Magical Gouging ...

Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

OK ... so I was looking at some WDW menus to make a few ressies for a future visit and I think I've reached my breaking point.

I'd rather just dine off-property than excuse away the Mouse's blatant gouging.

Just one example right now ... was going to have lunch at Brown Derby. The same great tofu and curry noodle dish I had less than two years ago for around $14 (BEFORE my 20% DDE discount) is now $22. That's right ... for a veggie entree at lunch a la carte.

The lunch steak is $32 ... a la carte. A salad will bring your tab over $40 before you've even added a Coke, let alone a glass of wine.

This is gouging plain and simple. It's also incredibly arrogant and ignorant decision-making on the part of WDW's exec 'leadership' team.

You either force people to buy the ballyhooed DDP -- with inflated prices to make the ignorant masses think they're getting a great deal -- OR you get screwed royally.

The pricepoints are just absurd. Wonder if one of my favorite consultants (last seen working on destroying DLP dining was back stateside).

This is a time Disney should be lowering food prices and offering incentives for locals and APers ... maybe even double the DDE discount (it still wouldn't cover many of the price increases in the past 3-4 years).

But I admit it, I'm at my breaking point with dining at WDW.

I want to give them my money, but not every cent and that's what they want ... very stupid.

Maybe they ought to send their F&B folks over to IOA to see what Uni offers at places like Mythos for half the price of what most WDW table service park locales charge.

Hell, I'll go eat at Outback (or even Sizzler -- kept afloat by UK tourists only it would appear) before I pay what Le Cellier has the nerve to charge now.

Absurd.

 

Originally Posted By Rsey103

The Brown Derby lost me a long time ago when they discontinued putting tablecloths on many of the tables.....

 

Originally Posted By juicer

They are making it as expensive as the Blue Bayou!

 

Originally Posted By kennect

Spirit, I have been working a temp job with Cirque while they are here in Atlanta...Now, you want to talk about gouging...Yet, the public is there every night lined up like crazy to pay around six dollars for a soft drink...And that is just one of many things I could mention...How about a hot dog combo deal for something like twenty two dollars? But you do get two hot dogs and two soft drinks for that price...It is amazing to me what people will pay...I like Cirque and feel overall they deliver an exceptional product...Still though the prices in the food concessions is out of control and you run the risk of a clown destroying your exspensive popcorn during the show! I am wondering what is the bigger rip off? Disney or Cirque...

I am working the merchandise area...It is insane that people really do pay the outrageous prices for masks in the three to four hundred dollar range as if it were nothing...But Cirque is getting to be like Disney...You can't even buy a poster relating to this show...They have now outsourced their entire poster business to some company and they can only be purchased online...

I get the idea that Cirque is working as hard as it can to be like Disney...Like Disney, they seem to be trying very hard to lose the idea that originally made the shows special...The magic is still there but there just isn't as much as there might have been say maybe a short two or three touring shows back....It really is sad when something that is or was so special can find a way to ruin its ownself....

 

Originally Posted By -em

>>Maybe they ought to send their F&B folks over to IOA to see what Uni offers at places like Mythos for half the price of what most WDW table service park locales charge.<<

Agreed- While I am not a fan of IOA (or universal for that matter) I am a HUGE fan of Mythos.. I had a great meal for under 20 bucks...

Ive found that unless Im going with friends/family My food of choice has become just an order of fries because itll get me through till I can get home or hit Burger King on the way... If Im desperate to eat Ill get a kids meal because at most that still serve non prepackaged kids meals you get a fair value..

 

Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt

A get a Happy Meal @ McD's. It's about$3.50, hamberger,sm. fry, sm. diet coke & a toy for my kids & it's only 500 calories!

 

Originally Posted By MPierce

Spirit you're such a better writer than me, and express things so much better. If only I had gotten that degree from Elementary school. That was one of my complaints when I was there. Food, and Beverage have gone through the roof. Deb Willis over at All Ears does an excellent job of keeping up with things, and even she can't keep up with the increase in meals. I kept waiting for Goofy to come up, and put a shank in my back, and demand my money. When the price tag detracts from the enjoyment it's time to find alternatives.

 

Originally Posted By vbdad55

< If only I had gotten that degree from Elementary school<

I was wondering what happened to the Bodine clan

 

Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt

The price of LIFE is thru the roof. So why wouldn't Disney Dining follow suit? If you factor in having to rent a car, time to park the car, gas for the car, insurance for the car, sitting in smelly traffic with the car then maybe that $8.00 burger isn't so expensive. I'm all ready at the Parks why would I waste all that time leaving, finding a good place to eat & then drive all the way back to the Park for the evening. Time is money. I realize that some of you live in Fla but, I don't! I'm on vacation! Anything I don't have to drive to the market to buy, go home & cook, clean up after blah, blah, blah..IS WORTH IT TO ME! Ok, I'm done rambling..when the posts get to long I get bored & skip to the next! Have a magical meal..dole whip anyone!

