Why would Dining Planners get different treatment?

[3DisneyBuggs]

I hear so much how free dining is ruining restaurants and servers treat dining plan people with less service. I really don't see why. The restaurants and servers are still receiving payment and tips. Sometimes they may receive an extra tip. I feel like free diners, which I will be soon, are looked at as a lesser class of people. You know, like watch out, it's those free dining people. Hide the silver, they may swipe it. I'm doing the same restaurants I would have done without the free dining. For me the only difference is, I'm stayng at a deluxe resort instead of our timeshare.

Rude servers and poor food in restaurants should not be blamed on the Dining Plan. Someone has to stand up for us!

 

[onelugnut]

I hear so much how free dining is ruining restaurants and servers treat dining plan people with less service. I really don't see why. The restaurants and servers are still receiving payment and tips. Sometimes they may receive an extra tip. I feel like free diners, which I will be soon, are looked at as a lesser class of people. You know, like watch out, it's those free dining people. Hide the silver, they may swipe it. I'm doing the same restaurants I would have done without the free dining. For me the only difference is, I'm stayng at a deluxe resort instead of our timeshare.

Rude servers and poor food in restaurants should not be blamed on the Dining Plan. Someone has to stand up for us!

i think you are referring to the dining plan, which i am a big proponent of.
(by the way, how'd you get it free and good for you)
wow, cant say i experienced the same treatment issues.
The dining package, was met with indifference by the waiting staff, and the quality of service was always excellent.
in fact one experience was so good, i felt obligated to write a letter to compliment her (lunch in cindarellas castle)
no offense by this, but maybe its in your head a little?

 

[Skylarr29]

The servers have no idea if you paid for the dining plan or not... there is nothing that will tell them either way. The reason some people might say is that they are getting poor treatment on the dining plan is because the tip is already included so servers feel they are getting tipped no matter what kind of service they provide to the customer... or at least that is my take on it... there is no way to lower the tip or not tip an undeserving waiter.

 

[KarenAylwood]

i think you are referring to the dining plan, which i am a big proponent of.
(by the way, how'd you get it free and good for you)
wow, cant say i experienced the same treatment issues.
The dining package, was met with indifference by the waiting staff, and the quality of service was always excellent.
in fact one experience was so good, i felt obligated to write a letter to compliment her (lunch in cindarellas castle)
no offense by this, but maybe its in your head a little?

The free dining promotion was available for those booking before April something (was originally the 4th, then they extended it to maybe around the 24th I think) for trips during Aug 13-Sept 30th (hurricane/low season). When you booked an on site room at the rack rate, you got the dining plan free for the length of your stay. There were only a specific number of on site rooms that had the free dining promotion included.

They did this last year at the same time as well.

We're leaving on Sept 14th and have all of our ADR's booked! I just hope we'll get the same service despite the fact that we're on the dining plan (ahem, free dining plan). I think many people tip extra (on top of the 18% included) so that also gives the servers incentive to keep up the good service. We'll see!

And Skylarr29~ I was under the impression that you told the server that you were on the dining plan before you ordered. I've never been on it before though, so maybe I'm mistaken.

 

[abaldacci]

I think it is hurting service I had some of the worst service this trip, last year we had great service. I don't think it is because its free I think its because they are over worked. I felt sorry for most of them.

 

[Mary Anne]

Someone told me today that they are way understaffed at Disney, they just can't get the help. I bet that has a lot to do with it.

 

[waltsgirl]

We have used the dining plan and have never experienced rude servers or less than Disney-like service. We have been very happy with the plan and are doing it agin in Dec. and again in March.

 

[Tink10]

On our last trip, we ate with the DDP (not free) & without & did notice a very distinct difference in treatment by many our servers.......I can't say that anyone was rude, but there was a definate difference in the attentiveness & timeliness of the servers.

 

[brerrabbit]

We have never used the DDP free or paid and so I cannot comment on whether you are treated differently or not with it. I can however tell you that in the last couple of years every time I make an ADR, show up at a resturant, or after I get seated am asked if I am on the dinning plan or not. An earlier poster said that the wait staff doesn't know whether you paid for your DDP or not and that may be true (although I am sure most of the waitstaff knows that the free DDP is in effect) they do know and have to know if you are on a plan or not. The only observation I can share is that when I say no we are not on a plan the mood of the waitperson seems to improve immediatley. That could be because of a greater expectation of tip, or from the fact that we probably won't be ordering all the courses so it may be less work. I don't know the answer but even my DD who is 16 and only has a vague understanding of the plan has commented on how happy waitstaff looks after we tell them we're not on a plan. I have not real opinion one way or another on the plan. We don't use it only because we cannot eat that much food. We cannot attend during the free plan because of work and school considerations so we would have to purchase a plan to use it. I monitor what we spend for food vs what the plan would have cost us and most trips we come in right at breakeven or less spent.

