What's with the Menu Changes?

[katiemomoftwo]

Where is everybody seeing these menu changes? I just checked wdwinfo for the restaurants we will eat at. Only one of the menus (The Plaza) has been updated in 2007. The update was in March, all the other ones were from October 2006. I'd love to see up-to-date menus as I'm kind of a picky eater.
Katie

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

Very well said!

As for the part about screwing the DDP guests, I agree with you.....why would you try to alienate a large percentage of park guests?? That would be a very poor business practice for Disney overall!!! I think the whole "DDP is to blame" angle is getting a little old!

Absolutely...and isn't the "DDP is to blame" argument is tantamount to saying that the quality of the Disney resorts has suffered because of AP, AAA or Florida resident discounts? And yet, I've never heard that angle...not even once...

 

[apostolic4life]

Good grief, you're thanking Disney for reducing your choices under the rationale that now you can choose something other than what you would have chosen? Well, anyway, good for you for looking on the bright side, but we all know CDF and WGP didn't take the steaks off their menus right when WDW becomes flooded with DDP diners because they weren't selling. Please.

And by the way, I wouldn't count those other steak meals until they've hatched, so to speak.

I would rather have small 20-30 item menu filled with creative venue-specific dishes vs. a 75-80 item menu that carried the same things as every other restaurant in WDW. I feel they deserve to be thanked for making changes that make the experiences at each venue a little more special. If I can't get a steak at one place, I will just have to go somewhere else the next night. WDW does have many dining options.......find what makes you happy!!

 

[apostolic4life]

Absolutely...and isn't the "DDP is to blame" argument is tantamount to saying that the quality of the Disney resorts has suffered because of AP, AAA or Florida resident discounts? And yet, I've never heard that angle...not even once...

 

[apostolic4life]

Where is everybody seeing these menu changes? I just checked wdwinfo for the restaurants we will eat at. Only one of the menus (The Plaza) has been updated in 2007. The update was in March, all the other ones were from October 2006. I'd love to see up-to-date menus as I'm kind of a picky eater.
Katie

The changes are not as widespread as some try to make us believe. A few restaurants have made slight menu revisions. Just happens the revisions have affected items the people reporting really cared for.....this results in a knee-jerk emotional response to the revision. I would not worry too much, WDW knows what the bulk of their guests want and will continue to provide it; that is how they have stayed in business for so many years!!

Jiko may undergo the largest change this season because of the new Executive Chef, but even in that instance I am sure the best selling items will remain!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I don't get why everyone complains when menus change. All restaurants change menus sooner or later. I may be slightly dissapointed if one of my favorite items is taken off a menu, but I get over it. There's still plenty of appetizing options at all the restaurants IMO.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

If steaks were disappearing from ALL ddp participating restaurants, I could see it being attributed to free dining but not because it is off of a couple of menus.

If steaks were suddenly off the menu at Le Cellier and Concourse Steakhouse I could understand the concern.

 

[Minnie0107]

I was not trying to complain, I was just seeing a trend on the boards and wondering what was up, since we had also decided to change our ADRs after seeing some menu changes. We were not mad or anything, the menu just did not appeal to us anymore and we have the right to change.
As for the "replacements" WPC did not replace these things, they just removed them. WCC has a very limited menu now and only has two apps to choose from. It seemed like they just took them off and I found that strange. I did not realize that in the past they had taken these things off the menu just during free dinning! I hope that is not the case. If disney has to clear the menus of expensive food for free DDP then maybe they should think twice about the promotion.

As for the country changing their eating habits, I just cannot buy into that. I agree that the steaks houses here are more crowed that any other restaurants, also on the food posts, someone in the group seems to have gotten the steak.

 

[keggero]

Apparently not at Wolfgang Puck's Cafe!!!!!!!!!!

Sincerely,

Clara Peller

 

[tarheelmjfan]

We prefer a menu with speciality items, & have no problem with menu changes. We order the Chef's reccommendation off menu often. I like to think the menu changes are to create a better dish. IMHO, that's much better than standardized menus.

