Why have dress code for Signatures if it's not enforced?

[Tiger926]

We ate at several Signature restaurants as the kids do well in restaurants. We found most people at Cali Grill were dressed very well (a few in shorts/jeans), and Citricos was a mixed bag of good and bad. The worst offenders were at the Yachtsmen Steakhouse - people were literally coming in right from the pool in nasty looking shirts & flip flops. In a crowd of tables, the only ones who were dressed up were my table and the table next to us - both of us were young parents with kids/infants. It's amazing to me that we can dress our infants/young kids, but middle aged people can't be bothered?

Honestly, since Disney really doesn't want to do much to tick off guests (I've been told this repeatedly by CMs with respect to Heelys & smoking in parks), they shouldn't even have dress codes posted if they have no intention of enforcing them. I'm sure the location of Stormalong Bay makes it a bit more difficult, as I saw people literally leaving their pool chairs and come check in for dinner - yuck! We were celebrating Mother's Day, so it would have been nice if people at least had removed their nasty flip flips, and covered up their exposed body parts for dinner, IMHO.

Not sure what others think, but coming from a restaurant family, I know that it's important to make people feel welcome, but for us, it really bothered us that so many adults didn't have enough respect to even change out of their pool clothes (saw some swimsuits covered up by fancy wraps/skirts and they were led to their table) for dinner. Decorum, class & tact seemed to be lost on many of the families who were dining at the Yachtsmen on Mother's Day. We loved our meal there, and experienced stellar service, but seeing so many people dressed way down, took away some of my pampering for Mother's Day.

Tiger

 

[aaronmckie]

This also bothers me.

We ate at California Grille last year and were seated next to a family with face paint on (including the parents) and in t-shirt and shorts. It really killed the elegance of the place, but thankfully the food made up for it.
I really hope they start enforcing it better (or just getting rid of it altogether, since it isn't working).

 

[tarheelmjfan]

WDW has plenty of casual restaurants for those who want to dine in theme park attire. IMHO, the dress code in Signature restaurants should be enforced. Doing away with it would demean the experience even more. A few people dressed nicely is better than none. Abandoning the idea of a dress code would assure the extinction of fine dining experiences at WDW, with the exception of V & A. There is more to a fine dining than just good food.

 

[Tiger926]

WDW has plenty of casual restaurants for those who want to dine in theme park attire. IMHO, the dress code in Signature restaurants should be enforced. Doing away with it would demean the experience even more. A few people dressed nicely is better than none. Abandoning the idea of a dress code would assure the extinction of fine dining experiences at WDW, with the exception of V & A. There is more to a fine dining than just good food.

Totally agree with you, but if the dress code is not enforced, or, inconsistenly enforced, this demeans the experience even more. Honestly, seeing all of the people (most of them were not behaving very well either - very loud, rude, kids running around, etc.), really did ruin the first part of my Mother's Day dinner - even my just turned 5 year old daughter noticed! We felt like we were in the parks, I kid you not! It was a horrible first impression at such a great restaurant. We were so totally overdressed and this should not have been the case at all. I don't buy that people don't know about dress codes either as it's marked outside of restaurants, on website and CMs tell you when making ADRs. The people who were there didn't seem to care about anyone but themselves in regards to how they dressed and presented themselves. Some I could tell made to with the outfits that they had, but others didn't care at all as they came straight from the pool. Obviously, Disney doesn't want to upset or embarass anyone, but I think this has more to do with losing money should the guests leave the restaurant.

Tiger

 

[bicker]

The dress code has more of a positive impact than negative impact. It sets a standard which is mostly complied with most of the time.

 

[siobhan1997]

Flip Flops??? You can't wear them, well my poor DD wears nothing but in the summer as her feet are too wide for regular womens shoes. So if you see her in a nice sundress with her flip flops you will know it is us.

 

[CoolDisneyKitten]

Flip Flops??? You can't wear them, well my poor DD wears nothing but in the summer as her feet are too wide for regular womens shoes. So if you see her in a nice sundress with her flip flops you will know it is us.

