Jiko was a HUGE disappointment!

[rwdavis2]

It's too bad that your first time was such a disappointment ... we've been to Jiko twice and the first was wonderful but the second not so much ... the food and the service were fine but I remember feeling that the meal did not live up to the more than $200 it cost ... that was for two!

We have had disappointing first time experiences at both Narcoosee's and Be Our Guest (dinner) and will not waste our time trying them again ... I guess first impressions are important!

Things like this are why we don't go overboard with dining at WDW. For the same or less money we can eat at almost a countless number of places locally, (MD/DC,VA). Between Baltimore and Washington we'll never run out of great places to eat.

 

[hertamaniac]

All 3 of us ordered the filet with the Mac & Cheese. We had to swap steaks because none of us got the steak we were supposed to. The Mac & cheese was barely warm and the steak was even cooler.

I was also extremely disappointed, not with the service, but the portion size. Sorry about the blurring.

 

[Shellyb84]

I was also extremely disappointed, not with the service, but the portion size. Sorry about the blurring.

View attachment 299174

Signature restaurants in WDW, as well as upscale restaurants in the "real world", are typically going to have smaller portions.

 

[AngiTN]

On a recent The Dis podcast it was predicted that this would be the last year of free dining. Reasoning that all the new attractions will not make it necessary to offer those types of discounts. They attribute the downhill slide of restaurants to free dining as WDW tries to make up for the lost income with limited menus and lesser ingredients.

With the prices paid at signature restaurants and even some quick service, you should never have a bad meal. Average is OK at some places but signatures should always be exceptional.

Again, if your paying signature prices and something is not correct, make it known immediately. How else can they ever fix it or even just improve? The restaurant critic in the Washington Post says to always make a problem known immediately. Most places will try to fix it and appreciate the feedback.

This is predicted every single year. Or has at least for the last 3. It has gotten much more restrictive but so far, Disney hasn't shown they plan to discontinue it. I wouldn't care either way, I know it's not a good deal in the end. I always tell people never forget Disney wouldn't offer it if Disney lost money, that it's there for their benefit, not yours. I do think they've trained their customer base to expect it and it may not go over well when it's removed. They have trained lots of folks that they are saving money with it.

As to never having a bad meal simply because you pay a lot, well, we are talking about human beings. I'm afraid they'll never be perfect. You can dislike it all you want but there will be off nights. It's called being human and imperfect.

The key is indeed to make it known. Maybe they can see what did go wrong on a specific night and tweak something here, or there, to try to stop it from happening again. Also helps them to evaluate was it a one off with one guest or an entire night with guests that were disappointed. One off with one guest? well, sometimes you aren't going to please some people, no matter what.

 

[AngiTN]

Signature restaurants in WDW, as well as upscale restaurants in the "real world", are typically going to have smaller portions.

AKA, reasonable portion sizes for 1 guest, not enough to feed 3

 

[hertamaniac]

Signature restaurants in WDW, as well as upscale restaurants in the "real world", are typically going to have smaller portions.

And the Flying Fish (the best steak I've ever had), being a signature restaurant in WDW, was about 3X the portion size of Jiko. I've eaten at plenty of signature restaurants across the US and London, but this was well below my expectation.

 

[AngiTN]

And the Flying Fish (the best steak I've ever had), being a signature restaurant in WDW, was about 3X the portion size of Jiko. I've eaten at plenty of signature restaurants across the US and London, but this was well below my expectation.

Same exact cut? As I'm sure you know, a filet will not be the same portion size on the plate as a porterhouse, for example.

 

[hertamaniac]

FF
Wagyu Strip Loin, Snake River Farms
served with your choice of Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Celeriac Risotto with Grand Marnier-Black Truffle Sauce or Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Cippolini Onions, Haricot Vert, and Sauce Foyot

Jiko
Snake River Farms Wagyu Strip Loin
Bobotie Macaroni and Cheese, Grilled Delta Asparagus, Kachumbari, South African Red Wine Sauce

Looks like the same exact cut to me.

 

[disneyvoice]

Oh no! That's such a shame. We have only been to Jill once but it was absolutely one of the very best dining experiences we have ever had. I do hope you will give it another chance. Hopefully this was just an off night.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I can't say that portions at Jiko's are smaller than FF's since I wind up with a doggy bag at both places, LOL.
Past trip, we ate at FF's twice and Jiko's once. The only reason Jiko's didn't get a return visit had to do with travel distance from our hotel.

 

[Airb330]

OP- I'm sorry, that doesn't sound like a great dining experience, signature or not. As others have said, signatures should definitely be above and beyond the typical TS and sometimes they are not.

It really does sound like an off night to me. My husband and I love African/Indian flavors that Jiko highlights; I've even spent a month in Africa and a month in India. However, we both felt our meals were "just OK." We'll go back sometime but we are in no rush. Sometimes a venue/meal just doesn't wow, and that's OK. However, in the OPs case it really sounds like bad service and something that could have and should have been fixed. Our experience wasn't bad but there was nothing to single out either. Sometimes meals are just like that.

