Storytellers Cafe - Dinner Buffet

[TerryandDoug]

We'll be taking our first trip to DL next month, and I see mention that Storytellers Cafe at GCH has a dinner buffet, but not always. Does anyone have recent information if this is still offered and when?

Thanks,
Doug

 

[skiingfast]

I'm not sure where you are getting your information from, but possibly it's just confusing you.

Storytellers, has a menu and buffet all day. So you can do one or the other.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

We had dinner there last Thursday. Only one of my kids ordered off the menu, the rest of us had the buffet.

Most of the items were exactly the same as our dinner last year. The buffet has limited choices, but we love the quality of the items. My kids requested we return this trip, just for the corn chowder alone!

The buffet was $26.99, including beverage.

 

[gokdog]

We did the buffet last March, but when we went back in June, my wife noticed the kids create a pizza item on the menu and our children have ordered that ever since. I still like the buffet

 

[kevdo]

We had a much better and cheaper meal when we ordered off the menu. Buffet was overpriced and not that great.

 

[pixiewings71]

I don't do the buffet at ST but then I don't do buffets much at all. I really am not a buffet fan. DBF loves the buffet at ST so we do go regularly. DD15 and I usually simply share a plate because the portions are so big and there's no way she can eat a full plate herself. That said, we've been there in off season and there was no buffet so it's not always there. It's been a couple of years but we did a trip in early Jan and DBF was upset he had to order from the regular menu.

Whether you do buffet or not, get the corn chowder, it's very very good!

 

[blackjackdelta]

Never thought the buffet was that great for the price so we always order from the menu. Love Goofy's Kitchen buffet a lot better if we do a buffet.

Jack

 

[Malcon10t]

We've loved Storytellers in the past, but the last year or so, we have seen a major decline in service. We went Christmas Day for dinner, and the service was slow, adn we attributed it to being crowded for Christmas, even though it wasn't THAT crowded. We went again a few days later, and it was still like pulling teeth to get refills/plates cleared/or just clean silverware.

 

[helenb]

We really like the buffet, and our kids love the make your own pizza! The nice thing is that you can look at the buffet firstm, and if you don't like it, you can order right off the menu instead.

Also, if you have a Disney Visa and use it to pay for your meal, they'll take 10% off the bill!

 

[TerryandDoug]

Thanks for all of the input!

 

[pixiewings71]

We've loved Storytellers in the past, but the last year or so, we have seen a major decline in service. We went Christmas Day for dinner, and the service was slow, and we attributed it to being crowded for Christmas, even though it wasn't THAT crowded. We went again a few days later, and it was still like pulling teeth to get refills/plates cleared/or just clean silverware.

This was not our experience when we ate there in December. DBF had his plate cleared immediately upon getting up from the table. He got his own clean plate from the buffet and he was able to get extra silverware there as well. The menu food was slower to arrive but that's to be expected.

We really like the buffet, and our kids love the make your own pizza! The nice thing is that you can look at the buffet firstm, and if you don't like it, you can order right off the menu instead.

Also, if you have a Disney Visa and use it to pay for your meal, they'll take 10% off the bill!

They also give a discount if you are an AP holder.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

We've loved Storytellers in the past, but the last year or so, we have seen a major decline in service. We went Christmas Day for dinner, and the service was slow, adn we attributed it to being crowded for Christmas, even though it wasn't THAT crowded. We went again a few days later, and it was still like pulling teeth to get refills/plates cleared/or just clean silverware.

Interesting. We have gone for Thanksgiving dinner each of the last four years and had excellent service each time. We weren't that thrilled by our breakfast experience last year though and decided to save Storyteller's only for special holiday dinners from now on. Did you find the service poor at other times during this past year, or was that just during Christmas week? Honestly, I've been feeling like the DL restaurants in general can be pretty hit and miss. If it's a place I really, really like we give them another chance if we have an off experience, but I'll admit that if we're on the fence about the place and have a bad experience, that place likely will fall off our list.

 

[keishashadow]

Never thought the buffet was that great for the price so we always order from the menu. Love Goofy's Kitchen buffet a lot better if we do a buffet.

Jack

uh oh, maybe i'll change our upcoming storyteller's res if it's less stellar than Goofy's Kitchen. Unless it's changed a lot in last two years, we weren't blown away by the number of food choices @ Goofy's, but the quality was good and the level of character interaction was amazing.

 

[Malcon10t]

Interesting. We have gone for Thanksgiving dinner each of the last four years and had excellent service each time. We weren't that thrilled by our breakfast experience last year though and decided to save Storyteller's only for special holiday dinners from now on. Did you find the service poor at other times during this past year, or was that just during Christmas week?

It was during the Christmas week. Previous trips had been fine. The second visit was during the week, and it wasn't busy (early dinner.) We had to stop a server (not ours) because we couldn't find ours, and everyone had empty glasses. Our server just seemed to disappear. The majority of our family was having the buffet, but my daughter was having soup from the menu, and it took over a half hour just to get her soup. And while you do pick up clean plates at the buffet, they don't have silverware sitting out, and when you are at a table on the far side of the room, it is much easier asking a server. (We did, just not ours!)

