Yuck On The Kid's Menus

[bicker]

cute kids

My brother thanks you.

Honestly, as a consumer, I am not concerned with what is best for Disney.

Indeed, what you are concerned about is what you can reasonable expect, and that requires understanding what is best for Disney.

 

[deltachi8]

The title of this thread: "Yuck On The Kid's Menus" is a common sentiment. Look at the overwhelming number of posts that agree, and the many, many threads on the same subject here and on other Disney boards. I don't believe this is just a vocal minority. For every person on here that is expressing their displeasure, there are probably thousands of other Disney guests that are also displeased with the kids' menu choices.

Posts on a message board are hardly an objective, quantitative measurement of guest satisfaction. If one is judging the success or failure of the kids menus by posts on an internet message board, they really do not have any sound data to go by.

Disney, on the other hand, will have actual data that is compiled through a scientific validated process. If, through this data the company sees that changes made are adversely effecting company revenues, profits, etc. then changes are made. This was already done as the original "new" menus have been tweaked.

 

[Madi100]

Posts on a message board are hardly an objective, quantitative measurement of guest satisfaction. If one is judging the success or failure of the kids menus by posts on an internet message board, they really do not have any sound data to go by.

Disney, on the other hand, will have actual data that is compiled through a scientific validated process. If, through this data the company sees that changes made are adversely effecting company revenues, profits, etc. then changes are made. This was already done as the original "new" menus have been tweaked.

How does Disney actually know we hate the food choices? When we go to WDW, we won't complain. We won't offer an opinion, because the people serviing the food are just doing that, serving it. They didn't choose to serve that particular food. Most of the guests have no choice but to go with the dining that Disney puts out there for them.

Can you imagine how much outrage there would be from people if they did that to the adult menu? Look at the World Showcase. All those wonderful restaurants, but we are given the same five options at all of them, except for one dish. How appealing would that be??

 

[Tiiiigergirl]

If Disney is able to actually put together more healthy meals less expensively than junk I'll be very surprised. All I know is that when I try to really clean up my lifestyle it is MUCH more expensive. Cookies cost a few pennies to bake. I can grow a few of my own veggies in summer but the rest of the year I'm paying through the nose.

Also, I've noticed that when I'm eating more healthily, I really have to spend some money if I want a lot of variety. I can pick up some chicken but if I want to add some fish or leaner cuts of beef and spices to replace the taste that the fat gives them. You get the point.

Healthy eating = more expense in my experience. Disney has already stated that they were promoting healthy eating (someone earlier on another thread put up the link where Disney was not going to promote fast food and wanted better kids meals in the parks.)

But that is where I still don't ever buy the argument that Disney could not put more variety into their menus and not raise costs significantly.

Many of the parents make comments like it is vacation so I'll let them have a treat or something of that nature. Keep the healthy options, add another item or two of less healthy options and then let the parents decide what to feed their kids at each individual meal.

Every time I open one of these threads on kids meals I see a common theme.

Choice Choice Choice

 

[jessica52877]

I do think CS kids meals at disney are lacking BUT DS does not enjoy chicken nuggets, hot dogs or mac and cheese too much. Not to mention the 2x last trip I ordered him a hot dog it looked so wierd I couldn't blame him for not touching it. As far as TS menus I feel they have made the options so much better EXCEPT for the fact I wish more of it was ala carte, my son usually cares for a more adultish meal, but there are always weird things that go with it when we would like simple apple slices (without cinnamon) or something of the like. I don't even remember desserts since we don't tend to order them. Since we have always had free dining we skip alot of appetizers and desserts, if I were paying DDP is not for us.

 

[Katiebell]

Actually, that's not really it, or at best, that's a third-order consideration. Rather, two things primarily drive my comments:

(1) I abhor bias, and online discussions are almost always biased against the supplier. I tend to provide balance to discussions where I feel that there is a terrible imbalance of perspective.

