T-Rex - I know who wants to go!

[GinnyFavers]

My 9 year old son!

My 36 year old husband!

They both want crap food, they don't care. Joe wants to sit in the room filled with some kind of giant octopus (he saw the concept drawings and went bonkers) and Miles wants to eat every meal here because there are dinosaurs.

What can I say? I get free gift cards from MyPoints from my online shopping for Rainforest Cafe, maybe they'll be good at T-Rex, too.

Keep slamming it, though, maybe it will make it less crowded.

 

[wilde_oscar]

I have been to Rainforest Cafe once, the one in chicago... it was a weekend in the summer... lot's of families. My most distinct memory is every time the animals come to life or they have the rain storm, all the fids would scream and cry.

Multiply this times giant huge dinosaurs, and you have adults and children screaming and crying. Oh, and the food sucked.

 

[GinnyFavers]

Hmm, maybe the dinos will make kids cry, I've never seen any scared kids in RFC, just really really happy ones.

The service at RFC is always terrible, and sometimes the food is, too. Sometimes it's good, though! I had a steak there this summer that was delicious. The plate it was served on was dirty.

Believe me, if my son didn't adore the place I'd never go in. They know how to market to kids. I gotta give them that!

And evidently grown men who are into giant squid.

 

[DisneyKevin]

And evidently grown men who are into giant squid.

Now there is an untapped niche market...

 

[GinnyFavers]

Kevin, I swear you need to do standup.

 

[minicoopercraig]

Now there is an untapped niche market...

No, I don't think most Maine Fishermen are taking a vacation to Disney World with their families. They live that fetish out at home.

On the other hand, I just listened to the podcast, and was in total agreement that I don't think they need this type of restaurant in DTD, I would say they should look into making something that's a upper scale type restaurant that's geared towards adults that don't want seafood.

 

[IHeartTink04]

I agree with the original message. I was going to start a new thread about this. I am from Kansas City and have visited the one there and it is awesome I know that kids will love it! I can't wait to see the one in Disney. The food was great and it was an excellent way to feel like I was in Disney while I was in Kansas! I know that this place will be extremly popular.

 

[soupy11]

I listened to the podcast and was a bit put off by the fact that they were slamming a restaurant before it had even broken ground. Wow talk about a reasoned review... I find the dinning reviews and talk of food to be very very critical and not at all what I have experienced, also I feel they don't really take into account the fact that it is a theme park with theme park prices, comparing to a restaraunt outside of this environment isn't at all reasonable. Oh well, the rest of the podcast is entertaining and keeps me coming back!

 

[northie]

I agree with the original message. I was going to start a new thread about this. I am from Kansas City and have visited the one there and it is awesome I know that kids will love it! I can't wait to see the one in Disney. The food was great and it was an excellent way to feel like I was in Disney while I was in Kansas! I know that this place will be extremly popular.

I am no longer living in Kansas City but my parents still do. We used to live about in the middle of the Kansas Speedway (obviously they moved!) The last time I was there for a visit we went to T-Rex and I loved it! This is two older adults (74 and 78) and their 53 year old daughter. I flew to KC to "pick up" mom (so we could fly to Orlando together) for a mother-daughter trip to WDW. We stopped at T-Rex on the way home from the airport for dinner. The food was great, the atmosphere was fun...I think it will make a great addition to Disney World and from the looks on the faces of the kids that were there, it was a hit with them too!

 

[nikjd68]

I live in the Chicago area and I have gone to the two Rainforest Cafe's near here, both in huge mega-malls. The food is ok and the restaurants are distinctive.

I didn't want to waste my time going to one in the World but we walked by the one at AK on our way in and my DS4 had to eat there.

It was a typical Rainforest experience, HOWEVER, the effects that are pretty cool back in Chicago look very cheesy when you have experienced WDW's animatronics.

I would have rather gone to Flame Tree Barbeque, but, oh well...

