Why isn't the food better at WDW?

[vacationer1954]

WDW is following Prison culinary practices (you are here and not going anywhere so put it in your mouth and shut your yap).

This has nothing to do with prisons or anything like that. It is something movie theaters had been doing for well over seventy-five years. There, they even banned outside food entirely, something Disney doesn't do.

https://www.mbaskool.com/business-concepts/marketing-and-strategy-terms/11828-captive-market.html

 

[disneyfav4ever]

We think the food is very good in Disney. QS has definitely gotten better in the past few years, and TS is the same if not better, and we've gone enough to know which restaurants we don't enjoy.

 

[eva]

We have been going to WDW at least yearly since 1995. The food those first 10 or so years was pretty darn good, even in the 1 credit TS. Which of course were not 1 credit TS at the time, since there was no dining plan. Then they introduced the dining plan in 2005. That started the decline of most 1 credit TS restaurants. Then WDW started introducing free dining at select times of the year. Let’s just say as DVC members, we avoid free dining like the plague. People who pay for dining during that time are paying for some of the worst food I have ever eaten at WDW. We have even talked to CMs who say that Disney buys cheaper product and often changes the menus during that timeframe to reduce cost. The signature restaurants have been able to stand up to some of this and still offer some pretty good food, since you have to use two credits to eat there. If you know where to go and what to order, you can still get a decent meal at WDW. We usually eat breakfast in the room and a light lunch around the pool or QS in a park. QS is really pretty basic to me. I would just say it is just ok. I do like Flaming Tree and a couple places in EPCOT. For dinner we normally go to DS or a resort signature.

 

[maxiesmom]

I think the food is good, for the most part. Quick service is what it is, food made very quickly and handed out just as quickly.

I've never had a sit down meal I thought was bad. There are many places I really enjoy, so many that I can't fit them all in to any one trip. La Hacienda, California Grill, Le Ceiller, Kona Cafe, Via Napoli, The Crystal Palace, 50's Prime Time, I could go on and on.

 

[NYCgrrl]

We have been going to WDW at least yearly since 1995. The food those first 10 or so years was pretty darn good, even in the 1 credit TS. Which of course were not 1 credit TS at the time, since there was no dining plan. Then they introduced the dining plan in 2005. That started the decline of most 1 credit TS restaurants. Then WDW started introducing free dining at select times of the year. Let’s just say as DVC members, we avoid free dining like the plague. People who pay for dining during that time are paying for some of the worst food I have ever eaten at WDW. We have even talked to CMs who say that Disney buys cheaper product and often changes the menus during that timeframe to reduce cost. The signature restaurants have been able to stand up to some of this and still offer some pretty good food, since you have to use two credits to eat there. If you know where to go and what to order, you can still get a decent meal at WDW. We usually eat breakfast in the room and a light lunch around the pool or QS in a park. QS is really pretty basic to me. I would just say it is just ok. I do like Flaming Tree and a couple places in EPCOT. For dinner we normally go to DS or a resort signature.

Agreed.

 

[GPC0321]

I tend to take the food for what it is. If it's quick service in the parks, I have "fast food" expectations. If what I get meets those expectations, I'm satisfied. If it exceeds those expectations, I'm pleasantly surprised. If it fails to meet McDonald's level of expectations, then that's an issue, but I haven't experienced that at all. Most of the time my expectations are exceeded...and a lot of it honestly has to do with how hungry I am at the time. I enjoyed my burger at Pecos Bill's last summer because (1) I was starving and hot so sitting down in AC and eating was much appreciated..and (2) I put stuff from the fixin's bar on my burger and it was pretty tasty! Again...I wasn't looking for a fine dining experience, just needed sustenance and it hit the spot!

My table service experiences thus far have all been pretty good. Via Napoli, Biergarten, Grand Floridian Cafe, and Boma were all delicious. Sanaa was not my cup o' tea, but that wasn't the restaurant's fault at all. It was my first time trying Indian food and I think another dish would have been a better fit. It gets high enough reviews that I assume it is good for what it is.

I will say, though, that one of the things I really love about staying at the GF is that it's so easy to take midday breaks, grab lunch either at Gaspy's or the Beaches pool bar, and have a relaxing meal (Hello...lobster sliders and house-made chips by the pool? Or maybe a chicken and brie sandwich at a peaceful umbrella table overlooking the marina with the castle in the distance? Yes please!)

 

[Toolulu22]

While on occasion we’ll grab a burger and fries type meal, we usually try to eat more nutritious meals, even while on vacation. We have have eaten at several TS and a few QS places throughout the years. I agree that overall quality within the parks is not the best and we avoid eating meals there. If we get hungry, we’ll grab things like yogurt or fruit slices or something similar to hold us over until our meal. Many of our TS meals have been enjoyable- Ohana, Chefs du France, Teppen Edo to name a few.

