SciFi Dine In Theater Reservation After-thought!

[LadyDiznee123]

Good Morning Everyone:

This only hit me about a couple of months ago, even though my visit was in November of last year.
Here's the story. I tried like heck.. over and over again - to get ressies for SciFi Dine In Theater for my HS day. I just couldn't get one. I gave up and paid attention to the boards, which prompted me to believe I could do an 11am walk-in. Well, when that day came, that's just what I did. There were only a couple of others waiting to walk in. I'd always wanted to do SciFi and found that it was worth it. Enjoyed the crazy movie clips and my American Burger was fantastic. But it wasn't until recently that I realized - that the restaurant was not at all crowded. I would say that it was only about 25 percent full, if even that much. With that being said, why was I unable to get ressies for this???

Honestly, I wore myself ragged trying to get ressies for the same time that I actually ate there, only to realize later that, hey... there was hardly anybody in that place! I don't get it.

 

[gharter]

What time were yo utrying to get ADRs?
By the time you left around noon,had it filled up?
My first guess is that you went before the popular times, and many restaurants can be walk up at off hours.
They usually fill quickly from ADRs at the popular times. If the ADRs around noon are full, there probably wouldn't be any/many for 11:30 on as those table will be full at noon.
If it still wasn't filling up around noon, then I would have no idea why ADRs were so hard to get.
Glad you enjoyed it. It is fun.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

I am guessing you will never know why. Disney doesn't advertise its ADR metrics. We would have too much fun with them.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

They stagger the adrs from opening. I had the same issue at Tusker House, had such a hard time getting an adr and it was half empty inside.

 

[autismmom1]

Seriously, I'm having the same issue for our October trip. Then I got curious, and I tested all the way in December and STILL no tables open. It's crazy!

 

[Erik the Red]

Maybe they only allocate a certain percentage of the tables for ADR.

So 100% of the ADR's may be booked on a given day, but only 50% of the actual availability is taken from ADR.

The rest they leave open for walk-ins.

Especially for a diner style restaurant.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

Maybe they only allocate a certain percentage of the tables for ADR.

So 100% of the ADR's may be booked on a given day, but only 50% of the actual availability is taken from ADR.

The rest they leave open for walk-ins.

Especially for a diner style restaurant.

I'm thinking that this is the only thing that makes sense. Just like I never make ADRs for Crystal Palace now. I just do a walk-in. A mere 15 Minute wait for my last two visits. Just not going to stress the the ADRs anymore.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

What time were yo utrying to get ADRs?
By the time you left around noon,had it filled up?
My first guess is that you went before the popular times, and many restaurants can be walk up at off hours.
They usually fill quickly from ADRs at the popular times. If the ADRs around noon are full, there probably wouldn't be any/many for 11:30 on as those table will be full at noon.
If it still wasn't filling up around noon, then I would have no idea why ADRs were so hard to get.
Glad you enjoyed it. It is fun.

I was trying for 11am. 11:30, 12 noon... and even times thereafter. I had read here on the boards that it would be best to try and walk in around 11 am, and that's what I did. By the time I left... no... it was not filling up.

Yes, it was a blast and the food was tasty. Looking forward to doing it again come November.

 

[focusondisney]

Maybe they only allocate a certain percentage of the tables for ADR.

So 100% of the ADR's may be booked on a given day, but only 50% of the actual availability is taken from ADR.

The rest they leave open for walk-ins.

Especially for a diner style restaurant.

If this is true, they save very little for walk ins. We have been going to Sci Fi for about 20 years. Usually for lunch. The place is always full. I have often heard them turn away walk ins. And there is a sign on the counter showing the picnic tables, basically saying this is where walk ins are seated.

I think the open tables are more a result of staggering times & staffing levels.

 

[DisneyHardin]

If they filled the entire restaurant to capacity at 11, then they would not be able to release anymore ADR's until at least 12 because the people who got seated at 11 wont' be finished to turn the table for an 11:30 ADR. Also, if a server has 5 tables in their section and they all get sat at the same moment, the service is going to suffer because they can't have every table in their section at the same exact same place in their meal or service is going to suffer.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

If this is true, they save very little for walk ins. We have been going to Sci Fi for about 20 years. Usually for lunch. The place is always full. I have often heard them turn away walk ins. And there is a sign on the counter showing the picnic tables, basically saying this is where walk ins are seated.

