Woody Jesse and bullseye leaving celebration BBQ!

[Sherry E]

For me what "killed" it was
1. Lack of "big draw" characters compared to other character meals.
If Mickey or Minnie or even Donald were there in cowboy garb, the value would be there.
2. Lack of food variety compared to other character meals.
3. Exclusive, private venue. The open air seating viewable to all took away from the "special" quality other character meals offer. People could stand there and gawk at you, and see the enhire "show" from the outside. LOL

I think in marketing the opinion of those you havnt reached matters too. Why havnt they tried your product? Why are we squaking about something we havnt tried? It's because we want to try it and obviosly DL is listening because what they had wasn't working.
That is why those of us who have not partaken of the BBQ; opinions matter

I agree with all of your points, LuLusApple. While I respect Burnt Toast's statements, I also know that we have some awesome DIS-ers here who reported back accurately, both in written recaps and in lots of photos, exactly what was to be had at the BBQ, and I relied on them for all of my info. I mean, the selection of food spoke for itself. I don't doubt for a second that it was delicious. I even happen to think the character meals get a bad rap for food quality and their buffets are usually very good quality. But the character buffets also have the variety of items. The selection of food items on the BBQ menu was not enough for me to pay that kind of money. I don't need to experience it to be able to see photos and know that I want a wider selection of food from which to choose. Also, I think the fact that the BBQ was not being labeled an 'official' character meal was a problem. I think they should have just called it a character meal and brought some more characters in (wearing Western gear). I wouldn't care about the little show that was put on. I would care about the selection of food and the characters posing for photo ops, not the entertainment. So for me, personally, it just was not worthwhile to try it. I may have eventually tried it, but now I will be more likely to try it if they drop the prices significantly and treat it like a regular restaurant. Plus, some folks have reported that the cupcakes were not that tasty. They sure look pretty, but a few people said they were either dry or just not that great, but everyone agreed the taste of the BBQ food was great.

So I totally agree - opinions matter. Disney has to look at why people are turned off to the idea of trying the BBQ in the first place, and some of it may be marketing, but it is also perceived value for each person, prices, lack of characters, everything. And the formula was not working for whatever reasons, so now they are revamping it, which I think it good.

A lot of people STILL have no desire to go into California Adventure either - because they have their own perceptions of what is or isn't there to be experienced, and overall value. And the attendance numbers were proof. Those people who did NOT try DCA spoke volumes. And we see now what Disney is doing to lure them all in! I think people who do not try something often have just as big a voice and make just as big a statement as the ones who have tried it.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

For me what "killed" it was
1. Lack of "big draw" characters compared to other character meals.
If Mickey or Minnie or even Donald were there in cowboy garb, the value would be there.
2. Lack of food variety compared to other character meals.
3. Exclusive, private venue. The open air seating viewable to all took away from the "special" quality other character meals offer. People could stand there and gawk at you, and see the enhire "show" from the outside. LOL

I think in marketing the opinion of those you havnt reached matters too. Why havnt they tried your product? Why are we squaking about something we havnt tried? It's because we want to try it and obviosly DL is listening because what they had wasn't working.
That is why those of us who have not partaken of the BBQ; opinions matter

Lots to agree with here. I did try it and missed the old BBQ restaurant. I found inconsistency in policy. Some guests were told they could order more and take home food; others were never told this and felt they had to finish their cupcakes at the restaurant. I had read online it was all you can eat. However once there, if you wanted the third cupcake flavor brought all at once so you could compare, it took some discussion. Don't put your customers in a position where they have to negotiate for their food.

One time we did not have a PS and saw plenty of empty tables but were told the wait time was over 30 minutes. A line of hungry people leaned against the fence gawking at the customers.

The time when we had PS, at 3:30 PM, with many empty tables available, we (two women, one who was a birthday gal), were shown to a table at the very edge by the restroom (where you can barely see the stage very well). We refused that table but this is not the Disney way when the place was less than half full.

I would like this restaurant to succeed, so I hope with new, consistent policies in place, it will run more smoothly. Most of the food is good but I would hope they would rethink how they can improve on the pork ribs. Nice if they could add a beef rib option.

 

[Burnt Toast]

Why are we squaking about something we havnt tried? It's because we want to try it and obviosly DL is listening because what they had wasn't working.
That is why those of us who have not partaken of the BBQ; opinions matter

Unfortunately, the casualty is that what made the Celebration BBQ good to begin with will no longer be there. Character interaction, the all-exclusive and convenient one-price structure, and (though it's rumored at this point) the all-you-care-to-eat food.

