Why no American table service?

[CJ]

I'm curious if anyone else finds it strange that there is no nice table service restaurant at the United States pavilion in Epcot. I realize the Liberty Inn is a large area, but the food is counter service style at best.

With the vast array of American specialties: New England seafood, New Orleans creole, Southern fried, New York pizza & wings, Floridian Coast, etc etc..... I'm wondering why no TS?

I'm Canadian and I know you Americans have great food!!

 

[Donald is #1]

Excellent question. Of course, I don't have an answer for you. It is funny that I eat hamburgers in all of the parks except for EPCOT normally. For some reason the Liberty Inn doesn't do much for me. Now, if there was a regional table service restaurant on the other hand....

 

[chaospearl]

My best guess is that it may be precisely because there's such a variety of regional cuisine in America. I have a background in customer service and let me tell you that it's amazing the moronic things people find to complain about. Disney tries its best never to offend anybody, and believe me, if there were a restaurant that offered, say, Creole style food or southern BBQ or New England seafood or Tex-Mex, they'd have to open a whole new department just to deal with the complaints and very likely the lawsuits (I'm so not kidding) that'd come in from people who felt THEIR regional cuisine was being discriminated against because it wasn't offered at the American pavilion. And it'd be worse if the restaurant didn't specialize in any region but instead offered three or four of those choices, because then they'd get trouble from anyone and everyone whose teensy town's award-winning chili wasn't featured as being a quintessential American dish.

Or maybe it's just that they're not willing to spend on the renovations and opening of a new restaurant at this time. Particularly because it can be argued that the Coral Reef and that TS restaurant in The Land (sorry, I forget the name) are both American cuisine and there's no need or not enough business for a third such place. Is there even anywhere in the American pavilion with enough available space for large-scale new construction? The answer's often simpler than we think.

 

[aldango]

There are also tons of American style restaurants outside Epcot.

 

[DisMN]

Wellllll traditional American foods would be things like pemmican, acorn soup, boiled swamp cabbage, roast beaver tail, baked prairie dog, wild rice and fry bread.

My guess is, aside from those last two I listed, that MOST people would probably skip eating in America.

 

[oybolshoi]

Wellllll traditional American foods would be things like pemmican, acorn soup, boiled swamp cabbage, roast beaver tail, baked prairie dog, wild rice and fry bread.

My guess is, aside from those last two I listed, that MOST people would probably skip eating in America.

 

[hmillerbarilla]

I've also wondered this too... but I think the answer is that Amercian cuisine is so varied.. there are so many cultures here that it isn't just meat-n-potatoes at all! Now beaver tail.... well, I'd skip that ADR for sure!

Is there room at that pavillion? What is back there anyway?

 

[Lynn5700]

Wellllll traditional American foods would be things like pemmican, acorn soup, boiled swamp cabbage, roast beaver tail, baked prairie dog, wild rice and fry bread.

My guess is, aside from those last two I listed, that MOST people would probably skip eating in America.

EWWWW LOL

 

[DisMN]

EWWWW LOL

LOL And to top it off I wasn't kidding. Those are actual foods eaten by American Indians....some of the items not so much anymore, but others are quite mainstream, like the fry bread and wild rice items.

 

[Tink888]

Wellllll traditional American foods would be things like pemmican, acorn soup, boiled swamp cabbage, roast beaver tail, baked prairie dog, wild rice and fry bread.

My guess is, aside from those last two I listed, that MOST people would probably skip eating in America.

LOL And to top it off I wasn't kidding. Those are actual foods eaten by American Indians....some of the items not so much anymore, but others are quite mainstream, like the fry bread and wild rice items.

LOL - hey you could be on to something here. Disney could do a character dinner with Pocohantas and her forest friends. Chip & Dale could serve the acorn soup. Imagine how crazy the dining lines would be with people trying to make ressies for Thanksgiving.

 

[DisMN]

LOL - hey you could be on to something here. Disney could do a character dinner with Pocohantas and her forest friends. Chip & Dale could serve the acorn soup. Imagine how crazy the dining lines would be with people trying to make ressies for Thanksgiving.

Call Disney and suggest it to 'em....I dare ya!

(actually DOES sound cute and the foods are similar to what we've eaten when we've gone to those *living* settlers villages.)

 

[Queenofthecastle]

I really don't think we need yet ANOTHER McD's at Disney!

