backwards to make sure the kids got what they wanted. Celebrated the Mom's birthday with great noise. Not so much as a "Happy Anniversary" to us with our buttons and it being noted on our reservation. The hostess did say something. Please note we did not expect anything special in terms of it being recognized, but we did expect better service as customers if the restaurant. We did speak to the manager and he offered us bread as we were leaving, We will not go there again.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Maybe my expectations were too high but most of my dining experiences at Disney we have received much better service and food. The dining experience was definitely not of the $150 price tag that I paid.

If your expectations were a bit too high, it couldve been from the fact that A LOT of posters on these boards say that this is the best restaurant in the world. So I cant blame you for that one. Sorry you had a bad experience. $150 is a lot of money for crappy service. I ate there once while on the DP. Food is NOT good AT ALL. Had i paid out of pocket, i would've been ticked.

 

[TigerGuy]

About the table assignment, keep in mind that wait staff is union, and they have to distribute table load equally. They won't generally change up table assignments/timing much for that reason. The near-window tables often seat more than 2, although less than 10, as well.

There was several smaller tables at the windows. In fact those three tables that I saw open were seated shortly after us had two separate couples of two and a group of four. Any of the three would have worked but again it was more about the bad service and just ok food then anything else.

 

[bumbershoot]

as we had heard that it was one of the better places to eat at Disney.

You had?

A LOT of posters on these boards say that this is the best restaurant in the world.

They do???

We should have. At the time though it was so late and after a day in the parks my wife didn't want to fight that battle. We both decided to just enjoy the rest of the night.

There's no battle to be had. You simply talk to the manager. If service doesn't improve then you talk again and chat about the tip. In that way the server's manager knows why you might be leaving less than expected and if the server has questions about it management can explain it.

(Long story on this topic)

My 40th birthday dinner was at Disneyland at cafe orleans during the "free on your birthday" year when they were supposed to have special birthday beignets etc. same deal as you. Small party in between big ones. Small eaters in between multiple entree eaters. We were ignored and obviously judged for our small order. Slooooow service. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

Dh excused himself to go to the bathroom, but on his way he found the manager. It was a very good way of honoring me by not stressing me out by talking about it AND by trying to help my birthday meal. Alas nothing improved. Beignets took so long* I just had them boxed to go. And they weren't the special ones. (Note: I am an introvert and Do Not Like wearing the birthday button, so wearing it during the special birthday year but not getting what they had advertised was hard on me)

But at least that server could know exactly why his tip was paltry, and it wasn't that we were cheap. We ordered an entree for hubby, a salad for me, and pommes frites for ds, because those were exactly what we wanted to eat. Not being cheap. And dh is a major tipper normally.

Anyway, excusing yourself for the bathroom can be a decent way to do what you need to do management-wise while not making a big deal out of it.


*that small order plus beignets took nearly two hours at the table, while parties of 8 were seated, served, and fine by the same server as we sat there.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Again, the host will rarely switch table assignments. It's not something they're supposed to do.

I'm willing to bet a good 30% of people checking any given night have a celebration noted.

There was several smaller tables at the windows. In fact those three tables that I saw open were seated shortly after us had two separate couples of two and a group of four. Any of the three would have worked but again it was more about the bad service and just ok food then anything else.

 

[Shanti]

There was several smaller tables at the windows. In fact those three tables that I saw open were seated shortly after us had two separate couples of two and a group of four. Any of the three would have worked but again it was more about the bad service and just ok food then anything else.

Agree that is annoying. In the future, feel free to ask for a specific available table. I did that at Yachtsman when the picture window table for two was available & they tried to seat us more inward. I asked nicely, they said we'd have to wait a few minutes for our assignment to be reset or something, & I said that was fine. Got the best table in the house- totally worth it. For an anniversary dinner at Ohana, I would have pressed to get the best table available. Prices are crazy at Disney & I'm paying for satisfaction, so I'll politely press until I get the best they have to offer. It is not our responsibility to tiptoe around restaurant staff, hoping we don't infridge on restaurant "policy". Good customer service means putting the customer first. That will be reflected by customer satisfaction, repeat business, higher tips, and good word of mouth.

This reminds me of the time we had 7:00am ressies for Chef Mickey & were the very first to show up, with big smiles & great attitudes. They walked us through the empty restaurant & seated us right next to the open door to the kitchen. I made them (I mean, sweetly asked them to) move us, but still...I just thought, "Really?"

WDW CMs are also no longer consistent about recognizing celebrations anymore, unfortunately. That's not an Ohana issue as much as it is a WDW issue. WDW is still a wonderful place to vacation, but unfortunately they're in the midst of a trend of charging more & giving less.

 

[eastendlights]

We are so over 'Ohana for dinner I doubt we will ever eat there again. It used to be one of our absolute must do dinners and the last few meals we had there were nothing short of awful.

 

[jsbowl16]

There are definitely a lot of talented chefs at Ohana. They somehow managed to undercook and overcook the same pieces of meat when we were there last time. Never again. I refuse to pay $46 per person when the best part of the meal is a simple dessert like bread pudding.

 

[amberpi]

Your story and the mass produced, everything eats the same thing is the reason I won't go. I HATE loud dining and you can hear this place from the lobby. Nope. Sorry your anniversary was less pleasant. Sometimes they don't notice and in the chaos of a place like Ohana, I'd find it less likely. You were in WDW though, so I hope that made up for it!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

I agree about the seating placement, it wasn't conducive to a nice meal for a couple. Service can really make a meal and it's such a shame you didn't get good service.

We booked Citricos at the GF for our Christmas Day meal at the 180 day mark. When we were called to be seated they took us to the entrance of the restaurant to some extra tables they had added to obviously accommodate a busy time. I didnt sit down and pointed out that as I booked 6 months ago I didn't expect to be seated here. The CM went back to check in podium, returned and led us into a half empty restaurant and seated us at a lovely table inside. It really put me off the restaurant though

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We've had similar experiences at O'hana (we are generally a party of 2 or 3). The service is very uneven - bread and food coming before drinks, waiting forever for dessert and the check. I just chalk it down to the kind of chaotic nature of the restaurant (not an excuse, but after being there a few times, I kind of expect this). I'm sorry you had a bad experience with the service. Just wanted to note, if you were looking for a romantic anniversary type of dining experience at O'hana, yes, you're expectations were a bit too high, IMHO. After countless trips to WDW, we've determined the only way to get a stellar, quiet meal is to pick a resort, signature restaurant (and even then you have to be strategic - for instance, Jiko and Artist Point are quieter than Cali Grill). The only in-park restaurant that's ever been quiet or "romantic" in any way is Monsieur Paul. O'hana is all about large quantities of meat and coconut races!