Question for Complainers Against Quality of Food

[lorelei_smiles]

Granted, I have only eaten at two Disney restaurants. But some people are acting as if the food has as much quality as an elementary school cafeteria.

Is the food quality really that bad? Or is it just not as good as it has been in the past?

 

[Tink10]

It just not as good as it has been in the past.....

Really, people visiting WDW should be thrilled about the food. Have you ever tried the garbage that Six Flags serves? Bleech!!

 

[allyphoe]

Just not as good as it's been in the past. We did 3 trips in 12 months back in 2005-2006, and the quality of specific dishes decreased noticeably from trip to trip. That said, there were other specific dishes that stayed just as good from trip to trip, and we have always found plenty of food that we enjoyed eating.

 

[BillSears]

Just not as good as it's been in the past.

Quality has gone downhill some but it's not so bad that I'd consider eating offsite. I still like Disney dining even if it's not as good as it used to be.

 

[toocooltobeMom]

I believe that WDW food in general are pretty good for a theme park/resorts.

 

[eliza61]

Granted, I have only eaten at two Disney restaurants. But some people are acting as if the food has as much quality as an elementary school cafeteria.

Is the food quality really that bad? Or is it just not as good as it has been in the past?

One thing I think happens with any thing Disney is that they suffer from the "high expectation" problem more than any place else. It's a fairly expensive place to visit so we tend to think " I paid X thousands of dollars, I should have magical meals every second" which is totally unrealistic and food is very expensive. Once again any one who travels knows this is the case no matter where you go, I mean has anyone been to a ball park lately and had to pay 5.00 for a cup of warm beer. Also remember, natural tendency is to post complaints more that kudo's and the internet has made it possible to instantly post those complaints. Take all reviews with a grain of salt.

That being said, I've had some very good meals and some not so good ones.
I really enjoy Tony town square in MK, which people seem to complain about all the time but I know it will be more than I would normally pay for a plate of pasta at home and the food is usually hot, fresh and tasty. I enjoy dining at disney.

 

[cmwade77]

If my food is not good I politely send it back and ask them to try again, our servers have always been more than accommodating.

 

[Dreamfinder2]

Respectfully, I tend to disagree ... if anyone ever ate at Le Cellier when it was a cafeteria and tried it now, for instance, I think they'd have to say there's been an improvement. CG, Jiko, Flying Fish, Artist Point - gosh, they're still pretty doggone good. There are a couple of restaurants that might've slipped some (I'm hoping the huge World Showcase revamp might address some of those issues, altho I haven't seen the decline in our regular spots), and some maybe weren't all that stellar anyway. But in over 30 years, I can literally only come up with one, maybe two, bad food experiences, and both of those were CS. (ABC Commissary and Pepper Market, if you're wondering, and they weren't awful ... just not very good.)

At any rate, it's all about perception, and that's really subjective.

I mentioned this somewhere else, but ees a mystery ... people complain about the DDP because it has led to yucky food at WDW, yet they complain about the hassle of ADRs because it makes it so hard for them to indulge in the yucky food.

 

[wdwthreethiels]

Granted, I have only eaten at two Disney restaurants. But some people are acting as if the food has as much quality as an elementary school cafeteria.

Is the food quality really that bad? Or is it just not as good as it has been in the past?

We have been visiting for the past 8 years, and have never used the DDP.
We have used DDE.

My observations regarding the quality of the food are that the quality is the same, we found that the choices and the size of the item is what has changed. As an example my DD has ordered the Smores from 50's Prime Time for the past 8 years, we have always shared this dessert between the 3 of us, and were completely shocked this past May when the dessert was served, it was 1/2 - 1/3 of the original size, but the price was the same, perhaps this is due to DDP, perhaps this is due to the cost of food (doubt it - it is graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate sauce?), it just was a let down in the sharing department, but, on the upside, I did not gain any weight
over this last trip

We still feel that Dining while at Disney is as enjoyable as it has been in the past, we just have had to adjust our planning, we generally do not make ADR's, since we like to wing it, and never really know which park we will be in on a given day, so if I think about it, I call the day of for a favorite place and if we get it great and if we don't who cares - we are in Disneyworld

 

[lorelei_smiles]

Several local restaurants have cut their portions due to increasing awareness of the dangers of obesity (esp childhood obesity). Some managers are aware that they may lose business but are willing to take the chance. Supposedly, restaurants nationwide are taking the same approach. Perhaps the portions at Disney are smaller for that reason. Of course there is a benefit to the companies who cut the portions but maintain the price.......

 

[SmallWorld71]

DreamFinder2 - I ate at LeCellier when it was cafeteria style. Blech.