Adding it all up, $24.99 for adults for dinner + drink + dessert + tax & gratutity... it'll add up to about the same as what it was before. Really, no value has been added... only value taken away. The only way it is cheaper is if you don't do a drink and/or dessert... but with no character interaction or maybe even the all-you-care-to-eat concept, which was included in the price, again... you're still paying more for less.

 

[ACDSNY]

Funny how a majority of the folks complaining about the price were folks that never experienced the location for themselves.

I took 25+ folks for the DPN's Westfest to Celebration BBQ about a month after it opened and no one complained about the price... in fact, numerous people commented how much bang for the buck they got. The fact that it was all-you-care-to-eat and that the food was actually pretty good, the value was there... you just had to experience it for yourself to know that. I know that we all left stuffed and happy.

Now with the format change in entertainment and food; rumor has it that drinks and dessert (which was REALLY GOOD and very clever) will no longer be included and it might not even be all-you-care-to-eat anymore... when you add it all up it'll probably still cost the same for less. Sure it'll be "cheaper", but the value will no longer be there.

What killed the location was marketing... or lack thereof. No one knew this location was there and being at the very back of the Park, there isn't much foot traffic either.

I agree. We enjoyed our dinner last April and was planning on going again in Oct. The food was great and our DGS had a wonderful time with Woody an Jesse. I'm sure if they lower the price then the quality of the food will go down too.

 

[Lynzer Torte]

Where can I see pics of the food/atmosphere?

 

[Burnt Toast]

MousePlanet had a good thread about Celebration BBQ with pictures and the like.

 

[Peri]

Although I was not optomistic, I really had hoped this would stay in the original character skit form until we arrived in November, but obviously, we have lost out! I hope the food, at least, will still be available and I am very sorry to miss out on Jessie and Woody and the horse. Grrr. Oh well! At least they gave it a try! I did not feel the price was particularly expensive, but expense is a personal call based on finances and the number of people you have to feed. Hope you guiys will keep us posted on the changes!

 

[durantigger]

This sucks. I just made PS for my birthday celebration in September, I was taking seven friends. My husband & I went in April & I loved it. I was really looking forward to celebrating my 40th there. It seemed like a really great fun place for a large group. Now I don't know.

 

[durantigger]

This was on Mice Chat today:

"made a call to the priority seating line this morning and spoke with a very helpful cast member who told me that they had just received the new information about Celebration BBQ this morning.

-it will no longer be a character dining meal
-meals will no longer include beverages or dessert
-lunch prices will be $19.99 for adults and $9.99 for children
-lunch will not include the corn wheels, but will still have cole slaw and beans
-dinner prices start at 4:00 pm and are $24.99 for adults and $9.99 for children
-dinner will include everything at lunch plus BBB sausage and corn wheels

I forgot to ask about the future of the cornbread.

I also asked if the dessert options would change. She felt that the cupcakes in a waffle cone would likely be changed to something else.

She said that at this point food would still be served family style."

I'm so disappointed. I'm cancelling my PS. I need to find something else to do for my birthday celebration.

 

[dangerkitteey]

I forgot to ask about the future of the cornbread.

OH the cornbread!!!! Someone, anyone MUST get the recipe before they change things. That cornbread was sooooo yummy I ate 4 of them!

 

[farmgirljen]

Well that is disappointing! I LOVED this meal the best- we went to dinner at Goofey's Kitchen too, and I did not like it as much as I did this meal. At goofey's there were really only a few characters while we were there- chip and dale, goofey,and sleeping beauty.And the time they spent with us was really no different than when we would see them in the park. I felt like we got a lot of interaction from woody and jessie, and the music and show made it alot more fun too. And to the person who posted earlier about the wait time , and empty tables- it could be that the next round of BBQ was 1/2 an hour from coming off the grill... Why seat people if you can't feed them for another half an hour.... I definitly would have eaten here again on our next trip- but probably won't if they take the charachters out, and change the format. I thought it was much more reasonable than G.K.

 

[SSRJen]

Wow..I was really hoping that the prices would come down instead of going up. At 24.99, you will end up paying more if you want a drink and dessert. I was hoping to try this place soon, but now I am not sure I will.

 

[Sherry E]

Well that is disappointing! I LOVED this meal the best- we went to dinner at Goofey's Kitchen too, and I did not like it as much as I did this meal. At goofey's there were really only a few characters while we were there- chip and dale, goofey,and sleeping beauty.And the time they spent with us was really no different than when we would see them in the park. I felt like we got a lot of interaction from woody and jessie, and the music and show made it alot more fun too. And to the person who posted earlier about the wait time , and empty tables- it could be that the next round of BBQ was 1/2 an hour from coming off the grill... Why seat people if you can't feed them for another half an hour.... I definitly would have eaten here again on our next trip- but probably won't if they take the charachters out, and change the format. I thought it was much more reasonable than G.K.