(2) I feel guests are best-served by having well-founded expectations and being delighted when they get something extra, rather than having unfounded expectations and being disappointed when the reality doesn't live up to those expectations.

Ah...so you play Devil's Advocate AND you are a suit? Naw, seriously, it's refreshing to see your perspective from the company's POV. Your responses are often right on the money, even if I have to occasionally translate them from "corporate-speak" to layman's terms. Especially on the "well, why CAN'T I get a filet mignon at Casey's for my three year old and my sister who didn't even come with us during Free Dining?" type posts. Now, those are unfounded expectations. Expecting appetizing, appealing meals for our children with at least a little variety is a very reasonable expectation. But then it comes down to: what exactly is appetizing and appealing? Not everyone will agree.

Are you suggesting that Disney isn't being fair?

Loaded question, but um...no, sometimes they aren't. Enormous, money-making, unstoppable juggernaut companies are not always fair to their customers. The difference: some of those companies rarely are -- and most of the time, Disney is. My statement, "But they also have to be fair to the customers, and listen and respond to customer concerns, needs, and wants" was about companies in general, not about Disney specifically.

The reality is that that companies need to come to understand their customers, but that includes both learning what does drive their purchasing behaviors and what doesn't -- and for things that don't, we shouldn't expect companies to make any changes regarding those things.

Ah, but Disney has figured out what drives customer's purchasing behaviors. They tend to stay on site and prefer not to venture out into the chaotic traffic around the WDW area. They take advantage of the ME, so they don't have a rental car to leave anyway. They buy the kids' CS meals expecting something at least comparable to a fast food meal their child would normally enjoy. They buy the Dining Plan because it's a good deal, and even if they aren't thrilled with the kids' CS meals they aren't likely to complain because it was a package deal and they are too anxious to get back to the parks, and their TS ADR for dinner, which should be better than lunch was. So, unless those who are unhappy with the kids' CS meals contact Disney directly, and express their displeasure, and make it clear that the kids' meals are making them think twice about the Dining Plan, and maybe they'll eat off site...or check out those great restaurants at Universal...then, nope, Disney may not change a thing. Sounds like at least a few folks are contacting them, though.

Don't let our comments make you think that. Note what we actually say -- we never say that a customer shouldn't FEEL a certain way.

OK, I won't let your comments make me think that. But they sometimes make me FEEL that

Neither do I feel my position is as unbalanced, one-sided, or inaccurate, but I bet you do. I aim to present reality.

You do...you present corporate reality. I present consumer reality. And both are correct, depending on who you serve, and where you are sitting. You said that online discussions are almost always biased against the supplier. That's because the people who are discussing are the consumers. If you went to a company board meeting (which I'm sure you've attended a few), then the discussion is often biased against the consumer -- "how can we make more and spend less and provide less, yet not to the point that they run away to another company?"

From working as a company representative, I do understand the business perspective, and often must uphold it, if the company is in the right. However, from doing customer service, I can't help but be the consumer's advocate and see their POV. And if I feel the company is not being fair to the customer, I present the facts to management and hope they will be fair. Sometimes they see my point, and they give the customer a break. Other times, they hold their position, and the customer gets the short end of the stick. Win some, lose some, find another windmill with which to tilt. But this is why I chose not to go into management.

 

[Forevryoung]

I think this thread is facinating. I will state one thing- I do not have children of my own.

If you know your kids are going to be disappointed with the kids meals or aren't going to like them enough to eat them, why not pay for an adult meal for two of them to share? Nobody is saying anyone HAS to get anything (you just cant use a kids meal credit for that adult meal).

Who cares what the kids meals are like? If you don't like them for your kids, don't give them to your kids. I don't see it, what's the big deal?


(suggestion, use the extra child CS credits for breakfasts and you will be fine)

 

[bicker]

Especially on the "well, why CAN'T I get a filet mignon at Casey's for my three year old and my sister who didn't even come with us during Free Dining?" type posts. Now, those are unfounded expectations. Expecting appetizing, appealing meals for our children with at least a little variety is a very reasonable expectation. But then it comes down to: what exactly is appetizing and appealing? Not everyone will agree.