However, I don't buy the argument of them dropping items to accommodate patron's diets. If people weren't ordering red meats, why would they be calling 180+ days out to get an ADR at Le Cellier. We don't think LC is worth the hype. I've had better steaks at quite a few places. Obviously, there's still a lot of steak lovers coming to WDW to create such a high demand for a good (not great) restaurant.

 

[jarestel]

I'm anxiously awaiting the opening of the "Celery Stalk & Carrot Stick" restaurant! The menu isn't expected to be very tasty, but boy will it be healthy! (As well as profitable under the DDP!)

 

[illiniowl]

As for the part about screwing the DDP guests, I agree with you.....why would you try to alienate a large percentage of park guests?? That would be a very poor business practice for Disney overall!!!

The VAST majority of guests do not and are never going to know what's not on the menu today that was there yesterday.

I hate to bring facts into the middle of a good argument, but demand for beef is up 20% since 1998. Just because you (not talking to anyone in particular here) are eating healthier and cutting down on the red meat doesn't make it a trend.

At Spoodles, they used to have a $29 NY strip. Now just in time for free dining, it has morphed into "steak kebabs" (gee, the origin of cut is no longer specified) for $23. I would bet a night in the Castle (if I had one to bet) that the NY strip was the #1 seller on the menu. So how are those of you in the "Disney is cutting down on the red meat for our health" camp going to explain that one? After all, steak is still on the menu, just in a, shall we say, more profitable form now that the DDP hordes have descended.

I do not at all begrudge Disney the right to make a dollar. They can offer what they want and charge what they want. Correspondingly, if I don't like the choices or prices, I don't have to buy, and I won't. But the contortions some people go through to construct a theory that their beloved Disney could not possibly have the nefarious profit motive in mind when making various changes is certainly amusing. I don't know how some of you can even eat your (non-steak) dinners after drinking all that Kool-Aid.

 

[wen8jr]

If steaks were disappearing from ALL ddp participating restaurants, I could see it being attributed to free dining but not because it is off of a couple of menus.

If steaks were suddenly off the menu at Le Cellier and Concourse Steakhouse I could understand the concern.

Yeah, take steaks off the menu at Concourse STEAKHOUSE. That would be a no brainer for WDW to do. I can just see someone trying to order steak at a steakhouse and being told no we don't have that on our menu anymore.

Prime rib & meatloaf is nothing like a steak. Yuck. I won't eat either of those, but I will eat an actual good cut of steak. Red meat is not just red meat. There is a WORLD of difference there.

We have changed our ADR's to satisfy what we like as we are picky eaters, and those are menus that offer some sort of steak dish or other dish that we like ~ my family does not eat seafood, are not pasta or salad lovers and my DH will not eat Chicken. That means we cancelled our WGP ADR. It would be nice to order whatever the special is or what the chef brings out and eat it, it sure would make life easier.

I do believe the FREE Dining Plan has something to do with taking off the most expense filets. It only makes sense, especially since they done it within two weeks of free dining. And I'm not sure about other resturants but WGP is not owned by WDW, they are paid a flat rate for each person on the DDP. Which means that there are more DDP diners in the next month due to free dining and if the majority of the people select the $30 filet or the most expensive crab cake appetizer then WGP doesn't make a profit. WGP still offers steak in their upstairs resturant ~ so they are still buying and selling steak, it is just not going to be available in their cafe for DDP diners.

Besides the new 2008 DDP tells the tale about whether or not these restuarants are making enough of a profit on the DDP to satisfy their financial goals. Obviously they weren't and had to cut back to make it.

Maybe everyone should revisit the menu a month after free DDP is over and see what has been added back on. That will tell the tale.

 

[wen8jr]

The VAST majority of guests do not and are never going to know what's not on the menu today that was there yesterday.

I hate to bring facts into the middle of a good argument, but demand for beef is up 20% since 1998. Just because you (not talking to anyone in particular here) are eating healthier and cutting down on the red meat doesn't make it a trend.

At Spoodles, they used to have a $29 NY strip. Now just in time for free dining, it has morphed into "steak kebabs" (gee, the origin of cut is no longer specified) for $23. I would bet a night in the Castle (if I had one to bet) that the NY strip was the #1 seller on the menu. So how are those of you in the "Disney is cutting down on the red meat for our health" camp going to explain that one? After all, steak is still on the menu, just in a, shall we say, more profitable form now that the DDP hordes have descended.