 

[IHeartTink04]

I listened to the podcast and was a bit put off by the fact that they were slamming a restaurant before it had even broken ground. Wow talk about a reasoned review... I find the dinning reviews and talk of food to be very very critical and not at all what I have experienced, also I feel they don't really take into account the fact that it is a theme park with theme park prices, comparing to a restaraunt outside of this environment isn't at all reasonable. Oh well, the rest of the podcast is entertaining and keeps me coming back!

I felt the exact same way! When I read the intro and downloaded the podcast, I was really excited because I knew they were going to talk about T-Rex and I am really excited about the one in WDW. And then they started talking horribly about it. I loooove the podcast but this really disappointed me. They are making assumptions based on Rainforest and it is unfair.

 

[GinnyFavers]

They are making assumptions based on Rainforest and it is unfair.

I do think it's safe to assume the food will be not be fine dining and the service will be on par with other Landry chain restaurants. Which, sorry to say, is about a decade now of "solidly poor".

On another forum a few years back, an employee at the RFC at AK explained from her point of view some things that Landry does that "sets up" their restaurant managers and servers to fail in providing good service. I remember there was an issue with ordering, people didn't really have the authority they needed to get things done. I am terrible at remembering details, I often will only remember the gist of a thing, but if you google old radp posts you would likely find the thread.

Every time I eat at RFC someone at the table doesn't receive something they ordered, because the lead server always disappears and other people start bringing out your food. They never notice it's wrong. It's also forever to find your original server again to get your check, and you better give him/her your credit card on the spot or be prepared to sit another 10 to 15 minutes.

Probably when TRex opens, the service and food will be excellent for the first three to six months. Then the professional opening crew will fly home, and it will settle into the Landry norm.

 

[PDJPrinceCharming]

This might be a dumb question & even though Rainforest is also a Landry & it doesn't, does anyone know if T-Rex will be covered on the DDP?

 

[mommyceratops]

My DS7 can not wait for this to open...he loves Dinosaurs.

With that said.....he it TERIFFIED of RFC, we ate there once and he still talks about it but every time I ask him if he wants to go back he says "No way it is to scary"

When we redecorated his room he even requested it to be like the RFC without the thunderstorms....

So Kevin will you review this for us?!

 

[DisneyKevin]

you know it!

 

[IHeartTink04]

you know it!

I am sure this review will be a dandy...

 

[mommyceratops]

I am sure this review will be a dandy...

I am looking forward to it! Gee, I might have to edit for my DS7 if he hears Keving call it "swill" he will be very upset....not understanding he is talking about food.

But I hope Kevin say he was greatly surprised and has found a prehistoric gem!

Isn't this a long time to it's open.....this will be a beaten to death talking about it so soon.....it will be so dead it maybe extinct before it opens....(sorry could not resist a bad joke!)

 

[GinnyFavers]

Kevin, if you want to subject yourself, go right ahead, but I think you have to bring your niece(s) and (nephews?), a couple of little people at least, and let THEM do a good chunk of the review!

 

[Disneybridein2k3]

Sorry I'm late to the game but I was just able to fix my computer for the download of this podcast so I just heard it this morning....
Two thoughts:
1. Who wants to go to the RFC? My teenager! She has loved the RFC from the first time she went there years ago and still loves it. When she was younger, we had to go to our local RFC (a 1 1/2 hr drive) for her birthday every year for her to order - yes, you guessed it - chicken nuggets.
2. I know I'm gonna get flamed for this, but.....
If you don't like it, don't go. Sorry to be blunt, but I heard it on the roundtable and have seen it on the boards that people keep talking about "every time we go, we don't like it". If I go somewhere and don't like it, I usually give it another chance but if it is crap the next time, I just don't go back. I'll now....

 

[IHeartTink04]

I definitely think that it is a good idea for Kevin to see this review (when and if it happens) through a kids eyes. Because that is really who T-Rex is for. It has a Build-A-Dino area that is from Build-A-Bear and it is really cool and the kids love it. There is also a Dino Dig. This place really is an experience and the food is a lot better than RFC. I know that this place will be a huge hit in Downtown Disney.