Anyway, while TS may be in a decline, I think that the variety of CS has gone up. It wasn't that long ago that the choices were generally chicken strips, burgers and pizza.

 

[Threehearts]

I think that is a very responsible gesture on the restaurant's part. How health-minded of them! I assume the restaurant's prices are cut in direct proportion to the percentage of food that is withheld. Threehearts

 

[Sardinia]

Though it is a sweet thought, I highly doubt the smaller portions are the result of the restaurants' caring for our health or to combat obesity. I think money is the motivating force, not battling the bulge or health factors. Their bottom line is their concern, not our waistlines

I think that is a very responsible gesture on the restaurant's part. How health-minded of them! I assume the restaurant's prices are cut in direct proportion to the percentage of food that is withheld. Threehearts

that would be nice if they also slashed the prices proportionately to serving sizes

 

[jcemom]

The food is good, but the variety of menu choices has decreased. I still find it to be better than food at most other parks. The food we got at Cedar Point last summer was garbage compared to Disney food, and it was every penny as expensive with smaller portions.

 

[bornwiththeears]

This will be our 22nd trip to WDW. I have to say that for the most part our food at both TS and CS has been good. We have had only one terrible lunch in Japan and will never go back.

I really enjoy reading the restaurant reviews on this board - some people will love a restaurant while others will absolutely hate it. I think mealtime, like your total enjoyment of the parks depends on a number of factors: your expectations; how tired you are; the service you receive; the atmosphere of the restaurant and the quality of your food.

 

[Merriwind]

I think that the quality of food and quantity of selections have declined. Still very decent food, imho, but it was better...

 

[TDC Nala]

It's not as good as it was. But in the past year there have been some improvements (for example, return of the bar food to WL and Polynesian among other things.)

 

[gina2000]

For us it's the quality verses the price. I've had some pretty lousy TS meals at WDW over the last two trips. And when I look at the bill for that pretty lousy food, I figure it's not worth my time, the effort and definitely not the money. So add insult to injury and reduce portion sizes on good food and I figure I'm getting my eyes ripped off.

Everyone's taste buds and expectations are different. I expect a level of quality verses a price. And I don't care if I'm paying for location, location, location. I expect a premium but not enough to make my head spin. And recently, my head has been spinning.

So we're doing a lot more offsite dining and expect to continue to do so the next time we're there.

Oh, and I don't buy the "well, it's better than other theme park food" argument because people don't eat WDW food for one day the way they would at a ballpark or a Great Adventure. It's a several day vacation for most people and it's obvious that WDW is trying to keep patrons onsite as much as possible. With that in mind, they should make people WANT to stay onsite for meals. I'm in the minority, though, so I don't expect people to agree with me.

One last thing.....if they can break even or make a bit of a profit from DDP as some posters suggest, then how much are they making on the OOP patron? If you order a full three course meal at a TS restaurant and nothing else all day, your cost is significantly higher OOP. Even if you only order one TS course, a CS meal and a snack you're making out albeit by a small amount. So how much is WDW making on the OOP guest? It's astronomical. Reduce portions and quality and it's just a blatant rip-off. JMHO.

 

[ModestMouse]

We're not on the DDP (just back from a nine-day stay). But I think the quality and quantity of choices has gone down because of the DDP (or because of a hand-in-hand standardization). This is most apparent on the kids' menus, which are all practically the same (even with the same puzzles/activities on the menu). Our kids, frankly, got bored with the kids' food choices. Perhaps they are more adventurous eaters (although they sure love their chicken strips, hamburgers, etc.). But it was just the same thing, everywhere. BORING. How hard would it be to at least have different dipping sauces for the chicken strips or toppings for the burgers, to tie into the theme of the restaurant?

We tried and liked several new-to-us restaurants, and our old favorites seemed to be holding their quality level (although some portions were noticeably smaller).

 

[mzliza3]

If you're expecting gourment dining at Disney, then look elsewhere, eventhough the prices are often gourmet! We tried the old dining plan ofter years ago & it was an absolute nightmare, because the servers were confused about how it worked (as were we!). We're trying it again in Dec. because it seems to be an OK deal. As for the profitability of the DP, the mark-up on food is SO high that Disney will still be turning a decent profit. With all oftheir wholesalers & such, they might even be making more off the DP. I remember a few years back, there was talk of making Disney an all-inclusive resort & that they were going to try out a new DP to see how people would react. Haven't heard anything else, but maybe this newish DP is a tryout for it. And finally, food is a matter of personal taste. I just hope with the apparent popularity of the DP, that the usual high standard of service doesn't decline due to the fact tips are included in the DP. Has anyone noticed a difference before & after the DP in terms of service?