I've worn flipflops to a signature before. But, and I think this is what the OP was talking about (and what you're talking about as well), they weren't pool-type flip flops. They were leather flipflops w/ sequins, and I wore them with a dress. I have a pair of croc flipflops that I wear to the pool, and every once in a while to the park, but I'd never wear them to a signature restaurant.

I've seen them enforce the dress code at Artist Point before, giving men collared shirts or asking them to go change, but it's inconsistent at best. I really wish they *were* more consistent about it, because the people dressed nicely (ie, the OP) shouldn't feel uncomfortable.

I think there's some sort of vortex around Disney that makes people think regular rules don't apply. Four year olds can stay up til midnight without a nap; kids can run around restaurants screaming; dress codes don't have to be followed; and all written signs can be ignored.

 

[Tink888]

I think with the exception of Victoria & Alberts, the dress code at the signature restaurants isn't that strict. The only things you can't wear are hats, bathing suits, tank tops, cutoffs or ripped clothing. To be honest, I never pay much attention to how others are dressed other than my family. Bad behavior from other adults and children tend to bother me more. To me that ruins a meal much faster than what someone else is wearing and unfortunately, there isn't much you can do about it. IMHO

 

[kaytieeldr]

But you know, it sounds like some of the diners at Yachtsman were dressed like that while the OP was there.

Not solutions, exactly, but two suggestions: Politely express your feelings to the restaurant manager while you're there; and write to Disney now and let them know how disappointed you were.

 

[Tiger926]

Let me be more specific:

Flip flops - Obviously, I am referring to adults and not children. The adults we saw had cheap Old Navy type pool flip flops that looked like they had been wearing them for 5 summers in a row, plus very worn tank tops and bathing suit tops. This particular family was very loud when entering the restaurant and that's how we saw them - they came blowing their way through to the restaurant through the pool area. The entrance into the restaurant is small, so you can't help but notice as everyone is crowded together, so we noticed so many people checking in as the restaurant just opened, who were wearing the same types of outfits. Like I said, decorum and tact are skills that were missing that night. If you have very dressy flip flop type sandals that are very presentable, then you should be fine, as I would assume the rest of your outfit would match as well, but, pool wear such as: bathing suit tops, very short shorts, flip flops, tank tops and jeans were all in fashion this past Sunday. This type of clothing is just not at acceptable as it affects the mood for other diners at the restaurant.

My hubby and I fear the situation is going to get worse due to airline baggage restrictions. People probably don't want to pack dressy clothes as they don't have the luggage space for them, and so they don't - why bother when Disney doesn't enforce the rules anyway?

For us, part of going out to eat is dressing appropriately for the situation, so if a dress code is in effect, we abide by it. Not to mention, it teaches our children very neccessary social skills.

Tiger

 

[Deb & Bill]

Flip Flops??? You can't wear them, well my poor DD wears nothing but in the summer as her feet are too wide for regular womens shoes. So if you see her in a nice sundress with her flip flops you will know it is us.

You might want to check out Zappos.com for shoes. I buy lots of shoes there and get wide widths. They even have extra wide widths. Plus they have free shipping.

 

[misstheworld]

I feel like I need to throw my support behind the desire to have an enforced dress code at the signature resturants. DH and I ate at the Cali Grill during our honeymoon. Although all day long we'd been in the parks, we still managed to go back to our room and change into buisness casual clothes. It was December, so we had on long pants (I wore boots) with dress shirts as it was rather chilly. The same time we walked in there was another honeymooning couple in t-shirts and cut-offs. It bothered me that we were in a very nice restaurant (and expensive) and yet the couple right next to us looked like they were at a baseball game. I'm all for either abolishing it or enforcing it.

And if people are worried about not knowing of the dress code...how can they not know? Most of those resturants you have to have an ADR so the person who you make the ressie with can tell them.

 

[java]

I have a question. We are going in July. So it will be HOT. Would it be wrong for my boys to wear dress shorts(think fancy chino style) and a collared shirt- polo probably. I know they won't be thrilled to wear pants and I won't be thrilled to pack them if I don't have to. (these are little boys too- 3 and 5 although my 13 year old would probably like to wear dress shorts as well)

 

[JeanfromBNA]

Let me be more specific:

For us, part of going out to eat is dressing appropriately for the situation, so if a dress code is in effect, we abide by it. Not to mention, it teaches our children very neccessary social skills.