We prefer to stay in a villa with a kitchen so that we can cook breakfast, as granola bars and cereal are not substantial enough as a meal for us. We’ll cook up some eggs and have a hot and filling meal before heading out for the day, one that will keep us full until well into early afternoon. At some point we’ll treat ourselves to a fun snack like a pretzel or churro depending what park we’re in, grab light lunch, and we’ll have an early dinner (4 or 5) at a TS restaurant.

Our upcoming trip will be our first on the DDP. We are changing up our strategy specifically because we would like to try a bunch of different restaurants and snacks. One thing we’re planning is to eat/drink our way around EPCOT over the course of our trip- so some of our QS meals will likely be converted to snack credits so that we can sample some goodies in each of the countries.

I’m looking forward to this experiment in Disney eating and foods and how my opinion may change for the positive or negative.

 

[RealBlast3]

I have no "natural skills" in the kitchen so who am I to talk but I am consistently underwhelmed, even disappointed, with the meals at WDW. I've had a mediocre lobster salad roll in MK, a terrible burger in HS, and a run of the mill carrot cake on the Boardwalk. I can't honestly remember the last time I was wow'd by anything culinary in the resorts, parks or DS. Now if you were say, at my house, this would be expected. But there's so much talent there, so much opportunity for great food, why is that not a priority?
Don't want to play the money card but truth is, the food ain't cheap. I believe Disney strives for excellence in so many things, why isn't the food one of those things?

I haven't read this entire thread and am only responding to the opening post here but I couldn't disagree more with your post. I literally GO to Disney for the food and think it's up there with the best I've ever had. I only go to their sit down restaurants though. You don't get specific over what kind of eateries you had this food in and I would agree many of their quick-service eateries are mediocre (though not all of them) but then, to me, that is essentially "fast food", so it is to be expected. But the vast majority of their sit-down restaurants in the resorts to the parks range from good to outstanding in all my trips over the last 15 years.

 

[summermac]

As a whole, theme park food is theme park food is theme park food and Disney isn't much different than other places. That said, we spent 3 days at Cedar Point last summer and didn't have a single even what I would consider decent meal in the park at all. I'm not even close to being a foodie so for it not be decent (for me) it's gotta be pretty bad. LOL

 

[vinotinto]

They are feeding THOUSANDS of people per day, so, of course, many meals will feel average and mass produced. Having said that, we gravitate towards ethnic food, both at home and at WDW. We’ve had plenty of GREAT meals at WDW, so yes, they can be had.

Some of the best:
Cali Grill
Skipper’s Canteen
Tiffin’s
ALL of Morocco (Spice Road, Tangierine Cafe, Marrakesh)
Jiko
Sanaa

We stay away from stuff that is done en masse, like burgers.

 

[LaidBackDad]

free dining promotions killed the food quality and service at WDW

Not just the free dinner but the whole Disney Dining Plan destroys the food at WDW. The chefs have no incentive to be inspired and create new dishes and everything has to fit into the “price point box” that the DDP requires. The “prepaid” aspect and “credits” make it nearly impossible to refund a meal or discount partial credit if the food is subpar so there is no need to strive for quality or consistency.

Those are just a few of the reasons but there are many more why the DDP has secured the demise of a quality dining experience at WDW.

 

[gharter]

Not just the free dinner but the whole Disney Dining Plan destroys the food at WDW. The chefs have no incentive to be inspired and create new dishes and everything has to fit into the “price point box” that the DDP requires. The “prepaid” aspect and “credits” make it nearly impossible to refund a meal or discount partial credit if the food is subpar so there is no need to strive for quality or consistency.

Those are just a few of the reasons but there are many more why the DDP has secured the demise of a quality dining experience at WDW.

I was just going to post this same idea.
We have been going for over 25 years.
The food at the Signature Restaurants used to be truely amazing. While I feel it is still very good, it seems that once they started the DDP, they dumbed down and simplified many of the menus. On one hand, I understand why. You now have more people who want to go to those restaurants (they have the crdits from the DDP), but may not be adventurous about food, so you homogenize the menu. For those of us who enjoyed the more adventurous menu, we lose. Utlimately, its comes down to numbers and the majority don't want that type of food, even if they are going to "that type " of restaurant.