 

[AdventureGuru]

ok so I've been thinking..what if we pulled our servers aside and told them (and held our end of the bargain) that we know we are on DDP, but love WDW b/c of the service they provide as well as the food. Should we get great service they will be compensated for it.

I know I know-we've already paid for it...but it must suck for them to not get a little something extra. Disney is giving up free dining...instead of taking their tips home that night...do they have to wait for them in their paycheck? Do they have taxes taken out of their paycheck and does the taxes they take out more then what they are used to? I'm assuming b/c everything is a computerized system they dont see their $$$ right away. Do you really see WDW opening the till at the end of the night and passing out 18% tips to those who had DDP tables?

Sorry, like I said -I know we have "paid" the 18% b/c of the dining plan-but do they get theirs and when?

I'm not trying to stir the pot-just looking at every angle.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

My experiences have been that I received worse service on meals that I paid out of pocket for.

Last trip we did 3 days no ddp and then 6 days with it.

On the days with no ddp, service was indifferent at best (except our room service waiter, he was excellent) and at worst disappeared on us completely where no drink refills were offered and I skipped ordering dessert at one restaurant simply because it was not possible because we didn't see our waitress. At the Brown Derby when we ordered salads for lunch the waitress seemed annoyed that we were not ordering appetizers (although her disposition improved when we ordered dessert).

On the ddp, I received nothing but excellent service even at "non disney" owned restuarants like Planet Hollywood. Our service quickly refilled drinks, made suggestions, and spent some time talking to my mother and I. He apologized when there was a delay with our entrees but was prompt with the bill when I requested it.

No one ever made us feel "second class" or seemed in any way irritated when we said we were on the dining plan. Many servers didn't even comment on it at all. It was noted on the ticket they give the server and the wait person simply took our order - most made suggestions about what to order - not based on price - but, knowing that price was not an issue, on the best tasting items on the menu.

 

[DiszyDean]

I think that the servers ask whether or not you are on the dining plan in order to be helpful, not to determine what kind of service they should provide. We had excellent service last year while on the dining plan.

Once example of what I am talking about was when we went to eat at Sci-Fi last year. We told our waiter upfront that we were on the dining plan although he did not ask. His reaction was " Thanks for letting me know, so many people do not and are disapointed with the results." This example played out right in front of us with another family. When the waiter went to present the bill, the family finally mentioned that they were on the dining plan. The waiter seemed a little frustrated because the family had ordered some things that were not on the dining plan and if they had told him upfront, he could have directed them to the correct choices for the plan. In the end, the family had a fairly signficant OOP bill to pay and were not happy at all in paying it.

I think that is one reason you see most places ask upfront if you are on the dining plan.

 

[DisKim]

I was treated wonderfully by every wait staff person in every restaurant we ate at and we were on the dining plan. Think of it this way, the waiter/waitress is automatically getting an 18% gratuity on a bill that includes appetizers and dessert for every person at the table. I know our bills are usually much lower because we tend not to order that much food. I think the dining plan must be great for the wait staff.

 

[AdventureGuru]

I think that the servers ask whether or not you are on the dining plan in order to be helpful, not to determine what kind of service they should provide. We had excellent service last year while on the dining plan.

Once example of what I am talking about was when we went to eat at Sci-Fi last year. We told our waiter upfront that we were on the dining plan although he did not ask. His reaction was " Thanks for letting me know, so many people do not and are disapointed with the results." This example played out right in front of us with another family. When the waiter went to present the bill, the family finally mentioned that they were on the dining plan. The waiter seemed a little frustrated because the family had ordered some things that were not on the dining plan and if they had told him upfront, he could have directed them to the correct choices for the plan. In the end, the family had a fairly signficant OOP bill to pay and were not happy at all in paying it.

I think that is one reason you see most places ask upfront if you are on the dining plan.

Its nice to see they would warn you in advance...


"I was treated wonderfully by every wait staff person in every restaurant we ate at and we were on the dining plan. Think of it this way, the waiter/waitress is automatically getting an 18% gratuity on a bill that includes appetizers and dessert for every person at the table. I know our bills are usually much lower because we tend not to order that much food. I think the dining plan must be great for the wait staff. "
Today 10:12 AM Dizkim



Dizkim-I didnt think of it this way...if we "make the most out of our DDP"...appetizers, entree and desert...its 18% off the total bill-am I right?
here?