Tiger

Tiger, I agree with everything that you've written. Unfortunately, the only thing that you can do is use this as an opportunity to teach your children that doing what's appropriate is not necessarily the same as doing whatever everyone else is doing.

Rest assured that others do notice and appreciate your attention to social skills.

 

[nikapluto]

When we went to Cali Grill last year we had been told about the dress code. So of course we were dressed nicely and all around us people were dressed entirely down. The meal was wonderful but it took away from everything. I understand if people have the "I'm on vacation and not dressing up" attitude....but then don't go to a restaurant that has a dress code!!!!!

 

[dementia412]

I have a question. We are going in July. So it will be HOT. Would it be wrong for my boys to wear dress shorts(think fancy chino style) and a collared shirt- polo probably. I know they won't be thrilled to wear pants and I won't be thrilled to pack them if I don't have to. (these are little boys too- 3 and 5 although my 13 year old would probably like to wear dress shorts as well)

Dress shorts are perfectly okay, even for the grown ups. The dress code isn't bad at all. It basicaly asks you do not dress like a hobo and not wear swim wear.

 

[Stittsville]

I have a question. We are going in July. So it will be HOT. Would it be wrong for my boys to wear dress shorts(think fancy chino style) and a collared shirt- polo probably. I know they won't be thrilled to wear pants and I won't be thrilled to pack them if I don't have to. (these are little boys too- 3 and 5 although my 13 year old would probably like to wear dress shorts as well)

Nice shorts are fine. Here is the dress code. As you see, part of it is only guidelines:



Dress Code Guidelines:
Men: Khakis, slacks, jeans, dress shorts, collared shirts. Sport coats are optional.
Ladies: Capris, skirts, dresses, jeans, dress shorts.

NOT permitted in dining room: Tank tops, swimwear, hats for gentleman, cut offs, or torn clothing. While t-shirts are now allowed, the policy remains that t-shirts with offensive language and/or graphics are not acceptable.

 

[inaminute]

Personally, I think it's sad that restaurants even have to post guidelines to tell diners how to dress. We used to know those things without being reminded. I've said it before and I'll say it again--I miss civility and common sense.

I'm just getting old, I guess.

 

[Tink888]

Personally, I think it's sad that restaurants even have to post guidelines to tell diners how to dress. We used to know those things without being reminded. I've said it before and I'll say it again--I miss civility and common sense.

I'm just getting old, I guess.

That's very true. When I was growing up, going out to dinner at a place like Red Lobster was a special treat and you treated it as such. Now you go there and my children have commented there are people who look like they rolled out of bed and went to dinner in their pajamas. Dining out has become commonplace and much more casual than it used to be.

 

[kmores]

Dress shorts are perfectly okay, even for the grown ups. The dress code isn't bad at all. It basicaly asks you do not dress like a hobo and not wear swim wear.

Hi I am new to the board...this is an interesting topic.

We are trying new restaurants. We have been three times with our DD, last time in 11/07. We are trying the new signature restaurants as we have never been to any of them and are getting the deluxe plan. Can't make ADR until next week. I have looked at several places regarding menus and times. Until now I have not seen the info regarding a "dress code". Not against or for it, Here in NO we don't really do much of a dress code. We don't really go to fancy restaurants. If I am going to pay for 3 TS a day, this is a chance to go to places we never would have gone before.

I will make sure we take some nicer clothes. I do notice that several folks posting are from the north? I see one from FL and several with no real place listed. but maybe this is why there is such a disregard for the rules? while we would never go straight from the pool, it would be a challenge to walk around a park in dressier clothes and go back to the hotel on bus transport then try to get back to park/restaurant in time. I time the lunches and sometimes dinners around park hours. we do try to go back to the hotel for rest midday, then we would have time to change for evening. it is also hard because both times we have gone in Nov we prepared for summer weather and it froze. some days were hot, others were at 32 degrees. so we have to bring double clothes.....it's harder now with having to pay extra for a 2nd bag. just offering another POV. plus I am already feeling like we are running from meal to meal just to get them all in.