BrianL
Doom Buggy Driver
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2013
Been to Tony's???
Ha ha - no, I haven't. I hear it has improved a bit lately though.
Been to Tony's???
Well it only has one way to go.Ha ha - no, I haven't. I hear it has improved a bit lately though.
Okay, I am dying over here because my experience at Coral Reef was exactly like that. Now, the appetizer and kids meals were more akin to a chain restaurant (Applebee's, etc.), but their signature dish tasted exactly like a fish Lean Cuisine meal!I don't know if "what you're expecting from a theme park" is a fair statement though. Yes they are churning out food for the masses, but all of the restaurants are ran with their own chefs and managers etc...it really is no different than any other restaurant on Earth that is consistently busy, they just happen to be located in WDW. Also, it sure can't be the cost of quality food vs profit thing considering they charge an arm and a leg. I get the fast food being nothing special because it all pretty much comes from a central place and really is for the masses, but the restaurants really have no good excuse. I'll admit that there are a few great places if you know where to look, but good food at those prices really shouldn't be hit or miss like it is. I've eaten at all but 3 places in the whole of Epcot, and for all of the touting of excellent restaurants, there are only 2 that I can think of where the food is outstanding or where I've never had a bad meal and that's Garden Grill and Le Cellier. Even those have gone down in quality according to most people. Le Cellier is no longer a hard to snag ADR. Chefs de France was awful the last time I went. I kid you not, my entree tasted EXACTLY like a Lean Cuisine that I've eaten a million times in my perpetually dieting life lol. I was sooo disappointed. If I had sat there and tried I could have told you exactly which Lean Cuisine it was. I thought I was one of the Griswolds and they just stuck a little French flag in my frozen dinner.
I suspect that if there was even a McDonalds in the parks it would dominate the QS restaurants. McDonalds is not a very high culinary bar.
That's a good rule of thumb for everything we read online.The truth is somewhere in the middle.
Interesting suggestion about Swan and Dolphin. We have never been in either hotel so I don’t know anything about the restaurants.So, to answer the OP's question...
"Why isn't the food better at WDW"
Because it does not have to be. You EAT it. The solution is simple - DO NOT eat it. If you buy into DDP? You have made your choice: Volume, not quality. When you stop paying for junk? The junk will go away.
Right off - get OUT of the Parks. They serve "Park Food". If that is what you desire? No problem.
Now - options?
Consider TIW. A very GOOD 20% off all dining plan - great for Adult parties, not so good for a family with children. With children, eating Chicken Nuggets every hour? Go for DDP.
Go off site, or non-Disney owned. Exception: avoid the fake SIGS at Disney Springs. Not a single one is worth your time. Great buildings - lousy food. Instead? Consider the GREAT on-site Restaurants at the Swan/Dolphin. No DDP - TIW accepted. Or Capa at Four seasons .
OFF off site? Cabs don't care . Consider Bull&Bear, Morton's Steak House.... you CAN get great food.
This is very simple.... if WDW chooses to offer slop? Go elsewhere. Grab a cab, vote with your wallet .
All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong.
Oh my. I certainly don’t need an expert to tell me if I like the food I am eating. Talking head experts for everything these days and I will continue to ignore. I have eaten at Ramsay’s restaurant in Heathrow a few times and certainly nothing special in my opinion.Why.......because we are all food critics these days!
Ever since Gordon Ramsey started yelling like a fool, everyone decided they can do the same thing sadly......
Granted it has been awhile since our last WDW trip, we are heading back in Aug and am looking forward to eating in WDW, some pretty good choices if you ask me. Are the prices a bit high, yea but then EVERY restaurant is a bit high IMPO. Considering WDW has was some 140+ places to eat, that is amazing that it works somehow, yea sometimes it is not up to ones personal par and or something went wrong, then I have yet not been to a restaurant that could be a bit better on certain things, even some 5 star dining places we have been too. If it is wrong or something is off, taste, smell, temperate or even the service then by all means speak up, in a nice way. Having worked in the industry for about 16 years in my early adult life, it is a difficult, personal way to make a living and can be VERY trying at times, so I say sit back, relax take in the WDW atmosphere and enjoy it man as you are in Disney!!!
While I do agree that the food has gone downhill over the last 10-20 years, I still think that the park food is significantly better than what you'll find at other theme parks around the country, and at the end of the day that's all Disney has to compete against. Go eat at ANY Six Flags/Cedar Fair/Busch park, and then come back and tell me how awful Disney food is.
While I do agree that the food has gone downhill over the last 10-20 years, I still think that the park food is significantly better than what you'll find at other theme parks around the country, and at the end of the day that's all Disney has to compete against. Go eat at ANY Six Flags/Cedar Fair/Busch park, and then come back and tell me how awful Disney food is.
I don't know about everyone else, but I consider the restaurants at Swan/Dolphin part of the "Disney food" we are discussing, as it's on property and easy to get to.
Not that I've eaten there.
While I do agree that the food has gone downhill over the last 10-20 years, I still think that the park food is significantly better than what you'll find at other theme parks around the country, and at the end of the day that's all Disney has to compete against. Go eat at ANY Six Flags/Cedar Fair/Busch park, and then come back and tell me how awful Disney food is.
Go across town to Universal. Years ago, I didn't think Universal's food was better, but I do now. Been going to both for many years, and Universal has, IMO, eclipsed WDW in the food department.
Okay, I am dying over here because my experience at Coral Reef was exactly like that. Now, the appetizer and kids meals were more akin to a chain restaurant (Applebee's, etc.), but their signature dish tasted exactly like a fish Lean Cuisine meal!
What ever it was was like cold glue. lol Why would anyone want that kind of queso with chips? I mean, what do you do with it?It is queso fundido at La Hacienda. Not queso the cheese sauce.
No kidding right?Been to Tony's???
Okay, I am dying over here because my experience at Coral Reef was exactly like that. Now, the appetizer and kids meals were more akin to a chain restaurant (Applebee's, etc.), but their signature dish tasted exactly like a fish Lean Cuisine meal!
What ever it was was like cold glue. lol Why would anyone want that kind of queso with chips? I mean, what do you do with it?
What ever it was was like cold glue. lol Why would anyone want that kind of queso with chips? I mean, what do you do with it?
Typically you fill warm tortillas with queso fundido and eat it that way.What ever it was was like cold glue. lol Why would anyone want that kind of queso with chips? I mean, what do you do with it?