So, maybe it is worth ordering everything even if we don't eat a ton of it to give CMs the most for their work and effort.

I would like to give CMs as much as possible b/c then that way they will benefit too...the do an awful lot to make the magic come alive!

 

[PrincessAlways]

On our upcoming November trip, we're using the Dining Plan for the first time. It'll be interesting to see if there is a difference in the treatment & also the savings! When I made the ADRs, I was asked if we were on any dining plan. Doesn't that info show up in the computer when you check in?

 

[MIDisFan]

We just returned from our trip last night. This was our first experience with the DDP and we didn't notice any difference in the level of service. Most of the time the waitstaff would ask if we were on the DDP before we ordered, but I think they all assumed it anyways because of the promo.

We always tipped extra on top of the 18% and I think (and hope) others do as well. This may be the incentive to keep up the level of service.

When you think about it, the waitstaff probably get better tips from the DDP. For example, we ate at the Coral reef and or bill for 6 people (before tip and tax) came out to $294. The waiter got a tip of $63, 18%=$53 + $10 extra.
If we weren't on the dining plan, we wouldn't have all got an appetizer and dessert, and our bill would have been a little under $200 (If we all ordered the most expensive entre) and the tip would have only been about $40 at 20%. I do however realize it is more work for them when you use the DDP.

 

[LadyLuc361]

We have often had servers who weren't so attentive while on the dining plan. However, this may not be because of the dining plan. They may have been understaffed or extremely busy. We have also had great service on the dining plan. It probably depends on the server you get. Some may look at the guaranteed 18 percent tip as a way to get out of work where others don't think that way and will give you 100% either way.

Its probably dependant on many factors, not just if your on the plan or not.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

We have never used the DDP so I can't compare first hand if there is a difference in treatment as related to the plan.

I think the servers are so overwhelmed & overworked because of the DDP that it has affected service overall.

 

[seven dwarfs]

When I was on the DP last Oct, a waiter told me that they only recieved 15% tip. This person was not very nice to us and I asked about the tipping because I read about it on the DIS. I think this caused some issues with service. I know this person once he realized we thought that was wrong was much better to us. I know this had now been changed. This may have caused issues in the past. I do think "some" people may not work hard since the tip is a given but this is not everyone. I wrote an email to Disney because my family is always forced to leave a 18% tip since we are a party of eight yet when it was Disney's money they only tiped 15%. Anyway this has since changed. I am looking forward to free dinning in Spet and plan tp tip extra if service is good.

 

[onelugnut]

ok so I've been thinking..what if we pulled our servers aside and told them (and held our end of the bargain) that we know we are on DDP, but love WDW b/c of the service they provide as well as the food. Should we get great service they will be compensated for it.

I know I know-we've already paid for it...but it must suck for them to not get a little something extra. Disney is giving up free dining...instead of taking their tips home that night...do they have to wait for them in their paycheck? Do they have taxes taken out of their paycheck and does the taxes they take out more then what they are used to? I'm assuming b/c everything is a computerized system they dont see their $$$ right away. Do you really see WDW opening the till at the end of the night and passing out 18% tips to those who had DDP tables?

Sorry, like I said -I know we have "paid" the 18% b/c of the dining plan-but do they get theirs and when?

I'm not trying to stir the pot-just looking at every angle.

not beating you up, but dont break what is not broken.
i think it is evident by this thread that the dining plan users are not the
problem but maybe the time of year or other of the many reasons for poor service. Yes it even can happen in Disney world.

My wife and I have both worked as food servers and never cared how the bill was paid. coupon or whatever as long as it was paid and a fair tip was paid.
there are too many times where 18% is not adhered to (especially by international guests in a place such as disney world)
From my experience, I would rather have 18% guarenteed from a family of 4 who had 4 entrees 4 drinks and each got dessert, rather than a senior citizen couple who shares plates and drinks waters and leaves less than 10%.
nothing against seniors, God Bless em. But thats the truth about how waiting staff gets stiffed. not my disney dining plans.
If anything i could see the arguement that they know what they are getting already and dont have to try extra hard for that tip.
that could happen i suppose, but in Disney world, that has not been my expience, in fact the exact opposite.

Ah what do i care, i hope you all hate the disney plan leave it to my family and i and maybe they will offer me better deals to suffer through the great dinners and micky pops.

yeah baby!!

still trying to work magic for my next trip in January, but it will definitely have the dining plan in it.