Exactly The meals offered NOW are appetizing, appealing and there is a little variety. You just want them to be more appetizing, more appealing and there to be more variety. What is reasonable still falls back to what is necessary to foster the best interests of the owners long-term, not necessarily what matches any guest's personal criteria.

Loaded question, but um...no, sometimes they aren't. Enormous, money-making, unstoppable juggernaut companies are not always fair to their customers.

Nothing is "always". Beyond that, I submit to you that customers are fair to suppliers substantially less often than suppliers are fair to customers. What a lot of customers perceive as unfair is indeed very fair, fair to both sides, rather than what the customer is actually aiming for, an unfair advantage in their favor.

Ah, but Disney has figured out what drives customer's purchasing behaviors.

Absolutely, and so it is unreasonable to expect them not to use that information to benefit their owners' long-term interests. They provide services that, altogether, provided the best long-term results they can. And guests need to know what the ramifications are of that, so they can know what to expect, which is why it is important for us not to leave that information out of our advice here on the boards (a la those who do "not care about Disney's side of things").

You do...you present corporate reality. I present consumer reality. And both are correct, depending on who you serve, and where you are sitting.

I was going to agree, but then I thought, no, not really. When we're talking about what's "fair" -- that's a matter of opinion, and so yes, everyone is "correct". However, when we're talking about what to expect, then the consumer perspective isn't constructive, IMHO. Reality beat fantasy when managing expectations.

You said that online discussions are almost always biased against the supplier. That's because the people who are discussing are the consumers.

And they're not well-served by getting together and fostering unfounded indignation at the fact that businesses aren't kowtowing to every consumer preference.

If you went to a company board meeting (which I'm sure you've attended a few), then the discussion is often biased against the consumer -- "how can we make more and spend less and provide less, yet not to the point that they run away to another company?"

That's not "biased against". That's right-down-the-middle, what corporations are required to do by law, and now, after Enron and with Sarbanes-Oxley, pretty-much under threat if they DON'T do.

A bias against customers, just like a bias against companies, would necessarily involve unfounded expectations. So, "The customers should be willing to pay $10 for each child meal, but they're not. They seem to not realize what is involved, so they're only willing to pay $4." That's a bias against customers.

From working as a company representative, I do understand the business perspective, and often must uphold it, if the company is in the right. However, from doing customer service, I can't help but be the consumer's advocate and see their POV.

In my job, I am the customer advocate looking forward to future enhancements. Due to how short-handed we are, often there is no one else. There is a way to advocate for the customer, and still maintain reasonable expectations. As a matter of fact, with full knowledge of the considerations on both sides of the equation, I'm uniquely placed to expeditiously enhance our offerings, without all the time that customer advocates who don't understand the limitations that come from the business side of the equation waste. (Having started out as the customer for what we sell helps me, to be sure.) Whether you're willing to admit it or not, I bet you actually do both, as well, in your industry.

The question is whether you'll start doing the same with regard to Disney.

 

[bicker]

If you know your kids are going to be disappointed with the kids meals or aren't going to like them enough to eat them, why not pay for an adult meal for two of them to share?

For us, it's a matter of money. My brothers hate WDW because it is expensive. My wife and I drag the kids there, all of them, substantially on our dime, especially for the hotel and meals, so my brothers don't have much to cringe about, but if all the money was coming out of their pockets, I think I'd hear a lot more complaints about how much things cost.

(See how deftly I switched sides for a minute? Of course, it was only by proxy...)

 

[Madi100]

I think this thread is facinating. I will state one thing- I do not have children of my own.

If you know your kids are going to be disappointed with the kids meals or aren't going to like them enough to eat them, why not pay for an adult meal for two of them to share? Nobody is saying anyone HAS to get anything (you just cant use a kids meal credit for that adult meal).

