Why WDW eateries changed...?

[tinagirl]

Is this purely a restaurant thread?

Sorta.

When it comes down to changes at the parks - I'm strangely ok with it, both here in California, and in Florida.

But when they change my food (take off the filet at Chefs/no more beaver tails/shrink the drink list), I get grumpy.

Sometimes, I understand. I KNOW that food in the summer, cooked in post haste manner by a summer job teen will not be as good as food prepared by a Disney "lifer" who has been at a location for years. I expect poorer food then.

Now, I've come to expect poorer food experiences (due to crowd, or food issues) with the advent of free dining promotions.

But as the summer and free dining draw to a close, I seem to be reading more unhappy dining reviews.

I guess at the heart of it, I'm just wondering if it's partly due to the massive executive overhaul that the entire Parks & Resorts portion of the company has undergone.

Ed Grier left Tokyo Disney and is now heading up Disneyland in Anaheim, CA.
Meg Crofton is now the head of WDW.
Heck - even DVC now has a new president.

What do you guys think?

-T.

 

[bicker]

I don't see any significant, overall trend in the tenor of feedback about dining at WDW. I think some people are choosing to ignore all the great reviews of Disney dining from folks on the Dining Plan. The reality appears to be that there have been changes intended to make the vast majority of guests happier, which invariably have left a small niche less happy.

 

[Cass]

I think there are just more people dining now, therefore the # of reviews is up. Families that typically had 3 or 4 TS meals a week are now having 1 TS meals every day of their holiday.

I try to read the review with an open mind. Legitimate complaints are quality - like the salmon was dry, the steak was overcooked, the sauce was salty.

Just because last time you went there was a different meal on the menu is not a real complaint. IMO just order something else.

 

[ElizabethB]

Let's be very clear, here. If you read the recent reviews, people are, indeed, gushing over DDP -- but they're gushing in most cases because it's relatively cheap (or at present, free), not because they've had outstanding meals. I don't consider "there was a ton of food, all of it edible" to be a positive (or helpful) review! And, that's pretty much what I'm seeing on the review boards.

The reviews from "old-timers" who recall dining at WDW as being a true delight and pleasure, have pretty much been uniformly bad these days, with the exception of the signature restaurants, and even those are getting more negative feedback than usual due to things like flavorless, possibly farm-raised salmon at Artist Point (truly sad since the cedar plank wild salmon has always been outstanding in my experience), no duck/pork firecrackers at Jiko, no appetizer sampler at Jiko, etc. We were told by our waiter that the Jiko changes were temporary and due to free dining, so we'll see.

Notwithstanding who is at the head of WDW, there seems to be a clear decision to forego the emphasis on fine dining in favor of feeding more people lower quality food at a cheaper price.

 

[bicker]

I think, rather, that it is because those folks couldn't even afford to do table-service meals each night, previously. So for them, the difference is between hot dogs/hamburgers and the 1TS restaurants, and of course that will be considered an improvement. And while we may not find the appreciation that those folks are showing for the casual TS dining at WDW to be "positive (or helpful)" it is both positive and helpful to a vast number of guests who also now find themselves in the position of being able to afford TS dining perhaps for the first time -- people who are not like us, but perhaps just like the reviewers.

I do agree that there is a deliberate decision made to satisfy the greater number of guests more, even if it means satisfying the lesser number of guests less.

 

[mrsltg]

Let's be very clear, here. If you read the recent reviews, people are, indeed, gushing over DDP -- but they're gushing in most cases because it's relatively cheap (or at present, free), not because they've had outstanding meals. I don't consider "there was a ton of food, all of it edible" to be a positive (or helpful) review! And, that's pretty much what I'm seeing on the review boards.

The reviews from "old-timers" who recall dining at WDW as being a true delight and pleasure, have pretty much been uniformly bad these days, with the exception of the signature restaurants, and even those are getting more negative feedback than usual due to things like flavorless, possibly farm-raised salmon at Artist Point (truly sad since the cedar plank wild salmon has always been outstanding in my experience), no duck/pork firecrackers at Jiko, no appetizer sampler at Jiko, etc. We were told by our waiter that the Jiko changes were temporary and due to free dining, so we'll see.

Notwithstanding who is at the head of WDW, there seems to be a clear decision to forego the emphasis on fine dining in favor of feeding more people lower quality food at a cheaper price.

I agree with this statement. I have also found the more I enjoy cooking and using fresh ingredients and eating and drinking become an experience rather than just nourishment, the less I enjoy eating out. I don't think I'm in the majority though so tough cookies for me!!!

I miss the way Disney was as far as dining was concerned. My next trip includes Jiko and Artist Point and I am hoping for a wonderful experience. It also includes LTT (the food is nice-it's comfort food so I'm not looking for gourmet), CP for breakfast, and Le Cellier (which I believe has gone decidedly down-hill but it was the best of the options I had). Many people though have plainer tastes or are in more of a rush to get back out there while getting the most bang for their buck. I can't fault Disney for making the menus what they are - cafeteria food works for a reason - fast & cheap. I can't say I'll take my money elsewhere because I know I won't. It's just sad to me that my vacation experience (a BIG part of which is dining) is changing. If Disney keeps heading in this direction I will change my dining habits to include a lot more counter service, which IMHO, is BORING. Oh well....