Oops. Bang. POW. Drawn On the Carpet,

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Most know that I patronize only five TS eateries at WDW.
2) The others are just not worth
. . . the price, and/or
. . . the service, and/or
. . . the food quality, and/or
. . . the unique menu items
3) When guests ask for my opinion, I do not shirk, and I give it to them.
4) A manager overheard me pooh-poohing a guest's list of eateries.
5) Got called me on the carpet.
6) My answer was, "No problem. Just prove to me that my opinion is in error."
7) No reply.
8) Got a call from Jiko's, of which I hold in medium-to-low regard.
9) They said to stop in and they will change my mind.
10) So, I have ADR's.
11) Will report on what I experience.

NOTE: Although they will comp the meal for my party, I am not letting them know who I am until I am done with dinner. I used an override code for the ADR, so I squeezed in without their advance knowledge. We will see how the service and food is when I am just a normal guest.

 

[squirrel]

Please post your favorite restaurants and what you order at each.

Can't wait for your report on Jiko's.

 

[Kay1]

Please post your favorite restaurants and what you order at each.

Can't wait for your report on Jiko's.

I agree. I'd love to hear them. I, too, have only a short list for TS. Mine - off the top of my head- is Sci-Fi, Rose and Crown, Catptain's Grill, Mama Melrose and Tusker House. Maybe Cape May but I haven't been there for dinner in years.

Good luck at Jiko and let us know how it goes.

 

[basketlacey]

Can't wait to hear how it goes. I am also interested to see your list of 5!

 

[Serein]

Curious...
Would like to hear how this goes at Jiko (we have had good experience there).
also, would like to hear the top 5.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I know I saw his top five a few days ago, and it included Bistro de Paris, forget what the other four were.

 

[DVC California]

I know I saw his top five a few days ago, and it included Bistro de Paris, forget what the other four were.

Was it...?

1) Chef Mickey's
2) Whispering Canyon Cafe
3) Biergarten
4) Cinderella's Royal Table



1) Bistro de Paris
2) Shula's
3) Il Muliono's

Not sure of 4 & 5.

 

[mikat]

I know I saw his top five a few days ago, and it included Bistro de Paris, forget what the other four were.

I just looked it up this morning:

1) We prefer
. . . fine food
. . . excellent service
. . . innovative dishes with flair
. . . overall great value
. . . relaxed and soothing dining atmosphere
. . . behaved patrons
2) The only sit-down restaurants we patronize at WDW are
. . . Bistro de Paris (Epcot, France, upstairs)
. . . Citricos (Grand Floridian Resort)
. . . Shula's Steakhouse (Dolphin Resort)
. . . Il Mulino (Swan Resort)
. . . Victoria & Albert's (Grand Floridian Resort)

From
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2577948

So excited to go to Bistro in March based on TheRustyScupper's recommendation!

 

[LaurenT]

I couldn't stand Bistro de Paris - huge disappointment! Food was average (escargot was inedible, actually) and the service was very poor! OP doesn't mention V&A...yes the price is astronomical, but what you get for that money is exceptional on every level!

 

[RoutemanDan]

......
4) A manager overheard me pooh-poohing a guest's list of eateries.
5) Got called me on the carpet.
6) My answer was, "No problem. Just prove to me that my opinion is in error."
.........

That's when your manager should have told you that it isn't your job to give your personal opinon on dining venues but just to book the reservation.

I'm suprised you're getting a free meal instead of a reprimand.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

I couldn't stand Bistro de Paris - huge disappointment! Food was average (escargot was inedible, actually) and the service was very poor! OP doesn't mention V&A...yes the price is astronomical, but what you get for that money is exceptional on every level!

1) I will report on Jiko tomorrow.
2) As for the above
. . . I do include V&A in my five WDW eateries
. . . I have written several times that the escargot is bad, terrible
. . . for costs, they changed to Indonesian-style snails, and they are inferior
. . . but, I haven't had a dinner with bad service, yet

 

[TheRustyScupper]

That's when your manager should have told you that it isn't your job to give your personal opinon on dining venues but just to book the reservation.

I'm suprised you're getting a free meal instead of a reprimand.