I think it is all a matter of personal perception and what everyone perceives as being a value to them. My friends from Idaho were interested in trying the Celebration Round-Up BBQ - they love BBQ food - and were going to bring their young son. But they saw the prices and what the limited menu offerings were, and they said it was way too much money so they were crossing it off the list. However, they have been to Goofy's and Storytellers before (not in a long time, though) and were familiar with the buffets and the set-up of those restaurants, and they are planning on doing one of those again the next time they come out. So each person is different as far as what they perecive as a good value and as far as what is 'worth it' to them.

I think the buffets at Goofy's, or Storytellers, or Lilo and Stitch are a way better value because you are paying for a large variety of food (especially at Goofy's) in an all you can eat, serve-yourself buffet, as well as for the characters. Plus, sometimes there are a lot of characters running around. Sometimes there are a few. It is not always the same number of characters. I don't expect the characters to do anything other than come by and greet us and pose for pictures, which is generally what they do at every character meal and in the parks. Sometimes you get characters who are a little more animated and they play a bit more, but I don't expect them to do anything other than those things. Whether or not they are extra playful has more to do with who is in the costume than the restaurant itself. There have been times when I am at Goofy's and the characters keep coming back to the table over and over for interaction, and at that point I just want to eat my food! Other days it is a bit more hectic and they can only come by once or they have to make a very quick stop by the table and then move on. It differs.

The thing is, the BBQ was not billed as an 'official' character meal, which meant that there may or may not be a character onsite at an given time, and the selection of food items was very limited, so the amount of money paid for that is not a good deal to me, personally. For other people it is a good deal. If they extended the menu and added more items, or made it an official character meal and added a few more characters who were there all the time, then it would be a better value to me. A couple of people reported at times that they only saw Woody or only saw Jesse and nobody else. Or, if they took away the characters and lowered the price considerably, then it would be a better deal to me because it would be just like a regular restaurant. But removing characters and still charging a high amount of money is not a good idea.

 

[LavenderPeach]

I think maybe it wasn't enough of a character meal for those who like character meals and it was too much of a character meal for those people who don't like character meals. Clearly, there were some people who liked it but I guess not enough.

I just have a hard time with the price of any character meal. If DS was more into the characters then I could see that it might be worth the cost but right now he isn't interested and would probably get upset with any character interaction and DH and I are probably a little too shy to feel comfortable interacting with the characters ourselves so for now we don't do character meals.

 

[farmgirljen]

You know what I don't like- I don't like this perception that you have to please everyone all the time. I don't go to a chinese restaurant and expect to order a hamburger. They offered a bbq- a good one at that! They were nice and also had a veggie option for those who asked for it too, so I see them being pretty accomodating- but really- if you don't like bbq, then don't go. Regardless of the price-Why go to a restaurant you know you won't like and then be mad that they don't serve food you like? When I went, it was my first trip ever to a disney park, so I had no idea what to expect on any of the meals.Yes, personal perception is going to dictate everyone's opinions, and everyone is entitled to a different opinion- but I don't see how the changes they are making is going to make it better for people... It would be like going to the Dole Whip booth and being mad that they don't have strawberry whips there too... People should be careful what they ask for-

 

[Sherry E]

You know what I don't like- I don't like this perception that you have to please everyone all the time. I don't go to a chinese restaurant and expect to order a hamburger. They offered a bbq- a good one at that! They were nice and also had a veggie option for those who asked for it too, so I see them being pretty accomodating- but really- if you don't like bbq, then don't go. Regardless of the price-Why go to a restaurant you know you won't like and then be mad that they don't serve food you like? When I went, it was my first trip ever to a disney park, so I had no idea what to expect on any of the meals.Yes, personal perception is going to dictate everyone's opinions, and everyone is entitled to a different opinion- but I don't see how the changes they are making is going to make it better for people... It would be like going to the Dole Whip booth and being mad that they don't have strawberry whips there too... People should be careful what they ask for-

True - they don't have to please everyone all the time, but this is more a point of why people are NOT going to the BBQ in the first place, rather than going there and not liking it once they are there. Some of us choose to not go there because we determined it was not a good value for us, after researching and paying attention to people's reports. I didn't go there - nor did my friends - and then determine that we didn't like it. We made the decision beforehand to not go, and based on other experiences we have had with 'official' character meals, we determined those were a better value for us. It's 'to each his own.' I don't know of anyone who went to the BBQ without knowing that it was BBQ beforehand and deciding they didn't like BBQ when they got there. People just either decided they didn't like it based on what characters/entertainment/food selections were there and what they got, and others of us decided not to try it because it wasn't worth the money for us. The variety of options was not there to justify the money for us personally. If they keep the prices high and remove characters, that will be bad. If they lowered the prices substantially, even without characters, then it would be good. Either way, it is up to each individual person/family to decide if it is something worth it to them.

