Who to complain to about food choices at WDW?

[DisneyCruisin']

We are back from a 10 day stay at AKLV and basically very glad to be due to the dining choices.

Menus are very similar from restaurant to restaurant and with a picky family we had a difficult time finding things to eat that were different each day. My husband is so tired of hamburgers and nasty french fries he never wants to go back. We never did find a place that had totally "cooked" fries - they were all mushy.

The wheat buns on hot dogs and hamburgers need to go. They were down right dry and nasty.

What happened to all the McDonald's fries???? We totally missed those!

Who can I write to to complain about this? I know we are not the only family who is not happy with all the "healthy" options.

I miss the old Disney food options that we loved!

 

[madalex]

I don't know who to tell you to complain to, but if you were disappointed in the food variety, you should definitely voice your opinion.

That being said, I was at WDW in Feb 2009 for 10 days and did not have a hamburger or french fries the entire times I was there. There is lots of variety at various park and resort CS and TS restaurants; you just have to be open and willing to try new places. For example, you were staying at AKL - did you try Boma, Jiko or even The Mara? I think they have a hamburger on the menu at The Mara, but they also have a wide variety of other choices as well.

 

[aubriee]

I agree with the previous poster that if you were unhappy with the choices you should voice your displeasure to Disney. I also agree that Disney should not be pushing all the healthy choices off on us, (although they should keep offering them for the people that want them). However, I don't agree that there aren't other options. I am not a hamburger eater and can tell you that the last time I ate a burger at Disney was Jan 2004. The only reason I tried one then is because my son and GD wanted to eat at Beaches and Cream. I just don't like burgers, so don't eat them. I go to WDW four-six times a year and am never even tempted to eat a burger. There are too many other options available.

Did you go to Sunshine Seasons? They have salads, chicken, salmon, Chinese food, sandwiches, pork chops, etc. The French Bakery has cheese plates and hot sandwiches. Most food courts have some kind of hot pasta dishes. Wolfgang Puck Express is fabulous. Columbia Harbour House has fish, chicken, and fantastic sandwiches. Cosmic Rays has ribs and chicken. Flame Tree BBQ has BBQ. Yak & Yeti has Asian. Mara's over at AKL has soups, salads, and fried shrimp. Pepper Market at CSR has great taco salads, Asian, and steaks for a CS. These are just a few off the top of my head. I know you said you had picky eaters. My eldest son and GD are both VERY picky eaters, but even they found a variety of stuff to eat at WDW.

 

[JenSop]

I'll agree with the other responders. If you had something you weren't happy about, you should voice your opinion to Disney.

However, I also have to say that one of the highlights of our Disney trips is the food! We will be staying at AKV in June, and will be eating in all the AKV TS restaurants: Jiko, Boma, Sanaa. We also plan to visit Kona, O'hana, and Artist Point. NO burgers for us! I've been going to DIsney since 1984, and have never eaten a single burger there. There are so many other choices! Last year at some of the CS meals, I did the fish and chips meals. However, for table service, we always had so many wonderful items to choose from! Perhaps your family could think of trying something new?

 

[2manypets]

It could have been the choice of where you ate. In a 10 day period, we never once ate a hotdog or hamburger.
There are a lot of other quick service places that have several other food items to order other than the usual "theme park" choices.

 

[Disneychix]

McDonalds fries are still there in all the parks.

 

[arielmomma]

Once again, I am not sure who you would express your complaints to, and I am sorry that you did not have enjoyable meals while at the world. While I agree that you should voice your concerns if you feel led to, I must agree with the other posters that you may want to consider expanding your dining horizons on your next trip. No one in my family ever orders hot dogs or hamburgers while we are there. In every park, and at the resorts, there are a wide variety of dining choices. My children and I are partial to the roasted chicken served throughout WDW and my husband loves ribs. DH is a very picky eater and he loves eating at Disney. It is probably his favorite part of the trip. Might I suggest researching the menus that are posted on this and various sites ahead of time and figuring out a menu that would satisfy your whole family. When it comes to CS meals, you don't all have to eat at the same place - we don't. Also, there are McDonald's fries in the parks as someone noted above. I am confident that with a bit of research, you will likely find some wonderful dining choices that your family will love.

