REVAMP of Whispering Canyon Cafe BEGINS

[DSLRuser]

Things don't get old though when your the newbie. Doing the ketchup gag every 90 minutes? How any people would miss it then?

And thanks for proving my point. Not everyone is supposed to see the gag. It's randomness was what made it funny, and it gave you reasons to go back. The food was still the main draw.

 

[DSLRuser]

I would assume that she's not acting autonomously and that she has the support of the people above her. From reading this thread I've gotten the impression that sales at WCC are down .

Sales are down because servers are too busy being expected to be comedians, not servers. Instead of yelling for ketchup or wasting huge amounts of soda to EVERYONE who asks for a large.....they should be "selling" up charge items like shakes or the all you care to eat offerings.

The schtick and gags are great.....but it was happening way too much. as I said...20 years ago...you saw the ketchup gag 1x an hour...not 1 x every 5 mins

 

[GillianP1301]

Everyone keeps saying "A few complainers have ruined the fun." No where in Rusty's original post does it mention anything about these changes being made because patrons complained. If very may well be that the GM just wants to see the restaurant go in a different direction.

I would be pretty shocked if the change was due to a few complaints. As I posted earlier, this has got to be a business decision based on making their numbers and maybe cutting the antics means getting more tables in per night which results in higher earnings. The antics are fun, but they take up serving time. And at the end of the day, I'm sure most people dining there were doing so because they liked the food along with those antics and will most likely continue to go for the food. I imagine it's a pretty small number of people who were dining there knowing they don't like the food but just wanted the antics.

 

[GillianP1301]

You have to remember that this isn't the Jungle Cruise. It's a restaurant where tables need to be taken care of quickly, food delivered and tables cleared and readied for the next guest. It's not a comedy club where the cast needs to know the routines.

Now a comedy club dinner show would be awesome! Along the lines of HDDR, but straight up comedy, no musical (since they have that covered).

 

[Dean Marino]

As other threads have been closed.... wanted to get this content repeated here....

No comment on other opinions.... just relaying ours....

By way of background? My Wife and I are DVC Owners homed at BRV. We Visit WL twice per year, April and November. We always STAY at BRV, about 8 days per vacation, twice per year – 13 years running as of our 4-2018 trip J.

EVERY trip? We have attended Whispering Canyon (WC). In fact, our usual pattern has been to attend Whispering Canyon EVERY DAY for breakfast. After 12 years? We’ve racked up about 200 visits to Whispering Canyon .

Now, we are a little old... 66'ish. Children grown & moved on. And every morning of every trip, we endure the NOISE of laughing children, and great servers that are also adept actors . We should growl (aren't we supposed to be like that at 66?). Instead, EVERY visit has made our morning. Just us - the noise of happy, laughing children riding around on stick ponies brings a smile to our faces. The reaction of OLDER people, made to "think silly and have fun at Disney" is JUST as heart warming. We've seen Grandma's riding those stick ponies next to their VERY little Grandchildren.

Oh, we'll continue to go to WC for breakfast, every morning. But it will be sad to see a WONDERFUL acting troop, disguised as Expert Servers, beaten into the Earth, and forced to work at a Bob Evan's Clone....

Just us, All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong... this is a HORRIBLE repeat of a mistake made about 5 years ago. The same thing was attempted around 2013 – and promptly reversed. Why? Staff, and customers, were demoralized – resulting in a loss of Restaurant Traffic. The retreat position became the introduction of “participate/don’t participate” Table Coasters. This worked well, until those “Guest Flags” were eliminated around 2016-2017. So? There is a time proven solution to satisfy all.

WE are personally hoping that the very soul of WC is not gutted, yet again.

Again, All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong.

 

[chuff88]

Sales are down because servers are too busy being expected to be comedians, not servers. Instead of yelling for ketchup or wasting huge amounts of soda to EVERYONE who asks for a large.....they should be "selling" up charge items like shakes or the all you care to eat offerings.

The schtick and gags are great.....but it was happening way too much. as I said...20 years ago...you saw the ketchup gag 1x an hour...not 1 x every 5 mins

I mean, I don't disagree with you. I even said in an earlier post that we chose NOT to make a WCC ADR because the antics are not really what we're looking for in our dining experience. That said, it's obvious that it IS what a lot of people are looking for. I think if they can just strike a happy medium (improved cuisine and less intrusive antics seem like they would be good steps based on what I've seen) they will find more success.