I do like the food there. I have previously enjoyed the service. But it has slid downhill some.

 

[larina]

We've loved Storytellers in the past, but the last year or so, we have seen a major decline in service. We went Christmas Day for dinner, and the service was slow, adn we attributed it to being crowded for Christmas, even though it wasn't THAT crowded. We went again a few days later, and it was still like pulling teeth to get refills/plates cleared/or just clean silverware.

It was during the Christmas week. Previous trips had been fine. The second visit was during the week, and it wasn't busy (early dinner.) We had to stop a server (not ours) because we couldn't find ours, and everyone had empty glasses. Our server just seemed to disappear. The majority of our family was having the buffet, but my daughter was having soup from the menu, and it took over a half hour just to get her soup. And while you do pick up clean plates at the buffet, they don't have silverware sitting out, and when you are at a table on the far side of the room, it is much easier asking a server. (We did, just not ours!)

I do like the food there. I have previously enjoyed the service. But it has slid downhill some.

Hmmm, we also had fantastic service the week after Christmas, but it was for breakfast. We still talk about our meal there and the excellent staff. We really loved it. But again, we went at breakfast. We will go for dinner next trip.

 

[Malcon10t]

Hmmm, we also had fantastic service the week after Christmas, but it was for breakfast. We still talk about our meal there and the excellent staff. We really loved it. But again, we went at breakfast. We will go for dinner next trip.

We've never done breakfast, but have done dinner probably 15 times. We probably will try dinner again, but not for a while.

 

[JeriLee]

I’m glad to have an excuse to go back!

I was very disappointed in the buffet. We had poor service too. The last straw was when they cleared our dinner dishes but left the dirty fork (there was only one fork for dinner) to use for dessert. I figured there must be forks to grab by the dessert buffet, so I went back to get some. Nope! They expected us to use the dirty forks from dinner. At those prices, I really expect to at least be able to grab my own fork from the buffet!

Since many of you recommend the menu – I will go back and try that. We love the hotel and the ambiance of the Storytellers Café, so thanks to this thread, we will try it again.

 

[kylie71]

We enjoyed the Storytellers Cafe, dinner buffet, the Sat after Thannksgiving. the food was excellent, and thats coming from a person who lives in a town with many good buffets! ( Reno )
The ambiance in my mind can not be beat... also love the hard pack ice cream sundaes, nice touch!

Give it a try, you won't be sorry you did!

~ Lori

 

[pixiewings71]

uh oh, maybe i'll change our upcoming storyteller's res if it's less stellar than Goofy's Kitchen. Unless it's changed a lot in last two years, we weren't blown away by the number of food choices @ Goofy's, but the quality was good and the level of character interaction was amazing.

We did not enjoy GK at all!! I don't recommend it to anyone. We went for breakfast, the buffet food was simply OK, my girls didn't find much to eat (but they can be picky). The character interaction was terrible.....we had like 3 characters come to our table and we were there for the full 90 minutes they allow you. We felt rushed by the server, he didn't want to bring us our drink refills, we felt neglected by the characters because no one came to our table (and there were other characters, we saw them as they were leaving, they would wave but they never stopped), the food was good but nothing spectacular. We aren't thinking we will go back......

It was during the Christmas week. Previous trips had been fine. The second visit was during the week, and it wasn't busy (early dinner.) We had to stop a server (not ours) because we couldn't find ours, and everyone had empty glasses. Our server just seemed to disappear. The majority of our family was having the buffet, but my daughter was having soup from the menu, and it took over a half hour just to get her soup. And while you do pick up clean plates at the buffet, they don't have silverware sitting out, and when you are at a table on the far side of the room, it is much easier asking a server. (We did, just not ours!)

I do like the food there. I have previously enjoyed the service. But it has slid downhill some.

I’m glad to have an excuse to go back!

I was very disappointed in the buffet. We had poor service too. The last straw was when they cleared our dinner dishes but left the dirty fork (there was only one fork for dinner) to use for dessert. I figured there must be forks to grab by the dessert buffet, so I went back to get some. Nope! They expected us to use the dirty forks from dinner. At those prices, I really expect to at least be able to grab my own fork from the buffet!

Since many of you recommend the menu – I will go back and try that. We love the hotel and the ambiance of the Storytellers Café, so thanks to this thread, we will try it again.

I know for a fact that DBF came back with clean silverware, I have no idea where he got it (as I said I don't do the buffet) but he had it. Especially when he came back with his dessert plate(s). The one time he didn't bring back clean silverware the server asked him if he wanted some. I swear it's been like that every time he's done the buffet, and we do there on just about every trip we do......

 

[JeriLee]

Maybe we just had an unusual experience. You know how it is – if you love a place and have a rare poor experience, you will go back, but if that poor experience was your first time – you may never go back!

I’ll give it another try since I really do like the location and ambiance.