Not to step in it, but I find the signature portion sizes to be relatively decent. I will say "wagyu" strip loin seems to be all the rage on WDW menus lately. I have noticed some are way larger and some more filet-like across property (Tiffins, Jiko, etc). It's strange, almost like they are using different cuts of meat at different signatures?

 

[AngiTN]

Maybe each head chef has some control over the grade they order? Different grades, different sizes? No idea, just a stab in the dark.
DH ordered the filet at Jiko and I can't recall his portion honestly but I know he wasn't hungry afterwards, and he's a big eater.

 

[smiths02]

As to never having a bad meal simply because you pay a lot, well, we are talking about human beings. I'm afraid they'll never be perfect. You can dislike it all you want but there will be off nights. It's called being human and imperfect.

The key is indeed to make it known. Maybe they can see what did go wrong on a specific night and tweak something here, or there, to try to stop it from happening again. Also helps them to evaluate was it a one off with one guest or an entire night with guests that were disappointed. One off with one guest? well, sometimes you aren't going to please some people, no matter what.

For me, I would prefer being asked to give feedback versus spending time complaining or flagging down people. I am definitely not a speak to the manager type of person (I'm not saying that in a disparaging way, I often wish I was more assertive). I will write reviews or communicate later if something was off. My DH has a worry about sending food back ever.

I can think of two restaurants that we go to that have price points about 1/2 of Disney signature entrees (with bigger portions) that we have talked to a manger every single time, not to complain, but because the manager has asked us what we need. I don't understand why any place charging $40-50 for most entrees would not care enough to seek feedback and check on guests.

 

[pigletgirl]

I'm sorry Jiko didn't live up to its expectation. We had a phenomenal meal their in Dec 2016. Let your disappointment subside and give it another chance.

 

[wdw&sonny]

On a related note, how come no restaurant puts a simple evaluation survey on the receipt? We all have to use a pen to add the tip and sign. The tip is the only thing in writing that gives any indication as to how we felt about our dining experience. Why not just add a simple "Rate your service 1 2 3 4 5" and "Rate the food 1 2 3 4 5". A quick circle as you add tip and sign and the manager could evaluate the servers as well as the chefs. Consistently poor ratings would help the manager address issues. Unless a customary vocalizes their compliments or disappointment, the manager has no idea if they are providing a good experience. The only real feedback is if the restaurant is full. Many people are timid (like the OP) and would not complain but would tolerate poor service and poor food but just not return. But, almost everyone would be willing to provide feedback, when asked.
Doesn't that seem like something that some restaurant would want to do?

 

[NYCgrrl]

After every trip I get a survey emailed to me from Disney that covers restaurants specifically and the property in general. It's quite detailed with more questions than you'll find on a receipt. I thought everyone got one.

 

[crabbygal902]

I am sorry your experience was not just 'meh' but kinda bad. There is no excuse at those prices for that. Our first experience with a signature was underwhelming, Hollywood Brown Derby for Thanksgiving lunch. We were so looking forward to it.

 

[carlandellie31]

Were you by any chance in that wine room off to the side?

Jiko was our most favorite restaurant on property, then we went for the hub's birthday last year and it was the worst meal we had all week. They sat us in that off-shoot room and, honestly, it felt like the practice room. Our server was so...so...slow and inattentive, just like you're saying. We didn't even stay for dessert. Super disappointing for a special birthday dinner at our heretofore favorite restaurant.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

My new rule is "run by Disney = RUN!"

The quality and service are either bad or inconsistent. I am sticking to Disney Springs and other restaurants where the managers actually work for someone besides the mouse! The "charge more, provide less' model of Disney dining has pretty much turned me off.

 

[Lisa F]

Jiko has been on my bucket list for years and finally desided to give it a try. 3 nights ago I dined at Jiko with my daughter and best friend. We were disappointed from the beginning of our experience until the end. We arrived early for our reservation and still waited 30 minutes past our reservation time. Our waiter, Benjamin, was incredibly inattentive. We waited for everything from water to bread to wine to getting our bill. I am not the kind of person that ever sends food back but this meal would certainly have been the exception, (if Benjamin had ever come to the table to check on the satisfaction of our meals). All 3 of us ordered the filet with the Mac & Cheese. We had to swap steaks because none of us got the steak we were supposed to. The Mac & cheese was barely warm and the steak was even cooler. We finally ate because no one came near our table after our meals were delivered. Our total bill was $237.00 and it is honestly the worst money I have ever spent at Disney!! Won’t be giving Jiko a second chance.
We went to Citricos last night where the service was impeccable and the filet was pure perfection!

write to Disney about it.

I had a similar experience at Narcoossees, awful food that couldn't be fixed due to nonexistent server. They took care of me. That's unacceptable.