 

[catne]

McDonalds fries are still there in all the parks.

How sure of this are you...have you been there recently to verify this? There have been numerous articles and posts over the last few months about the various fries locations changing over to non-McDonalds offerings, including places like Fairfax Fries in DHS, Petrifries in AK no longer being McDonalds places - even Refreshment Port in Epcot losing the "McDonalds" and offering generic-named foods (like what used to be McFlurry being called something like a "Northern freeze")

 

[DisneyCruisin']

McDonalds fries are still there in all the parks.

If McDonald's Fries are still there please tell me where - we never found them and we know where all the places to get them are. We asked two cast members and were told they were all gone. All of the former carts/places are turned into Turkey leg places.

Let me preface too - I've been to Disney more than 50 times and my 7 year old has been at least 15 times. We have our favorite restaurants that we go each time and even those the food didn't seem as good as in the past. The changes are noticable. We did eat at places other than Hamburger/Hot Dog options and the meals were less than great. We did eat at Jiko/Chef Mickey's/Grand Floridian Cafe and several others. When I say picky - I mean picky for DH. Sauces are not welcomed/seasonings aren't welcomed either if at all possible. He will eat chicken/ribs but you can only have so much of that too. He didn't want a heavy meal in the middle of the day either.

I think our biggest complaint is the changes in the menus and the fact that things all looked the same especially the kid's choices no matter where you went.

DH did get a Turkey Leg one day and it was DRY - DRY to the bone - no moisture. We've never had this issue. We got a salad at Liberty Inn in Epcot and the lettuce was bad in the bottom - I mean yucky bad. We've never had spoiled food issues there either.

Mara was a joke this trip - everytime we went the workers were too busy goofing off to wait on anyone and two different meals were cold as they handed us a pizza that had been sitting out too long and a bowl of cold soup that shouldn't have been cold. We went back and complained and were not even listened too.

We didn't eat at Boma as we were staying concierge and ate appitizers from there every night and I didn't want to repeat.

I'm easy going - usually never send a thing back - but this trip we had a lack of service/lack of good food choices for our family/everything looked/tasted the same.

We loved our meal in Jiko except for the service. We got there and received our pager and folks who arrived after us with later ADR times were seated before us. We asked a manager why and were told that we weren't on the dining plan - we were considered last seated. That is a WRONG answer in my book. We had a horrible waiter who disappeared and never checked to see if we needed drink refills or anything else once he found out we weren't on the DDP. We all ordered entrees and split two appitizers and all ordered desserts and tipped well considering the service. I left that meal disgusted with Disney. What should have been a wonderful dining experience made me want to never go back. The service was that bad.

We don't normally go to 5 star restaurants and I don't compare things to 5 star restaurants - but we also don't go on vacation to eat wheat buns on hamburgers and hot dogs either - I miss the old days at Disney.

 

[catne]

there are many food options available at counter service restaurants in WDW, but sounds like OP & her family preferred the burger & fries version -
as she says:

I miss the old Disney food options that we loved!

so it could be that they do not want to try other places. Some people equate theme park food=burgers & fries...if that's what you're wanting, then the changes to those food items probably will not be welcome.

Here's a general address to send a complaint to:

Walt Disney World Guest Relations
P.O. Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

 

[DisneyCruisin']

It's not that we equate the parks to Hamburgers and Hot Dogs - I'm just saying that those were not enjoyable at all thanks to the wheat buns. We used to LOVE to get McDonald's Fries in Epcot and AK and sit and enjoy them as a snack (as we rarely get those at home) and didn't have that ability this trip.

