I started this thread to let people know because as it’s been mentioned on here many times, in the past they were not doing this, and all the travel blog tell you that you can do it. And I asked if my son could eat off the kids menu before ordering and wasn’t told of the new pricing strategy until after the fact. I didn’t want others to be put on the spot like that. It does ruin a good experience. In this thread I’ve learned I’m entitled, a complainer, a bad parent and Cheap!
IMO, WDW is not your average dining experience, because most people go to WDW for more than 10hours. In general, I would not expect a standalone table service restaurant to allow an adult to order off kids' menu, because there is somewhat an understanding that each patron will spend a certain amount.
If ever I visit a TS to order less than a meal, I tell the waitperson right away. It is a customary way of letting them know I will keep things quick to allow for a quick turnaround time. Desserts are often premade, so the server can often bring them faster than an entree would arrive. This is especially helpful in a busy restaurant.
Lunch rush is a special crunch-time though. It is typically not good manners to order just dessert during that hour of the day. Much better to do desserts-only at a slow time like 2pm-4pm.
Then again, this is another way WDW is not your typical dining experience. WDW is set up so there are not really slow times of day at most WDW dining. They are fully booked.
On top of that, I'm not sure how to explain, except to say a few times at WDW, members of our family have caught some sort of stomach-thing that caused us to be sick to our stomach. Recovery = 24 hours of a bland diet. WDW TS do not offer a bland diet. EVERYTHING is fried, covered in sauce, seasoned, or has some sort of slightly unusual ingredient. Only kids are offered plan rice. so we sometimes find ourselves seeking a kid item just to get plain food.