 

[Tink888]

Call Disney and suggest it to 'em....I dare ya!

(actually DOES sound cute and the foods are similar to what we've eaten when we've gone to those *living* settlers villages.)

OMG - I'm listening to Disney music online right now and wouldn't you know it but the song that's playing as I write this is Just Around the River Bend by none other than Pocohantas herself. I see a new American character dinner in Disney's future!

 

[tiger4me2]

Wellllll traditional American foods would be things like pemmican, acorn soup, boiled swamp cabbage, roast beaver tail, baked prairie dog, wild rice and fry bread.

My guess is, aside from those last two I listed, that MOST people would probably skip eating in America.

Oh wow where can I eat these things Good point

 

[disnut8]

My best guess is that it may be precisely because there's such a variety of regional cuisine in America. I have a background in customer service and let me tell you that it's amazing the moronic things people find to complain about. Disney tries its best never to offend anybody, and believe me, if there were a restaurant that offered, say, Creole style food or southern BBQ or New England seafood or Tex-Mex, they'd have to open a whole new department just to deal with the complaints and very likely the lawsuits (I'm so not kidding) that'd come in from people who felt THEIR regional cuisine was being discriminated against because it wasn't offered at the American pavilion. And it'd be worse if the restaurant didn't specialize in any region but instead offered three or four of those choices, because then they'd get trouble from anyone and everyone whose teensy town's award-winning chili wasn't featured as being a quintessential American dish.

BINGO!!!!

Which would you choose - St. Louis ribs or North Carolina ones? Manhattan clam chowder or New England style? Grits on the menu? (barf on that one). Florida lobsters? (they don't have claws). Shoo fly pie?

Yeah, there would be people complaining about it.

 

[amw]

I do understand all your arguements about regional representation ... however, the exact same could be said about Canada's Le Cellier ...

I guess the real question is why Disney decided to put a sit-down restaurant at every other country, and decide that the US is represented by fast food

AND, any discussion of Beavers (tails or otherwise) belong in Canada

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I think Disney should add a restaurant. They could definatly do something for within that 1770's time period, with "Colonial" cooking. I don't know exactly what that would include, but they could do it.

 

[bdcp]

I think Disney should add a restaurant. They could definatly do something for within that 1770's time period, with "Colonial" cooking. I don't know exactly what that would include, but they could do it.

Venison, rabbit, squirrel for meat. Fish-catch of the day. Root vegetables such as potatoes, yams, and things we don't eat now. The colonials didnt' exactly have a varied diet or one that would sell well now either. Why the 1770's time period? I think the fact no one here can come up with an exciting enough menu to represent America says it all. Cuisine in the US is very regional and as other posters have said, someone would complain that "their" American cuisine wasn't represented or was being misrepresented.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

BINGO!!!!

Which would you choose - St. Louis ribs or North Carolina ones? Manhattan clam chowder or New England style? Grits on the menu? (barf on that one). Florida lobsters? (they don't have claws). Shoo fly pie?

Yeah, there would be people complaining about it.

Let's not forget the great pizza debate.

I think Disney should add a restaurant. They could definatly do something for within that 1770's time period, with "Colonial" cooking. I don't know exactly what that would include, but they could do it.

I'm thinking that's what they are going for at LTT.


I also think it's odd that they chose to only have an American CS in Epcot. If they ever add one, I'd personally like to see one that's representive of american cuisine today. Yes, the US is a melting pot of nationalites, but all of them wouldn't need to be represented. They could automatically exclude any cuisine that is already available in WS. The original version should always be better than the americanized version anyway. Establishing a menu based on regional cuisines shouldn't be that difficult. Can you imagine how great the restaurant could be, if they chose a few items from each of the signature restaurants that serve american cuisine?

Unfortunately, if they ever decide to add one, I see them going with a themed restaurant, i.e. 50's PT & Sci-Fi. In that case, I'd rather they not add one.

FWIW, I do agree that the US is represented pretty well on WDW property as a whole. I have always thought it was odd that they chose not to put a nicer american restaurant in Epcot though. Then again, I don't see the US government sponsoring one.

 

[ImagineerM]

I agree with the previous posters about the wide variety of region foods -- it would be nearly impossible to chose one style of restaurant. I am surprised that they didn't institute something similar to LTT here.

But then again, is there anything more American than fast food?