1) If the guest wants a ressie, I book the ressie if/when available.
2) If the guests wants opinions or recommendations, they get honest ones.
3) If you notice, such opinions came after a guest asked for opinions.
4) I will not be a Disney/ABC robot.

NOTE: I was in a Concierge training class and a newbie asked what they should recommend because she had NEVER eaten at a TS eatery. The instructor told her to just pick an eatery and use it for her recommended restaurant, whether she was there or not. To me, that is dishonest. A guest will NEVER get a dishonest opinion from me.

 

[Dorisk3]

1. Who are you Rusty Scupper?
2. Anthony Bourdain?
3. Michael Eisner?
4. Why do they care?

 

[nigel-bigel]

4. Why do they care?

Why does WHO care?

It's pretty obvious why Disney management cares.

And as a guest, I totally value an outspoken CMs opinion. Who would be able to give me better advice? I would be thrilled to get Mr. Scupper on the line when I call to make ADRs.

Nicole

 

[Dorisk3]

Why does WHO care?

It's pretty obvious why Disney management cares.

And as a guest, I totally value an outspoken CMs opinion. Who would be able to give me better advice? I would be thrilled to get Mr. Scupper on the line when I call to make ADRs.

Nicole

As long as you only book a certain 5 restaurants! (well, maybe 6 after the big Jiko meal!)

I really wonder if Disney management cares about the food much at all, if they did I'd make them sit down at 1900 Park Fair and dare them to try everything on the buffet.

 

[pixiechick]

Why does WHO care?

It's pretty obvious why Disney management cares.

And as a guest, I totally value an outspoken CMs opinion. Who would be able to give me better advice? I would be thrilled to get Mr. Scupper on the line when I call to make ADRs.

Nicole

When that person openly says they don't go to other restaurants? Why would I value their "personal" opinion if they don't have a fair review?

There are some places I prefer over others, but I would never dismiss a dining choice I haven't experienced recently.

Chefs/menus/management change. I've had some not so good experiences at restaurants but have given them another chance when I hear some positive reviews.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

When that person openly says they don't go to other restaurants? Why would I value their "personal" opinion if they don't have a fair review?

There are some places I prefer over others, but I would never dismiss a dining choice I haven't experienced recently.

Chefs/menus/management change. I've had some not so good experiences at restaurants but have given them another chance when I hear some positive reviews.

I agree, if he ate at more then five restaurants somewhat frequently, I'd value his opinion more, but how long has it been since he's eaten at any other restaurant? And has he eaten at every other restaurant on property?

 

[btcrane]

1) A guest will NEVER get a dishonest opinion from me.[/I]

Thank you!!! I love asking the opinions of those who work there and really appreciate honesty. BTW, love, love, love Jiko. I hope you have a great experience.

 

[jenjersnap]

Seems like exactly the wrong time to try Jiko considering they have a new chef who hasn't quite found his/her groove yet.

 

[fla4fun]

When that person openly says they don't go to other restaurants? Why would I value their "personal" opinion if they don't have a fair review?

A fair review of what? It depends on how the guest questions the CM. If the guest asks the CM what their favorite restaurants are, then the fact that the CM only likes and visits five restaurants isn't an issue. They would tell the guest about one or two of their favorites and why they are their favorites, and might even say that they like those restaurants so well that they don't really visit any others. The guest might book them, or they might not.

However, I would agree that if a guest asks about a specific restaurant, and the CM either hasn't eaten there at all, or it's been a long time since they have eaten there because of a bad experience, it's not the best thing to do from a business standpoint to talk down about the guest's choice. I would rather they would just say they haven't been recently, than to either give me a fictional "review" or give negative info about the restaurant because they ate there 10 years ago and had a bad experience. As you said, things change a lot in the restaurant industry - what is bad today can be great tomorrow. One WDW trip I had my worst meal and my absolute best meal at the same restaurant, about a week apart. It happens.

Food is such a subjective thing to begin with, that it's better not to take one person's word about whether a restaurant is good or bad. Just because I like it doesn't mean you will, and vice versa. If you read through enough online reviews, you can get a pretty good feel for whether bad food or bad service are an ongoing issue or not.