Who cares what the kids meals are like? If you don't like them for your kids, don't give them to your kids. I don't see it, what's the big deal?


(suggestion, use the extra child CS credits for breakfasts and you will be fine)

Well, because to get my kids to agree on anything is a huge ordeal. They get along great. OR they hate each other. It seems to be a common thread among siblings. I envy those that have perfect children that are buddies all the time. I have two sisters. One of the, we'd share. The other one, we'd say the opposite of what the other one said just so they knew that we didn't like like each other. Usually at meal time at WDW it's time for a break. And, I'm not trying to argue the point, I've thought about that myself - having them share. But, I have to be realistic.

 

[Madi100]

If Disney is able to actually put together more healthy meals less expensively than junk I'll be very surprised. All I know is that when I try to really clean up my lifestyle it is MUCH more expensive. Cookies cost a few pennies to bake. I can grow a few of my own veggies in summer but the rest of the year I'm paying through the nose.

Also, I've noticed that when I'm eating more healthily, I really have to spend some money if I want a lot of variety. I can pick up some chicken but if I want to add some fish or leaner cuts of beef and spices to replace the taste that the fat gives them. You get the point.

Healthy eating = more expense in my experience. Disney has already stated that they were promoting healthy eating (someone earlier on another thread put up the link where Disney was not going to promote fast food and wanted better kids meals in the parks.)

But that is where I still don't ever buy the argument that Disney could not put more variety into their menus and not raise costs significantly.

Many of the parents make comments like it is vacation so I'll let them have a treat or something of that nature. Keep the healthy options, add another item or two of less healthy options and then let the parents decide what to feed their kids at each individual meal.

Every time I open one of these threads on kids meals I see a common theme.

Choice Choice Choice

If Disney is trying to go healthy, they are failing horribly, I believe. My kids love grilled chicken, and while one will probably eat it on pizza, the other one won't. Neither of them likes fish and it could be because I can't even stand the smell of it, so we don't have it. Some of the "odd" healthy choices that Disney is throwing out there are just not appealing. So, by Disney trying to take away the fast food and promote healthy eating, essentially they are having my children eat hog dogs and Mac n Cheese for a week. How healthy is that? If that Mac N Cheese is made from scratch we'll give them something. However, I'm sure it's not. I just think that if they wanted to go healthy they could have decided to do that by offering whole wheat bread on their PB&J. They could have also offered that on both hamburgers and a grilled cheese sandwich.

 

[bicker]

I don't think Disney is "trying to go healthy" but rather is "trying to show appropriate deference to public institutions expressing concern about big companies and the healthfulness of the food options they make available for children." It's a longer sentence , but gets across that more technical reality of what is driving these changes, I think.

And this really shows why we should all always be extra vigilant about the power we're effectively given these institutions, when we feel outrage based on their fear-mongering. From artificial sweeteners to the latest sexual misconduct accusation to the big bad wolf on Wall Street, every time we let ourselves be manipulated into outrage by the media we're feeding the frenzy that now has folks filling dozens of pages on the DIS talking about gelatin. We should react to court verdicts, not accusations. We should react to surgeon general's warnings, not individual research studies, individual physicians, or anecdotal experiences.

 

[dawnball]

For sure they should be able to provide regular gelatin as well as SF for the same cost. And they also make regular and SF puddings in a variety of flavors: rice, cinnamon raisin rice, tapioca, chocolate, vanilla, banana, butterscotch, coffee, and a couple of varieties of flan (which might be an interesting alternate option at Pirata y Perico or the Cantina).