 

[Dean Marino]

...and I just HAVE to add one more comment....

Why is a GM doing any of this? Correct me if I am wrong..... do the individual RESTAURANTS at WL NOT have Proprietors (ie, a layer of Management responsible for the bottom line)?

When a site GM starts to decide, in detail, how each individual Restaurant should operate? There is a great opportunity to eliminate about two layers of Management, and save money . The downside? The GM gets to Own the day to day operations .

Micro-management is not unique to WDW.... it ends up being very wasteful in a LOT of organizations. Typical sign: Responsibility without Authority.

All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong - a Hotel GM has every right to complain about "the numbers", as they affect the entire property. But a GOOD GM would ask those Managers UNDER Him/Her to arrive at a solution, measured by performance.

 

[rchampagne]

Just cancelled our August ADR, and replaced it with Liberty Tree Tavern.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Editops, quoted wrong post

 

[mystery222184]

I can’t speak much for WCC except the antics/menu weren’t a draw for us so we have avoided the restaurant for years. I would welcome a new menu.

Our Artist Point trip last December was very disappointing- far worse than any of our prior visits. I do hope they make improvements there. It’s a shame how it as fallen.

 

[PolyRob]

The only MK signature TS I have ever really seen full was Kona and I think that is just the size of the restaurant, draw of the Polynesian and items like Tonga Toast. I have stayed at the GF more times than WL and GFC is never full. I have seen people get walk-up ADRs all the time and seen parts of the entire restaurant empty. I have also had breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the Wave and never seen it full or have really been impressed. It is much easier to get to than WCC from MK though.

IDK how removing the antics is just to make money. It has to root deeper. The most waste are the straws and the larger drinks (which I have actually finished 2x). That must be pennies on a meal and it was probably built into the meal price knowing Disney. I have had excellent service every time I have eaten there. I personally did not feel the antics took away from my service. I read somewhere that people in the rooms above it have been complaining about noise. Who knows, but I think Disney would have just refurbished it with a new theme and removed the the antics if that was the master plan all along. Why have WCC abruptly stop antics and leave everything else the same?

 

[Shannon12]

Maybe the new general manager decided that insulting Disney guests really wasn't what she wanted for the resort. Who knows?

If someone gets insulted over extra straws and bottles of ketchup they need to reevaluate their lives!

 

[RolloTomasi]

I stayed at WL in December and had a lobby room. I'll say this - breakfast service at WCC was LOUD. I personally wasn't annoyed by it because I was expecting some noise (we had requested a bear face room), but I can easily see how someone in a lobby room who didn't specifically request one would be disturbed.

Another observation I had about WCC was that the week we were there, which was about ten days before Christmas and the hotel was at capacity, the restaurant was never full. At breakfast or at dinner. Maybe it's the menu, maybe it's the antics, who knows. I'm sure the staff have access to better information than we do. But for whatever reason, people weren't going and the person in charge decided to make a change. It's unfortunate for the people who enjoyed it the way it was, though. Personally, I wouldn't set foot in WCC with the antics because even though you could opt out, I get the worst case of second hand embarrassment and I would not be able to relax the entire meal, lol. Same reason I stay away from 50's Prime time Cafe.

Also, just a random little aside, but Thea (the GM) actually called us at our house! We filled out the little online survey they send out after a stay and she called a few weeks later for a follow-up. I'm sure this wasn't the norm, but it was kinda cool.

 

[Bostonbeans99]

And thanks for proving my point. Not everyone is supposed to see the gag. It's randomness was what made it funny, and it gave you reasons to go back. The food was still the main draw.

I totally understand your point. Having said that though, most people are not going to make several ADR's for WCC in hopes that they "catch the ketchup gag" on their trip.

Sales are down because servers are too busy being expected to be comedians, not servers. Instead of yelling for ketchup or wasting huge amounts of soda to EVERYONE who asks for a large.....they should be "selling" up charge items like shakes or the all you care to eat offerings.