I think the open tables are more a result of staggering times & staffing levels.

I think it was here on the boards where I read that the suggested walk in time was for when it opened -- at 11. I took that advise. When I read about that time, I read about it thinking that it would be chock full of people wanting to get in at that time, because it's pushing up on noon and it's a popular venue. I was thinking that I might not even get a spot. If I do a walk in again... I will do it at the same time.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

Everything being said, I have read here on the DISboards - about three different times where someone has commented saying that they never do ADRs and have never waited more than 30 minutes for a dining venue. So while I will still always take the time to do a ressie... I will never write-off that restaurant if I can't get one. I am seeing now where walk-ins work, perhaps not ALL of the time, but it seems MOST of the time. (I am also SOLO and that may indeed make it easier as well).

 

[DisBuckMan]

If they filled the entire restaurant to capacity at 11, then they would not be able to release anymore ADR's until at least 12 because the people who got seated at 11 wont' be finished to turn the table for an 11:30 ADR. Also, if a server has 5 tables in their section and they all get sat at the same moment, the service is going to suffer because they can't have every table in their section at the same exact same place in their meal or service is going to suffer.

Not to mention that the kitchen would be absolutely BOMBED, and it would be impossible to recover. Imagine the entire restaurant all ordering within a 10-15 minute span. Kitchens cannot handle that volume at once.

You just don't fill a restaurant like that all at once. It causes problems all the way around.

 

[LBlovesM&WDW]

Everything being said, I have read here on the DISboards - about three different times where someone has commented saying that they never do ADRs and have never waited more than 30 minutes for a dining venue. So while I will still always take the time to do a ressie... I will never write-off that restaurant if I can't get one. I am seeing now where walk-ins work, perhaps not ALL of the time, but it seems MOST of the time. (I am also SOLO and that may indeed make it easier as well).

You being solo or maybe just a couple makes it a different situation than a family of 4 or more. You could always be a hitchhiker, whereas a larger group would need more rows in the car.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

You being solo or maybe just a couple makes it a different situation than a family of 4 or more. You could always be a hitchhiker, whereas a larger group would need more rows in the car.

Absolutely.

 

[TOBS2010]

When we were there two weeks ago for our 11:30 a.m. reservations, I watched two different parties (one of which was just a couple) get turned away in front of us for walk-ins. Sometimes I think you can get lucky---but I wouldn't go in with counting on anything.

 

[Tksolomom]

Maybe they only allocate a certain percentage of the tables for ADR.

So 100% of the ADR's may be booked on a given day, but only 50% of the actual availability is taken from ADR.

The rest they leave open for walk-ins.

Especially for a diner style restaurant.

That isn’t the case. Restaurants will book 100% of their seatings for ADRs, they don’t set any seats aside for walkups like a lot of restaurants. YMMV but I have been turned away, seen an ADR on the app and booked it, and gone right back to the podium to be seated.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

That isn’t the case. Restaurants will book 100% of their seatings for ADRs, they don’t set any seats aside for walkups like a lot of restaurants. YMMV but I have been turned away, seen an ADR on the app and booked it, and gone right back to the podium to be seated.

This happened to us! I walked up and asked about the wait and they told me sorry, no tables available, I went on my phone and got an adr for 15 minutes later. Walked right back up and the hostess didn't even acknowledge I was just there. Was so odd, but we were happy to sit and have a nice lunch.

 

[gatour]

The servers would also be bombed. A decent server can handle being double sat (i.e. two tables at one time). Triple sat is doable but beyond that it can get ugly customer service wise.

Odd that it was still fairly empty when you left though.

Not to mention that the kitchen would be absolutely BOMBED, and it would be impossible to recover. Imagine the entire restaurant all ordering within a 10-15 minute span. Kitchens cannot handle that volume at once.

You just don't fill a restaurant like that all at once. It causes problems all the way around.