To add regular gelatin you need to:
Have a place to keep it where it's easy to identify if a CS worker is grabbing regular or sugar free without looking.
Have a place to store it. (with the usual requirements for ensuring turn)
Have an easy visual check for the counter worker.
Have a good idea how much regular vs sugar free gelatin you're going to need on any given day (as well as other periods)
Program a different button on the cash register (which can be more or less intensive based on exactly what systems are involved - but probably takes a non-trivial amount of time) - and that's assuming that you have room for another button
Have the CMs double check if someone wants regular or sugar free jello because sugar free is currently the default but with-sugar is likely to be the more popular option if there's a choice

As you add more choices (multiple pudding flavors) those problems get more complex.

In addition - people take longer to make decisions when they have more choices. That's more people standing at the cash register saying "and for dessert we'll have.. ummm.. umm.. chocolate pudding! NONO!.. ummmm.. rice... noo... Jello!" "regular or sugar free?" "What flavors does it come in?"

A surfeit of choices is actually debilitating at some point. An average american is capable of deciding between 3 choices fairly easily. As you add choices - decision times go up rapidly and satisfaction with their choice goes down.

If you're deciding for someone else (parents ordering for their children) or in a group (parents trying to relay options to children or to help them make choices) then multi-part options (entree, drink, dessert) is significantly more complex than it is if you're doing it for yourself. You have to relay the options, possibly discuss them, remember the option your child selected, and then know enough about the decision to answer any last-minute questions.

Small children are best with 2 options and do better without having to make serial options (Mac and cheese or hot dog? is easy. Mac and cheese or hot dog? Carrots or grapes? is a little harder. Mac and cheese or hot dog? Carrots or grapes? chocolate pudding or jello? is even harder). The more serial decisions a child has to make the more likely they are to be stressed about the situation as a whole and to regret prior choices.

That's a large part of why CS menus are designed they way they are. They want to give variety while limiting decision making.

Full service dining is more oriented toward taking longer to make decisions and being uncertain of their final decisions so that they return to try other options. Counter service just needs to move people through rapidly and for them to be happy with their selection so that they have a good overall perception of the theme park experience.

 

[Family5LovesDisney]

Our family of five, purchased the DDP for our vacation this past January. We have three children (one was an adult by Disney standards) Thank goodness for AllEars.net and their menu postings. If I hadn't read through them all, we probably would have wasted an hour or more each day walking from one CS to another CS trying to find one CS place that had something on the children's menu that EVERYONE would eat. My boys were not interested in "chilled" chicken (I wouldn't be either) Bangers and Mash, or Mac and Cheese. I have one that would eat a hot dog and one that would rather die then eat one. It was quite a challenge to find just one CS in each park where everyone could be happy. We threw away a lot of sugar free jello, moldy grapes, and soggy carrots (and then learned to ask for french fries instead of either the grapes or carrots) This being said, the DDP was still a great value and my children did much better with most of the TS restaurants.

 

[bicker]

That's a large part of why CS menus are designed they way they are. They want to give variety while limiting decision making.

Interesting; I wonder if that's why Cosmic Ray's is structured as it is, with three Bays, with food from each Bay only displayed on the menu for that Bay.

 

[missmouse1975]

I am thrilled to have free DDP this fall for the sake of my kids. They both have developed palates and love to eat "kid" food, but not every day. (We had sushi last night, having crab legs and steak for dinner, both love salmon, asparagus...). The DDP will allow us to order kids meals, but I will get far more food than I can ever eat, so kids can raid off of my plate.

However, I feel for the parents of "picky" eaters. It must be hard to find something for everyone. What about bringing items into park to snack on so when you get to the restaurant they don't need a full meal? Or can you request that the kitchen makes a tiny version of an adult meal? And those buffets can work wonders...

This debate has strong arguments on both sides - we eat healthy at home, almost without exception - so when we go this fall, it is no holds barred. If my kids want dessert after every meal it can only last a week....

 

[Family5LovesDisney]

I am thrilled to have free DDP this fall for the sake of my kids. They both have developed palates and love to eat "kid" food, but not every day. (We had sushi last night, having crab legs and steak for dinner, both love salmon, asparagus...). The DDP will allow us to order kids meals, but I will get far more food than I can ever eat, so kids can raid off of my plate.