The schtick and gags are great.....but it was happening way too much. as I said...20 years ago...you saw the ketchup gag 1x an hour...not 1 x every 5 mins

I agree with this. Especially the comedian part. I watched a few weeks ago online where a family was trying to play off the servers. They(the family) were having a blast but I thought it was awkward looking....................sort of like when a drunk person tries to interrupt the comedian on stage and mess up his bit?! smh They were trying to invent more dialogue and it was just well strange.....

 

[Kelli Pooh]

Yeah sorry everyone but I am one of the ones who would love to see this place get redone. We are the people who ate here once and feel we experienced it and that was enough of that for us. I will be happy with better food, new atmosphere, and servers who are focused on one job not yelling across the room.

 

[smadath]

The most waste are the straws and the larger drinks (which I have actually finished 2x).

I wondered the same. Especially the straws. Throwing around who knows how many straws everyday has make the Green crowd crazy. I could see environmental types complaining about that.

If someone gets insulted over extra straws and bottles of ketchup they need to reevaluate their lives!

Not sure it's "insulted," but maybe bothered.

https://news.sky.com/story/malibu-in-california-bans-plastic-cutlery-and-straws-11293178

In addition to Malibu, Oakland has also banned plastic straws.

Maybe the new GM is taking a cue from CA! (who knows, maybe she worked at Disneyland)

 

[jemlover]

We love WL and always stay there. I hope they don't get rid of the barbecue skillet. DH and I really enjoy the food and DH especially loves the salad that comes with the skillet. I was already unhappy to see the changes to the Roaring Fork menu. The antics never bothered me and the servers always seemed to sense that we weren't interested in participating probably because we don't have kids with us. It was fun watching others interact with the servers. I do understand why they wanted to tone down the noise in the morning because it was probably disruptive to those staying in the nearby rooms but I don't see why they needed to change things at other times of the day.

 

[Captainkidd76]

So the noise in the lobby is too loud at the Lodge, but doesn't seem to be an issue at the Contemporary with Chef Mickey's?

Ooooook. I give it 6 months until the monorail doesn't start running until 8:30 because guests start complaining about the noise.

 

[Disneylover99]

So the noise in the lobby is too loud at the Lodge, but doesn't seem to be an issue at the Contemporary with Chef Mickey's?

Ooooook. I give it 6 months until the monorail doesn't start running until 8:30 because guests start complaining about the noise.

Chef Mickey's is on the fourth floor with the Contempo Cafe and the monorail. The lobby is on the first floor. Totally different.

 

[Nancyg56]

I stayed at WL in December and had a lobby room. I'll say this - breakfast service at WCC was LOUD. I personally wasn't annoyed by it because I was expecting some noise (we had requested a bear face room), but I can easily see how someone in a lobby room who didn't specifically request one would be disturbed.

Another observation I had about WCC was that the week we were there, which was about ten days before Christmas and the hotel was at capacity, the restaurant was never full. At breakfast or at dinner. Maybe it's the menu, maybe it's the antics, who knows. I'm sure the staff have access to better information than we do. But for whatever reason, people weren't going and the person in charge decided to make a change. It's unfortunate for the people who enjoyed it the way it was, though. Personally, I wouldn't set foot in WCC with the antics because even though you could opt out, I get the worst case of second hand embarrassment and I would not be able to relax the entire meal, lol. Same reason I stay away from 50's Prime time Cafe.

Also, just a random little aside, but Thea (the GM) actually called us at our house! We filled out the little online survey they send out after a stay and she called a few weeks later for a follow-up. I'm sure this wasn't the norm, but it was kinda cool.

I tend to agree with you, there is something deeper here than a manager who finds the antics annoying. I have no idea what it is, but I also observed a 1/2 full restaurnt during dinner hour and thought it was odd.

My family did not care for WCC so we did not return, and I have to wonder if there are a lot of folks like us, once and done. Honestly, had we not been so hungry that night we would have gone elsewhere after having entered, it was that loud.

I believe that the resort restaurants that are not on a main transportation route need to be able to at least stand alone, and be able to sustain themselves if they only have resort guests to rely on. As lovely as WL is, if WCC is not drawing enough people outside of the resort, it will lose money because it has a unique atmosphere that can be annoying to a lot of people. I will bet you a buck there is data that details where guests originate from wth respect to the WDW resorts, and how many stem from WL. If the restaurant census is down, complaints are up, and the restaurant cannot draw enough "home" guests, there needs to be a change.