 

Originally Posted By vbdad55

see ain't that the truth - my average grocery bill per week has gone from <$100 to $175 easily in the last year --


I paid $8 freakin dollars for a large jar of mayonaisse yesterday - - we're not talking industrial size here - we're talking 32 oz that used to be $3.99..

the prices are horrific - however when you live in a city like Chicago- every restaurant has gone nuts too

 

Originally Posted By MPierce

>> I was wondering what happened to the Bodine clan <<

I tried to imitate Jethro's fashion statements. I purchased a belt just like his. I met him in 1965. He was a very pleasant man to talk with.

 

Originally Posted By Rsey103

>>The same great tofu and curry noodle dish....is now $22.

The lunch steak is $32 ... a la carte. A salad will bring your tab over $40 before you've even added a Coke, let alone a glass of wine.<<

I think it would be interesting to see a comparison of prices with very similar dishes in, say, Manhattan NY.

 

Originally Posted By MPierce

When prices get to high, I refuse to buy, period. There is absolutely nothing for sale on the face of this earth that I can't find an alternative to. That includes Walt Disney World. The prices here in Houston have definetly not taken the jump that some of you folks seem to be experienceing. When or if they do, I will react accordingly.

 

Originally Posted By MPierce

>> Ok, I'm done rambling..when the posts get to long I get bored & skip to the next! Have a magical meal..dole whip anyone! <<

It hurts that you didn't read any of my threads! :-( I knew I should have written them in paragraph style!

At least Dole Whips are still only $3.08 including tax. Even if SOMEONE thinks they are over rated!

 

Originally Posted By MPierce

>> I think it would be interesting to see a comparison of prices with very similar dishes in, say, Manhattan NY.
<<

How about Bombay India or Bejing China?

 

Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt

If it's too expensive then stay home & live off the land..they'll teach you how on that Behind the Seeds tour at EPCOT!

 

Originally Posted By MPierce

>> If it's too expensive then stay home & live off the land..they'll teach you how on that Behind the Seeds tour at EPCOT! <<
I've got an even better solution. Just gouge folks a little bit. Example. My wife does a lot of charity events. They purchase those 18 inch string of glow lights to raise money. They buy them in lots of 300, and pay 50 cents a piece for them. They sell them for $3. That's a 600% mark-up. All the money goes to charity.
They have no problem selling them at all. They draw kids to them like magnets. WDW sells the exact same glow lights only I bet they don't pay 50 cents a piece for them. They sell theirs for $4.95 a piece. Come on all you folks, and tell me all the overhead WDW has, and they have to pay that CM's salry, and there are electrical bills to pay, and taxes, and everything else associated with running a business. Tell me how things are so much cheaper there than New York or LA or Chicago. Now tell me how much of a gouging you are willing to take without putting your foot down. You might as well figure it out now, cause the Mouse is headed to that point.

 

Originally Posted By danyoung

I haven't hit the breaking point yet, but I will be looking a little closer at prices on my upcoming trip in April. Disney has always been overpriced for their food. Plus when I'm on vacation I tend to try to not look at prices when ordering, but that's changing. But what really bothers me is the simplification of the menus due to the DDP. Where the Coral Reef used to have 18-20 main menu items, with most of them being seafood, last time they had exactly SEVEN entrees on the menu, and only 3 seafood. THREE SEAFOOD ITEMS AT A SEAFOOD RESTAURANT? Simply ridiculous! That more than the prices is what might drive me out of the park restaurants in the near future.

 

Originally Posted By vbdad55

>>The same great tofu and curry noodle dish....is now $22.

The lunch steak is $32 ... a la carte. A salad will bring your tab over $40 before you've even added a Coke, let alone a glass of wine.<<

I think it would be interesting to see a comparison of prices with very similar dishes in, say, Manhattan NY.


okay here we go - I live in an upscale suburb of Chicago and here would be a comparable restaurant we frequent -- lunch steaks - full size $24-$42
Click on Naperville lunch and dinner ( they have some nice things like $1 soup for lunch) -

<a href="http://www.hugosfrogbar.com/" target="_blank">http://www.hugosfrogbar.com/</a>


and one more- Catch 35 steaks $35-$37

<a href="http://www.catch35.com/chicago-01-home.html" target="_blank">http://www.catch35.com/chicago...ome.html</a>

I chose these because they have main locations downtown Chicago and a satellite in my suburb - so we frequent

these are nice restaurants - like Brown Derby - like Cali Grill- but NOT in WDW.

And these are not Charlie Trotters say in Chicago where $35 gets you an appetizer

 

Originally Posted By vbdad55

Like Dan Young says - for me it's not the prices - I am used to paying those every day -- but menu selection that concerns me -- Coral Reef shold have a selection like Catch 35 above