Should they have told us the fryer was down before we waited 1/2 hour?

[Uncleromulus]

Most restaurants I've been to have a "deep six" board that the servers can keep track of as to what's out for the evening. Ususally that board is in the back, or if an open kitchen, right in front of the kitchen so the servers can easily see it. But it's not easily seen by the patrons
All I can say is that I can't recall any occasion at any restaurant where the podium hostess ever offered up that sort of information.

 

[Praying Colonel]

In looking at the B&C menu, every single item served from the grill comes with fries or rings. That's a big part of every entree that's unavailable to guests at that time. IMHO guests deserve to know that from the beginning and then the guests can decide whether they want to eat there. Treating the guests like mushrooms (keeping them in the dark and feeding them...fertilizer ) is not my idea of customer service. It wouldn't ruin my vacation by any means, but I'd be a little ticked. I expect better from Disney.

 

[madalex]

Your joking right? So what if they don't have the Jiko Filet one day? Sorry, but that sounds a bit snooty Why they heck should Disney tell Jiko guests they don't have one thing on their menu and then not tell the "masses" of burger people they won't get their fries or onion rings. This is a BURGER and sandwich joint. People go to Beaches and Cream for the burger and fries/ onion rings (besides the ice cream). They obviously didn't want their Jiko fix, they wanted a good hot burger with fries or onion rings. Their isn't anything else on the menu but sandwiches.

I would be ticked too if I waited for 1/2 hour to get a sandwich with chips I could get down at Hurricane Hannahs for $2.00 cheaper and faster. They should have had a note at the front saying "our fryers are down, Sorry". And the manager should not have treated them like that. They deserved respect even if it wasn't a "signature dining expering" like Jiko's.

Now, you are joking, right? My response was based on the notion that the Jiko filet with mac and cheeses is a unique dish that isn't served anywhere else on WDW property, while onion rings and fries can literally be found everywhere at WDW. I'm not sure why you would view that as a "snooty" response that shows a lack of respect for the "masses" (to use your term).

 

[KirstenB]

I would have been angry too. With kids, they get excited about fries, etc. The OP wasted 30 minutes, then still had to find something to feed her kids.

In a case like this, I would have put a sandwich board type sign out front, announcing the fryers were down. BTW, I worked for 8 years at Kings Dominion here in Richmond. Needless to say, I have a Phd in fryers. Unless they only had one fryer, I'm having a hard time picturing how they could all be down at the same time. I wonder if they actually ran out of fries/onion rings, or the fryer oil itself? That makes more sense...but we could always borrow from other food locations when I worked in food service, so I'm still stumped.

 

[daisy112878]

I think they should have told you or at least had a sign up front that their fryer was down. If it was a different restaurant that didn't just serve hamburgers/sandwiches with fries/onions then maybe not but B&C has a limited menu and almost everything on it comes with fries or onion rings. I've been to a Chick-fil-a before when their fryer was down and they did put a sign at the drive-thur that it was broken.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) One of our enterprises is a restaurant.
2) When out of an item, we don;t announce it ahead of time.
3) When the waiter gets drink requests he
. . . explains specials
. . . gives any special info - out-of-stock items, other issues
. . . asks for drink selections

NOTE: I see no reason to announce that the fryer was down. The prime result of such would to drive customers away from the eatery. If you came for fried food, there is a huge likelihood that you would take a substitute.

 

[familyS]

The fryer being down is not being out of one item, it results in a large portion of the dinner menu being incomplete. If every sandwhich comes with fries or onion rings, then every sandwhich served is incomplete.

Yes, I am sure the OP may have chosen to stay, but she should have been informed earlier.

Maybe dining establishments are different in the Orlando area from those in upstate NY? Here, upon arrival we have been told by McDonalds, Wendy's, and Burger King that the fryer or milkshake machine was down and have been told by more than one area Bar/chicken wing establishment that their fryer was down (no wings, fries, mozarella ssticks) before being seated.

Maybe it is a matter of expectations or culture. Here, informing the customer is part of customer service, but maybe in the Orlando area it is not?

 

[fla4fun]

When I went to Le Cellier last December, they had the same problem. No fryer. Nothing was said at the hostess station and I was there for lunch, so it would have been a time when fries were popular. I ended up having some excellent mashed potatoes as a substitution. But it was my server, not the host/hostess, who told me about the problem. Maybe they typically don't share kitchen issues with the front of the house, so they don't lose business unnecessarily, at least in a place with good substitutions. But if there's no fries and onion rings at B&C, there's not much to substitute, is there?

 

[illiniowl]

1) NOTE: I see no reason to announce that the fryer was down. The prime result of such would to drive customers away from the eatery. If you came for fried food, there is a huge likelihood that you would take a substitute.

Well, sometimes the right thing to do isn't also the easiest or the most profitable. I can't help but think that a perfectionist like Walt Disney would not have wanted a hamburger-and-fries restaurant experiencing a temporary loss of its fryers to keep mum about about it and remain open for business, thus running the risk of ticking off a good portion of that night's customers.

 

[followme2disney]

I think considering the type of restaurant it would have been good customer service to inform you that the fryer was down when you checked in. What were they offering as a side item? Also, I find it hard to believe that they wouldn't have tried to bake the fries or use the fryer at the Yacht Club Galley or Cape May, if possible, rather than having disappointed customers. Do you know how long it was broken?

 

[Disneyhappy]

Your joking right? So what if they don't have the Jiko Filet one day? Sorry, but that sounds a bit snooty Why they heck should Disney tell Jiko guests they don't have one thing on their menu and then not tell the "masses" of burger people they won't get their fries or onion rings. This is a BURGER and sandwich joint. People go to Beaches and Cream for the burger and fries/ onion rings (besides the ice cream). They obviously didn't want their Jiko fix, they wanted a good hot burger with fries or onion rings. Their isn't anything else on the menu but sandwiches.