And clearly, as others have said, the formula for this restaurant didn't work for some reason and so now Disney is taking a look at it and trying to troubleshoot. IF they see that they are still not drawing in the crowds they want, they will probably lower the prices even more or close it. But if people aren't going to the BBQ it is because people don't feel it is worth it to them for one reason or another.

 

[blackjackdelta]

True - they don't have to please everyone all the time, but this is more a point of why people are NOT going to the BBQ in the first place, rather than going there and not liking it once they are there. Some of us choose to not go there because we determined it was not a good value for us, after researching and paying attention to people's reports. I didn't go there - nor did my friends - and then determine that we didn't like it. We made the decision beforehand to not go, and based on other experiences we have had with 'official' character meals, we determined those were a better value for us. It's 'to each his own.' I don't know of anyone who went to the BBQ without knowing that it was BBQ beforehand and deciding they didn't like BBQ when they got there. People just either decided they didn't like it based on what characters/entertainment/food selections were there and what they got, and others of us decided not to try it because it wasn't worth the money for us. The variety of options was not there to justify the money for us personally. If they keep the prices high and remove characters, that will be bad. If they lowered the prices substantially, even without characters, then it would be good. Either way, it is up to each individual person/family to decide if it is something worth it to them.

And clearly, as others have said, the formula for this restaurant didn't work for some reason and so now Disney is taking a look at it and trying to troubleshoot. IF they see that they are still not drawing in the crowds they want, they will probably lower the prices even more or close it. But if people aren't going to the BBQ it is because people don't feel it is worth it to them for one reason or another.

What would a complementary meal at Taste Pilots cost.(Same fixins if possible).

Jack

 

[Sherry E]

What would a complementary meal at Taste Pilots cost.(Same fixins if possible).

Jack

You mean if TPG served a similar BBQ menu option as what is available in the Celebration BBQ? Hmmm...not sure. I think my BBQ chicken sandwich with two side dishes and a drink clocked in somewhere around ten bucks (after AP discount). So if you add in an extra meat dish and a couple of extra sides too, it would probably double and be closer to what Celebration is charging. Just a rough estimate.

 

[blackjackdelta]

You mean if TPG served a similar BBQ menu option as what is available in the Celebration BBQ? Hmmm...not sure. I think my BBQ chicken sandwich with two side dishes and a drink clocked in somewhere around ten bucks (after AP discount). So if you add in an extra meat dish and a couple of extra sides too, it would probably double and be closer to what Celebration is charging. Just a rough estimate.

Just try to get some equity in pricing for the food. There is so much chatter about how much you get(sometimes = value) vs the price. I only suggested TPF since that is what came to my mind and I am try to do this from my iPhone.

Jack

 

[teatime]

You know what I don't like- I don't like this perception that you have to please everyone all the time. I don't go to a chinese restaurant and expect to order a hamburger. They offered a bbq- a good one at that! They were nice and also had a veggie option for those who asked for it too, so I see them being pretty accomodating- but really- if you don't like bbq, then don't go. Regardless of the price-Why go to a restaurant you know you won't like and then be mad that they don't serve food you like? When I went, it was my first trip ever to a disney park, so I had no idea what to expect on any of the meals.Yes, personal perception is going to dictate everyone's opinions, and everyone is entitled to a different opinion- but I don't see how the changes they are making is going to make it better for people... It would be like going to the Dole Whip booth and being mad that they don't have strawberry whips there too... People should be careful what they ask for-

Not sure why your hot headed, people have a mind of there own you know. I love BBQ but I can get it cheaper at tony roma;s across the street and in a cool air conditioned restaurant . yeah glad you had a ball but not everyone is you and cares . the prices were to high, I could care less about characters, I go to goofys kitchen for the food. I am not particularly fond of them coming to my table, my kids are not either. yeah they love to see them interact with folks, but some people do not care to interact but we care about what we eat. as far as the food I hear its awesome, but let it be amazing for a way cheaper price. I do not need all you can eat, but a nice plate of BBQ should be enough for at least 12.00 .