However, I feel for the parents of "picky" eaters. It must be hard to find something for everyone. What about bringing items into park to snack on so when you get to the restaurant they don't need a full meal? Or can you request that the kitchen makes a tiny version of an adult meal? And those buffets can work wonders...

This debate has strong arguments on both sides - we eat healthy at home, almost without exception - so when we go this fall, it is no holds barred. If my kids want dessert after every meal it can only last a week....

The table service restaurants had great selections for the kids and the buffet meals allowed them to gorge on lots of fresh fruit (not just moldy grapes) and crisp veggies (no soggy carrot sticks)

We ate a healthy breakfast in the room so start off our day and they had a good dinner each night. The DDP was an excellent value and I would purchase it again!

 

[livie1205]

not to try to break up this debate about if it is healthy or not why not just if you are going while they have free dining buy the kids adult tickets and they get adult dining plan free...if your not thenn just upgrade the kids to jr. it is worth the extra cost if the food on the kids menu is yucky (it is) i will never get my kids the kids ddp again...i will not eat steak and cake while my kids eat cold chicken and jello.

 

[Katiebell]

Hi dawnball I'm going to try to respond to your post (and a bit to bicker) without copying and pasting the whole thing like I usually do, because I know that will make this response realllly long. And I should say right up front, *warning - long post alert*

A couple of choices for a child is fine, at one particular CS. The problem is that if most of the CS are offering the exact same choices, and a family is eating at the parks for a week, or two, those same choices start to get really old. And families are not allowed to bring in food from outside, so unless they leave WDW, they are stuck. Outside of WDW, I might take my child to McDonald's for lunch, and he's happy. The next day, McDonald's, he's happy. The third day McDonald's -- ok he's starting to get tired of it. If I took him to McDonald's every single day for two weeks, the kid might try to kill me. And with good reason So...one day I take him to Taco Bell, so he can have a burrito. Or KFC, so he can have chicken strips. Or Round Table, so he can have a mini pizza. Each place only has a couple of kids' items on their menu to choose from -- but the key is they are appealing to the kids, they are appropriate for the restaurant (ie pizza served at a pizza place), and they don't all serve the exact same thing.

I'm not saying to serve all of those choices at every single CS restaurant. I'm saying serve a few at each, and make them appealing -- not sloppy joes and chilled chicken. Carrots and grapes are good -- but not every single day, every single meal. In addition, and it doesn't get mentioned often, carrots and grapes are really inappropriate to give to toddlers -- both are serious choking hazards for children under four, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. So yes, they should seriously think of some other options -- of course the parents could just ask for two cups of applesauce. Every single meal. For two weeks.

As for the register programming and difficulty of choice issues on the desserts, it doesn't have to be that complicated. If they are all the same price, all they need is a button on the register for "kids' dessert". Or just one button for "kids' meal" that includes entree, side, drink, and dessert. If they are buying a variety of desserts from the same supplier and they all have the same averaged cost, and they are all the same price for the consumer, then there is no need to inventory exactly what variety is being sold. And I would propose that SF gelatin or pudding should be available at every single CS -- ONE variety, but different at various restaurants -- and it wouldn't be the default, but would have to be requested for a kid's meal, or by an adult who wants a SF dessert. Then two dessert choices -- if we are looking at Kozy Shack as the vendor, then like chocolate pudding and berry gelatin. At another restaurant, vanilla pudding and fruit punch gelatin. Another restaurant, butterscotch pudding or strawberry gelatin. Even if Disney bought just two flavors of pudding and two flavors of gelatin, then there would be at least some variety. I am proposing this because I want to know if Disney could do this for relatively the same cost as only giving one choice that so many families dislike: SF gelatin.