I would be ticked too if I waited for 1/2 hour to get a sandwich with chips I could get down at Hurricane Hannahs for $2.00 cheaper and faster. They should have had a note at the front saying "our fryers are down, Sorry". And the manager should not have treated them like that. They deserved respect even if it wasn't a "signature dining expering" like Jiko's.

I have to agree with most of what you posted. I thinkit would be more of an issue if it was the Jiko Filet vs the onion rings/fries not being available on the menu was more crucial. Everyone has their faves at WDW. B & C onion rings happen to be one of my family's favorites. I would be very dissappointed if I waited that long in line to find out that half of any dish I ordered was not available since FF and/or rings are included with every offering. It basically comes down to customer service. It would have been very beneficial had they had the foresight to let the customers know ahead of time. I know personally that I would have switched our plans for that meal because the rings are that important to my family. I would hope that after guests like the OP complained to the manager, the manager told the hostess to let people know the fryers were down to prevent further disgruntled guests. OP- I'm glad you did not let it ruin your time as I don't think missed B & C fries & onion rings should have that much control over us (although very important to us)!

 

[MiaSRN62]

MiamiBeach says :You couldn't live without fries or onion rings for one meal? Life is filled with little disappointments like that,

Oh come on....the OP was asking how others felt the situation could have been handled. Of course they could "live" without the fries and onion rings. They even stated this in their first post :

roliepolieoliefan said idn't ruin our vacation or anything , but I just wanted everyone's opinion, if we should have been told when we gave our names before we waited 1/2 hour or when we actually sat down?

So I think your comment MiamiBeach was unnecessary. I happen to agree with the OP. A sign on the front door announcing that the fryer was down would have been a nice courtesy to the guests waiting. And it's no big deal to have done this on the part of the B&C CM's.

 

[gatour]

I have worked in restaurants (fine dining) and I can understand running out of a particular item and having to 86 it, but usually there are some type of similiar items , be it fish or meat, we never announced it that it was out at the hostess desk.

However when we lost one of our walkins that affected a fair portion of our menu the hostess let the patrons now that these items were not available.

Looking at the menu for Beaches and Cream, for sides you have a choice of fries, onion rings or chips. To me losing the fryers is a good portion of the hot menu. By the hostess informing the incoming patrons that the fryer was down, they could make their own decision. If what the Manager said was true that most people came for ice cream then if the patrons that came for burgers and fries went some where else then the wait for the remaining patrons would be less and would make them happier. Sounds like a win-win to me.

 

[wirki]

I am wondering how long the fryers were down. Did you see people with fries and/or onion rings at other tables? Sometimes it has just happened and there is not time with a full place to go and get a replacement fryer. Or head over to Cape May and get fries from them.
I also have worked at many places as a waitress and have had to be the one to tell my guests that we were out of something. It has never been the host/hostess job. The manager should have made it right. That is their job. I am sorry you were disappointed. But the only one I can say that I think was at fault was the manager.

Debbie

 

[mom2my3kids]

Yes they should of told you when you put your name on the wait list. Just to let you know the fryers are down right now..How hard is that..

 

[Paul in CT]

A half-hour wait for a table at B&C?? That's why my DW and I have never dined there. There always seems to be a long wait so we opt for the take-out ice cream instead.

 

[La2kw]

While it would have been nice if they had told you up front, I don't think they were wrong not to. After all, we are talking onion rings and french fries here. Not exactly unique, gourmet food that isn't available numerous other places at WDW.

Good point.

 

[BCV23]

Could this have been at the end of the night? If they were staying open past closing to accomodate late diners, I can imagine the fryers being shut down. But still, it would have been good to let them know or even inquire if anyone waiting wanted to put in an order.

But I'm glad Rolie Polie didn't let it spoil the day.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

OK to answer some questions::::

Yea, I realize it wasn't Jiko(which BTW, we've never been to) but Beaches and Cream is what we wanted, fries, onion rings and all. As people have stated, fries and onion rings are a big portion of their menu. We are a burger and fries type of family. LeCellier is about as gourmet as we get with a 9 yo and 3 yo. So you and your family may think the filet at Jiko is important and you should be informed if its unavailable, Well to my family the fries and onion rings are important, different tastes , different people. and to say 4 simple words when we checked in "Our fryers are down" would not have been that difficult.
And no we couldn't have went plenty of other places. TS places without ADR's are basically a no no, as most people know. So our choices were very limited. We just returned from the parks, with the plan to eat at B&C and with 2 tired kids were not about to go back. So in the Epcot area, we had only a couple choices. Plus after waiting a 1/2 hour, we didn't want to go somewhere else and wait again with 2 young children.

I'm not going to even comment on what "Miami Beach" said. MiaSRN62 summed up my feelings in her post. Thanks.

No , there wasn't anyone in the restaurant with fried items. Not sure how long the fryer was down or when it was fixed since we didn't visit the restaurant again.

Nope not the end of the night either. Their closing time was a good 3 hours away when we were there.

 

[Pumbaa_]

To the OP, I agree with you. I would have been annoyed also. B&C is a must do on our trips also. We go there to get burger and fries or onion rings. We would go somewhere else if that combination was not available.

We have our favorite places and usually specific things we order at those places. For us, B&C IS burgers and fried stuff. Usually we skip the ice cream. (I know I know, that is wrong )

To wait and then find out that the fryer is down is disappointing. At that point you either settle or go somewhere else. With hungry tired kids, too much effort to go elsewhere I am sure, but I would have been very disappointed also. I sympathize totally!