Pizza Planet at DHS - the salads are smaller/not as good and the pizza was not totally cooked. We went to the Contemporary and had lunch one day for a break and the cupcake we got was supposed to have Cherries in the middle and it was missing those.

There just didn't appear to be any kind of control over the quality of the food.

I watched a kid pick up a spoon in the butter dish at Chef Mickey's, lick it and put it back and a worker was behind the counter who watched the whole episode and did nothing. I questioned if they were going to replace it and was told no - not until it was empty. I went back to my table, caught our waiter and asked for a manager to whom I told of the experience. Needless to say, I'm not sure if they did anything about it but I can tell you we didn't use the butter.

I guess you can say we had the Murphy's Law in practice on our trip in more ways than one.

 

[ga9497]

We don't do buffets because of the cleaniless issue. Just grosses us out. Someone can be eating in line and use that same hand to pick up the next set of tongs. This is everywhere not just Disney.

You can contact them through this link.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/contact/

 

[emmabemmainc]

I totally agree w/ what you said about the children's meals--BORING! My daughter ended up eating off of my plate over half the times we ate. The only times she didn't is when we were at a buffet.

However, I had wonderful food myself 90 percent of the time. I didn't eat any hot dogs or hamburgers, however--so I wouldn't have noticed the bun. I also didn't encounter any errors made by the wait staff or the people cooking the food. I was very pleased, overall.

I'm sorry you weren't!!

 

[VAN]

I totally hear what you are saying.

The menus have really been streamlined/downsized; however, as others have pointed out there are places that do not serve hamburgs or hotdogs.

I think that even though we are paying 5-star prices, these are still restaurants at a theme park. My problem is I'll eat anything! Most of the food is good to average.

Now, what gets my dander up more than anything is poor service! Just the subject gets me going. Yes, I've been to places both Disney and not where I've been ignored, not listened to, etc. Just about the only thing you can do is cut the tip.

Recently I was at a Red Lobster (which is not cheap) and we never got our waters refilled, the waitress never came back to the table, we saw her very infrequently at a larger table, etc. I was steaming. Left a small tip and just as we were getting up the Manager came around to ask how things were. Okay except for the poor service! We hardly saw our waitress. She brought my DH the wrong salad, our bill did not come in a folder (like other tables got), etc.

Boy was the manager surprised because he didn't want to hear that. My family yelled at me about saying anything, but I pointed out how can they improve if they don't know. We observed others getting good service, etc. It's not that our waitress was not nice ... she was just absent! Because of the high prices and this kind of service, I think this place will be off our list in future.

Sorry ... couldn't help myself.

 

[Sandy321]

ITA with you!!

Yes, I think there are options - we go several times also, and havent had a burger or hot dog since they switched to those nasty brown things (they arent healthier btw, just brown, not whole wheat!)

But there is a "dumbing down" of the offerings! No more French Toast Loaf at MK bakery, Figaro Fries, gone (as is a sandwich that was so popular, but dratted it took too long to make, so its off the menu!)

The Chicken "nugget" issue - you used to get different kinds of chicken "nuggets" at varying locations - now its the same exact chicken no matter where you are in WDW -

Desserts - you used to get different desserts at different CS places - now all pre packaged - same - BUFFETS - I was surprised that the same desserts were at CP, 1900, and Cape May Buffet (we didnt do other buffets - well wait, we did Boma, but dd noticed at Boma - all the main desserts had a warning "may contain alcohol... so she didnt try any!)

In this economy Disney is trying to hold down costs - and the dumbing down of food must be accomplishing this. People are still eating, buying just as much as before - until people stop buying those nasty things on hamburgers and hot dogs, Disney has no incentive to change - imho...

 

[Disneychix]

I got McDonald's fries in March at Ye Olde Fry Shoppe in Fantasyland. They were definatley McDonalds.
It's been a few months since I got them in AK and EPCOT so they might have changed them there.