As for the entree choices -- ask any child if he would prefer a hamburger or a sloppy joe, and 90% (or more) of them will pick a burger. Disney serves kids' hamburgers at several other CS restaurants -- except for Pecos Bill's, which specializes in burgers. Disney sells kids' pizza at several of their CS venues -- except for Pizzafari, where the specialty of the house is obviously pizza. This makes no sense at all, and is disappointing to families who go to a pizza place, wait in line anticipating pizza, and everyone gets pizza, except their 7 year old who gets...a quesadilla? Or PB&J?

I propose pretty much the same thing for kids' entrees -- two or three choices on each menu. One standard favorite (like a hot dog, burger, or chicken strips), one item appropriate to the restaurant's theme (ie: pizza at a pizza place, taco at a Mexican place), and one item appropriate for vegetarian kids. I would hesitate to make that vegetarian item PB&J only because peanut allergies seem to be so common. But there's always cheese pizza, grilled cheese, bean burrito, or mac & cheese (as long as it's good -- the variety they are serving now isn't wildly popular). I say two or three choices because some choices might do double duty -- a burger at Pecos Bill's would be liked by most kids, and would also meet the criteria of keeping with the restaurant's theme. At Pizzafari, most guests wouldn't complain if they only offered pepperoni and cheese pizza for kids. The cheese pizza is ok for vegetarians, and if they take their kids there, they probably aren't expecting -- or desiring -- any other choices.

So, the kid's menu at Pecos Bill's might look like:
Entree: burger or grilled cheese (they already have a grill)
Side: carrot sticks or fries (they already serve fries)
Dessert: berry gelatin or chocolate pudding (SF dessert on request)
Beverage: juice, milk, or small fountain drink

The kid's menu at Pizzafari might look like:
Entree: pepperoni pizza or cheese pizza (they already have a pizza oven)
Side: cup of mandarin oranges or peaches
Dessert: fruit punch gelatin or vanilla pudding (SF dessert on request)
Beverage: juice, milk, or small fountain drink

Columbia Harbor House:
Entree: piece of fried fish or chicken strips (they already serve these)
Side: grapes or fries (they already serve fries)
Dessert: strawberry gelatin or banana pudding
Beverage: juice, milk, or small fountain drink

It's not that hard. They already serve each one of those entrees at a few of their CS restaurants. All they have to do is shuffle the deck a bit. By keeping with the restaurant's theming, the same equipment can be used to prepare kids' meals as adult meals, which will save time and is more efficient. Yes, it costs money to change a menu, but the change menus all the time. Maybe next time they change a menu, they could do something that makes sense. "Scientific" market surveys are all well and good, but the real, unedited voice of the consumer is on these boards -- whether or not Disney chooses to listen to it. Guests would be pleased with the changes. They would meet the needs/desires of many guests (peanut allergies, vegetarian, want healthy choices like milk and fruit, kids want fries and soda, etc). To help cover any costs incurred, Disney could raise the price of some of the CS meals so they are all $4.99 or even $5.50, across the board, which further simplifies and streamlines things.

Ultimate benefits to Disney:
Guests will be happier with the choices -- happy, satisfied guests spend a lot of money
Generates customer loyalty (yes, bicker, I do believe in Tinkerbell and Customer Loyalty)
More guests will want the dining plan/will not be hesitant because they dislike the kids' menus (and it seems like Disney is heavily promoting the DDP and they want guests to purchase it)
Guests will not want to leave the parks to eat -- or go to other parks
Guests will not be as inclined to sneak food into the parks
Guests will not be as inclined to cheat and use child credits for adult CS meals because their kids hate the kids' choices

OK, this turned out to be ridiculously long...don't know if anyone is still even reading it There's just too many points to address, I guess. I'm going to copy and paste this, edit it a bit, and email it to Disney Guest Services.

 

[Family5LovesDisney]

Katiebell.........What an awesome post. For the life of me, I Couldn't figure out why they didn't offer chicken strips on the Kid's Menu at Columbia Harbor House or pizza on the kid's menu at Pizzafari. It doesn't seem to make any sense! I wish Disney would read your post and put it to action!