Wish food could be higher quality at disney

[Little_Mouse]

I've been vegan for almost a year, but recently began eating meat again. I am low in weight and don't do well with a lot of carbs, hardly eat dairy and scared of tofu. Peanut butter was getting me by but I was getting deficient in so many ways. When I eat meat now it is mostly organic grass fed beef, organic chicken, wild fish but sometimes farmed, pasture raised eggs.
Please don't think badly of me for saying that. I didn't grow up eating grass fed and organic food. I don't have a lot of money. It's just with a stomach condition, a heart for animals, and realizing how food can affect you in so many ways I'm willing to spend a lot on it.

Something I wish for at disney is a little bit higher quality food at the parks. We pay so much to get into the parks. Disney is not hurting for business or money. I guess it is unrealistic to expect this type of food at buffet restaurants but for the price we pay at them I almost kind of do. Take for example my least favorite restuarant, Chef Mickey's. Last time I was there I made the mistake of not looking at the price and my meal cost me 60 dollars in the end. It's so crazy to me. Like I said in another post, I wasn't sure the eggs were eggs at all.
I think I just read it was reduced to half of that price though. I am not sure of that though. I would like to see them offer wild (but sustainable
) fish at places like whispering canyon. I would just like to see them offer better food to people even at restaurants that aren't fancy. Am I being unrealistic? Also, does anybody know where disney gets their meats and if they are humanely raised?

 

[Tormania]

Disney offers several high end restaurants such as Victoria and Albert's (currently not re-opened) and Narcoosee's (also not open yet) at the Grand Floridian. I have not eaten at these places personally, way outside my price range, but if any places would cater to more organic type foods it would be these types of places.

Remember though, you're dietary concerns are a very small percentage of the population while the vast majority of visitors aren't nearly as concerned or restrictive with their diet concerns so it's understandable that the majority of the food offered is designed for the masses. I'm actually surprised how many different options WDW DOES offer at different locations around vegan and gluten free options.

 

[Little_Mouse]

I have not eaten at those places either. I have eaten at artist point, but I tend to like a more casual atmosphere with an outdoor view. Always loved cantina pavilion, but would just like the food a little better. Hope I don’t sound too food snobbish.

 

[SteveH]

Disney plays to the masses. Based on Disney's reputation and other things they have done to care for their animals I'd assume they require humane treatment. You might have better luck at some of the Disney Springs restaurants for your requirements. Pretty much anything with a "Organgic" label is going to be priced higher.

 

[DLgal]

It's a theme park. It isn't possible to get that kind of high quality food at the huge amounts necessary and allow Disney to make a profit while also not way overcharging their guests. It's a cost issue.

Your best bet is, for the short time you are at Disney, relax your own food standards or bring food with you (or go food shopping when you arrive and eat some meals in your room).

 

[Tink9721]

Take for example my least favorite restuarant, Chef Mickey's. Last time I was there I made the mistake of not looking at the price and my meal cost me 60 dollars in the end. It's so crazy to me.

I love character meals, but you're paying a higher price for the characters, not the food. If there are characters involved, the price is definitely not indicative of the quality of the food.

 

[only hope]

Also, does anybody know where disney gets their meats and if they are humanely raised?

I know nothing about Disney’s sources but considering that over 90% of animals raised for slaughter in the U.S. are raised in inhumane factory farms, I’d say no, unless the menu specifies otherwise. Even the lucky few animals who are treated humanely are very unlikely to be humanely killed.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Disney is not hurting for business or money.

I dunno. I mean, normally you'd be absolutely right, but I heard somewhere (one of my local but far from Florida) news reports that Disney's revenue is down something like 85%.

Your best bet is, for the short time you are at Disney, relax your own food standards or bring food with you (or go food shopping when you arrive and eat some meals in your room).

Or DoorDash, GrubHub, etc. some off-site meals.