 

[vacationer1954]

I think the problem is that there are different types of signature restaurants. Whatever they're called, there are some restaurants on property that are truly fine dining, and probably just as many as twenty years ago. Instead of Artist Point, now we have Tiffins. And for others that have recently been or will soon be lost to the dark side (of character meals), maybe Three Bridges Bar & Grill and Topolino's Terrace will fit the bill. With the exception of Christmastime, the one thing I don't think anyone could have honestly said is that there aren't any reservations available that night at any of the truly fine dining restaurants on property. The fine dining issue is simply people wanting to move the restaurants around to their liking instead of moving themselves around to put themselves into one of the truly fine dining restaurants. I assure you, it is easier to move people than to move buildings.

 

[skullsplitter]

Let's have some of the WDW Restaurants get rescued! Chef Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Robert Irvine's Restaurant Impossible, and Jon Taffer's Bar Rescue all doing a different WDW restaurant. There is ratings gold there somewhere.

 

[BrianL]

I wouldn't even call their pizzas edible, let alone decent, not even the specialty ones. BTW, their crust, sauce, etc. Is the same recipe as the round ones at WDW.

Well, I think it's fine. The food at DLR is generally much better than at WDW, especially QS stuff.

 

[tex1989]

Well, I think it's fine. The food at DLR is generally much better than at WDW, especially QS stuff.

We have been to WDW 40 plus times and only made it to DLR a couple of times. Being the semi planner on our trips to DLR I of course thought okay I gotta make the ADR's etc. What I found was getting reservations was at least on our trips relatively easy compared to WDW. I tried to reconcile that in my mind and read some other DLR boards. Right or wrong what I came to believe was that dinning was not as important there as it was at WDW. What I mean is that it was not as much of a destination as WDW. DLR has a lot of people that come for the day and don't want to slow down and take 1-2 hours out of there park visit for a sit down meal. So QS is better cause more folks eat it. Others have commented here that they treat you as a captive and you have no choice but to eat on property therefore quality will suffer. Taking that further I am sure that WDW serves thousands of more meals than they do in California. More people in California stay offsite and have more options. Not sure if DLR even has a dining plan, I am sure some one here will let me know. I think as a result at DLR they have to more competative to attract the diners while in Florida they may slack off a little. No facts, just my opinion so that when I hear DLR has better food, I just kind of say, "I can see that".

 

[BrianL]

We have been to WDW 40 plus times and only made it to DLR a couple of times. Being the semi planner on our trips to DLR I of course thought okay I gotta make the ADR's etc. What I found was getting reservations was at least on our trips relatively easy compared to WDW. I tried to reconcile that in my mind and read some other DLR boards. Right or wrong what I came to believe was that dinning was not as important there as it was at WDW. What I mean is that it was not as much of a destination as WDW. DLR has a lot of people that come for the day and don't want to slow down and take 1-2 hours out of there park visit for a sit down meal. So QS is better cause more folks eat it. Others have commented here that they treat you as a captive and you have no choice but to eat on property therefore quality will suffer. Taking that further I am sure that WDW serves thousands of more meals than they do in California. More people in California stay offsite and have more options. Not sure if DLR even has a dining plan, I am sure some one here will let me know. I think as a result at DLR they have to more competative to attract the diners while in Florida they may slack off a little. No facts, just my opinion so that when I hear DLR has better food, I just kind of say, "I can see that".

I think you're pretty much right about the reasons. There are lots of options near DLR so the quality needs to be higher. Also, I think California leans toward better food and fresher ingredients, so I think that's baked in. I think WDW has plenty of good food too, but for QS DLR is a bit better for sure when comparing the basics - burger to burger or pizza to pizza.

 

[Sandiz08]

I don’t think food is terrible at the world, certainly some restaurants can improve. One of the best meals I’ve ever had was at Cinderella’s royal table. We tend to eat at sit down restaurants though. Now Atlantis in the Bahamas, that place should have better food. I think Disney wins the food category amongst most theme park / resort companies who have to serve hundreds of thousands of people on an everyday basis.

 

[Disneypro1]

We think the food is very good in Disney. QS has definitely gotten better in the past few years, and TS is the same if not better, and we've gone enough to know which restaurants we don't enjoy.

I agree. The food is fine. No complaints. DL I’ll say is better. But I think DLR is better across the board. Not just food. I’ll give WDW a B+ for food. DL. A

 

[PK Disney Dork]

For all those that are lambasting WDW for poor restaurant meals...I'm curious what criteria you use to define what is "bad"?

I will agree that there are a number of simply fair to mediocre dining options, especially in MK, I would say while I may not enjoy what many other establishments have to offer I can admit that even in the majority of those the actual quality of the food is above par.

My wife is an executive in the high end restaurant industry so I am privy to some very discerning pallets. As such I can say with a certain level of authority that as many others have mentioned there are far more very good TS options than those I would deem as inedible.