I do not at all begrudge Disney the right to make a dollar. They can offer what they want and charge what they want. Correspondingly, if I don't like the choices or prices, I don't have to buy, and I won't. But the contortions some people go through to construct a theory that their beloved Disney could not possibly have the nefarious profit motive in mind when making various changes is certainly amusing. I don't know how some of you can even eat your (non-steak) dinners after drinking all that Kool-Aid.

Well said, I agree totally.

 

[mickey2000]

I'm anxiously awaiting the opening of the "Celery Stalk & Carrot Stick" restaurant! The menu isn't expected to be very tasty, but boy will it be healthy! (As well as profitable under the DDP!)

 

[kaytieeldr]

Good grief, you're thanking Disney for reducing your choices under the rationale that now you can choose something other than what you would have chosen?

Disney didn’t reduce my choices; they changed them. In June, there were ten entrée items on the dinner menu; in August, there are ten entrée items on the dinner menu. Ten items minus ten items equals… zero reductions.

At Spoodles, they used to have a $29 NY strip. Now just in time for free dining, it has morphed into "steak kebabs" (gee, the origin of cut is no longer specified) for $23.

Wrong. The Spoodles menu changed in February.

 

[mickey2000]

The VAST majority of guests do not and are never going to know what's not on the menu today that was there yesterday.

I hate to bring facts into the middle of a good argument, but demand for beef is up 20% since 1998. Just because you (not talking to anyone in particular here) are eating healthier and cutting down on the red meat doesn't make it a trend.

At Spoodles, they used to have a $29 NY strip. Now just in time for free dining, it has morphed into "steak kebabs" (gee, the origin of cut is no longer specified) for $23. I would bet a night in the Castle (if I had one to bet) that the NY strip was the #1 seller on the menu. So how are those of you in the "Disney is cutting down on the red meat for our health" camp going to explain that one? After all, steak is still on the menu, just in a, shall we say, more profitable form now that the DDP hordes have descended.

I do not at all begrudge Disney the right to make a dollar. They can offer what they want and charge what they want. Correspondingly, if I don't like the choices or prices, I don't have to buy, and I won't. But the contortions some people go through to construct a theory that their beloved Disney could not possibly have the nefarious profit motive in mind when making various changes is certainly amusing. I don't know how some of you can even eat your (non-steak) dinners after drinking all that Kool-Aid.

It's nice to know that people agree with what I think

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

So should Disney discontinue DDP and simply offer high quality food, including great steaks and upscale alternatives at a premium? I'd certainly be up for that, as DDP is not something that I take advantage of personally. As long as there's great variety and a non-stagnating, seasonal menu, I'm game...

 

[mickey2000]

So should Disney discontinue DDP and simply offer high quality food, including great steaks and upscale alternatives at a premium? I'd certainly be up for that, as DDP is not something that I take advantage of personally.

IMO the changes are not because of DDP as I got the steaks last year on free dining. Yes I can go along with not having DDP and go back to a menu that has items on it that were similar to what was previosly offered. Sorry, but I have been eating at restaurants in Epcot for many years and during the past few I have NEVER seen so many cuts. I love Disney and hate to see the changes. I might have to start eating off property

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I was not trying to complain, I was just seeing a trend on the boards and wondering what was up, since we had also decided to change our ADRs after seeing some menu changes. We were not mad or anything, the menu just did not appeal to us anymore and we have the right to change.
As for the "replacements" WPC did not replace these things, they just removed them. WCC has a very limited menu now and only has two apps to choose from. It seemed like they just took them off and I found that strange. I did not realize that in the past they had taken these things off the menu just during free dinning! I hope that is not the case. If disney has to clear the menus of expensive food for free DDP then maybe they should think twice about the promotion.

As for the country changing their eating habits, I just cannot buy into that. I agree that the steaks houses here are more crowed that any other restaurants, also on the food posts, someone in the group seems to have gotten the steak.

Where do you get that from? From what I can tell WPC has two new appetizers, the tuna tartare and the truffle-maytag blue kettle chips, both of which sound appealing to me.