 

[vinotinto]

I also try to purchase higher quality ingredients for making food at home, but most regular restaurants do not offer organic, grass-fed, humane beef or pasture-chicken eggs, etc., so in that sense, I don't see Disney offering less than the average. It's hard to source these types of ingredients without significantly raising prices or cutting further into margin. We also eat very frequently at ethnic type restaurants, which have delicious food, but you would rarely find organic meats, etc., at that price point. And while a subset of the population would be very happy to pay extra for organic, humane, wild, etc., Disney would need enough volume to make a profit. I personally would also love to see higher-quality ingredients, and would pay for it, but it's not realistic. I mean, just yesterday someone was complaining about a $12 sandwich and other high costs of QS. Can you imagine the outrage if they charged $20 for a QS organic chicken meal?

 

[Dug720]

Your best bet is, for the short time you are at Disney, relax your own food standards or bring food with you (or go food shopping when you arrive and eat some meals in your room).

Pretty much this. I was going to say or go back to eating vegan - but a lot of those will have tofu which the OP is “scared of”. So that might not work either.

 

[Ross Kratter]

There's lots of great, high quality food at Walt Disney World; you just mostly have to go to table service restaurants to find it. If you're only eating quick service, you're probably going to be disappointed.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I am not really understanding the OP's tofuphobia. If not for that, I would have recommended the tofu bowl at Satuli Canteen.

 

[Dug720]

I am not really understanding the OP's tofuphobia. If not for that, I would have recommended the tofu bowl at Satuli Canteen.

Amen! I am not even veggie but I often choose that bowl. It is amazing!!! (I also don’t get what is so scary about tofu.)

 

[MickeyWaffles]

We eat mostly organic at home in terms of meats, eggs, fruits, veggies, etc. We would not expect this quality at a theme park where they have to mass produce food to serve thousands daily.

Since we are DVC we have groceries delivered usually make a full breakfast in the room to have a good start to the day, unless we have a character breakfast booked (which we go to for the experience, not the food.) We also make some dinners in the villa if the kids tucker out early and need a more mellow atmosphere. We actually really like cooking in the villa. Sometimes the kids need to decompress (and we do too!) and a meal in the villa is actually easier than eating at a restaurant.

I think Disney’s QS has improved quite a bit over time. We have our favorites. There’s more variety and there are so many more quality options now than there were in the past. Mass producing that much food, I wouldn’t expect them to be able to offer what you’re suggesting on that scale.

Honestly, what I really miss is when all the TS restaurants had different menus for lunch and dinner. Now they’ve streamlined it so it’s mostly the same at both lunch and dinner service. I’m not a fan of dinner-type entrees at a sit down lunch.

Even though we eat better quality food at home, we manage just fine in the parks. We have a number of QS favorites. And we fill in at the villa with our own meals.

 

[The WDW 3]

TLDR

there are plenty of food options that I’m sure you can find something.

 

[rwdavis2]

From listening to The Dis podcasts their general agreement Is that WDW dining started getting worse at the introduction of free dining. Disney had to control costs so menus got reduced and quality sacrificed for price.

 

[Rockbro]

With all due respect, if food is really that important to you, I'd choose a different vacation destination. The best meal I ever had at Disney was at V&A's, but as I recall, it cost around $250 per person (chef's table). Cali Grill a close second.

But you can't expect a place like Disney to cater to every person individually.

 

[Eeyore daily]

The OP isn't talking about signature food or high-quality tasting. They're talking about wanting high-quality meats/produce used to make the food served.

 

[karen4546]

OP, I hope you are able to find or get delivered meals that your body can tolerate. I like Jiko. Their steak is great. If you are staying in a villa with a kitchen then you could make most of your own meals. If you only have a microwave, you can get fresh produce and eggs and they make something called "just crack an egg" and it is really good. We also like the jimmie dean scramble you microwave but it is NOT organic.

Side note, I have not bought eggs from the grocery store since I got married in 1988. We have a small farm and our chickens are free range (in the orchard not the pasture) and I haven't seen the "pasture raised" eggs in the grocery store-but i haven't looked either. I will next time I go.

 

[karen4546]

The OP isn't talking about signature food or high-quality tasting. They're talking about wanting high-quality meats/produce used to make the food served.

I don't know of a single restaurant at WDW that serves "high-quality meats/produce" at reasonable prices. There are many that serve exceptional food but I doubt they have only organic vegetable, grass fed meats etc. I would maybe stick to vegetable and fish options.