TS ADR for 2, but only 1 eating

[Dis703]

I'll be at Epcot for just one day in October with my 7 year old. I usually don't plan for a TS meal during F&W because I'm happy to snack my way around the World Showcase all day. But my son's allergies prevent him from being able to do the same, and since Liberty Inn changed their menu we don't have any quick service options for him either.

I'm planning to bring enough for him to have lunch, but would rather not have to try and carry around 2 meals for the day. So I booked an ADR at R&C. But would it be really weird if we sat down just for him to eat a meal and I didn't order anything but a drink? I hate taking up a table for what will likely be no more than a $15 check. Or would it be wrong for me to bring food in from a kiosk to eat while he has his meal? I'm fine with tipping extra I just don't want to have to order a meal I don't really want or need. I never felt weird about bringing food into a QS location, but haven't done it at a TS meal.

Has anyone done this and did you get any grief about it?

 

[Nancyg56]

You can absolutely join your son and order just a drink. Don't even worry about it.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Dont worry about it. Many people just go to a restaurant purely for a drink and dessert, or just an app. There's no minimum on what you can order. So go ahead and order a drink while your son eats, and enjoy!

 

[bumbershoot]

I hate taking up a table for what will likely be no more than a $15 check.

Why? No need to feel negative about doing what you want to do.

 

[sharonabe]

Or would it be wrong for me to bring food in from a kiosk to eat while he has his meal? I'm fine with tipping extra I just don't want to have to order a meal I don't really want or need. I never felt weird about bringing food into a QS location, but haven't done it at a TS meal.

Ordering just a drink while your son eats is perfectly fine. Not so sure I'd take food in, though. I doubt they would say anything, but you might get a sideways glance or two.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I, personally, wouldn't bring food in from an outside kiosk or QS, but you'll be fine just ordering a drink. I wouldn't worry about it. If it makes you feel any better, you could explain to the server that you are there specifically because your son has a food allergy and you wanted to give him a chance to sit and eat a good meal. I can't imagine any server would have an issue with that.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Disney’s ADR systems often return “no availability” for one but lots of options for 2. So I book for 2 and show up alone. Never been a problem. I can’t imagine your plan is any wors. Personally I would not take in food

 

[KrazeeK120]

Just as an FYI, the QS places have allergy menus. My niece has a lot of allergies (milk, sesame, tree nuts, and unbaked egg) and they were able to find things for her to eat when they visited MK last year. You may ask to speak to someone at a QS location and see if there’s anything they can do for you.

(But no, there’s no problem with just ordering a drink if you want to do that!)

 

[happymommy]

My oldest also has allergies. He was allergic to sesame, peanuts, milk and egg, but outgrew sesame and peanut thankfully!

Yes, it's true, all the CS places have a binder with ingredients, plus they will make substitutions for you as they are able. When he was little, the only kids meal at restaurantasaurus was chicken nuggets. They substituted a huge hot dog with no bun (Disney used to use Wonder buns which made a switch and suddenly added whey to them), and they even had written on the ticket for the kitchen "change gloves" so there was no cross contamination. The manager there even remembered us, as we went 2 days in a row!

I also find, though, at Epcot the only places where we did have difficulty was in the countries. Luckily, he could eat in Japan, so we did that a lot. But Morocco, China, others weren't quite as good. I don't know what R&C has that's very allergy friendly, depending on what the allergy is, but there wouldn't be a whole lot he could eat there, maybe steak.

I'm sure you could find something at the Electric Umbrella or Sunshine Seasons. At the Umbrella it would be easier, as they would have the book right there (and a manager will almost always come out and speak to you in person, not just the cashier).

To get to your original question: of course, no one will mind if you simply ordered a drink and a meal for your child. I've gone to breakfast twice at BOG with my youngest, and felt queasy (I can't eat early in the morning), so I just had a drink and he ate most of the dish (I had a bite or two). They didn't care that we only ordered one meal.

 

[Dis703]

Just as an FYI, the QS places have allergy menus. My niece has a lot of allergies (milk, sesame, tree nuts, and unbaked egg) and they were able to find things for her to eat when they visited MK last year. You may ask to speak to someone at a QS location and see if there’s anything they can do for you.

(But no, there’s no problem with just ordering a drink if you want to do that!)

Thanks! I'm very familiar with the QS allergy options. Unfortunately, it's just the level of allergies my kids have that leaves very little for them to eat without enough fresh ingredient options. They can't have most dairy (butter is safe), egg, wheat or any other grain except corn, soy, legumes, and various fruits and veggies.

Once upon a time they were able to eat plain grilled chicken, french fries and broccoli at Liberty Inn. Then they started using fries with a coating that had a bunch of their allergies, so I brought a carb to substitute and still ordered the chicken and broccoli. In May, when I went with my other son, they didn't have broccoli (or ANY veggies) anymore and didn't have chicken on the kid's menu but after much effort they were willing to cook him an adult portion chicken breast with 2 sides of sliced apples.

It sounds like most people think it won't be a big deal to dine there and only order a drink, so I think I'll stick with that plan for now.

Thanks for the responses!