Originally Posted By Mr X I haven't been back to DisneyWorld now for several years (seven, actually!), but I've heard a lot of complaints about the dining plan and how the menu's have been "dumbed down", especially at Epcot. Can someone give me a rundown of some of the menu changes and what I might expect if I do go to WDW sometime in the future? Or maybe a link? (I'd still like to hear stories about what USED to be served, for comparison). Is it true that in France and Italy all they have on the menu are Cheezeburgers and fries?
Originally Posted By DAR I just checked the menus for those two and didn't see just hamburgers and fries. Although there are restaraunts in NY that serve $100 burgers.
Originally Posted By grammy954 We will be going in October after not being there for 3 years. I found this site to be extremely helpful in choosing where to book dining for our trip. You can click on the restaurant and get the menu along with the last date that this site updated it. <a href="http://allearsnet.com/pl/packages07a.htm" target="_blank">http://allearsnet.com/pl/packa ges07a.htm</a>
Originally Posted By Mr X >>Although there are restaraunts in NY that serve $100 burgers.<< You are exaggerating, I think. I read about a restaurant in NYC that served a "kobe beef hamburger" which cost $44. But beyond that, I can't believe any idiot would pay more (even $44 is silly).
Originally Posted By hopemax An easy way to check the differences in menus is go to AllEarsNet and bring up a menu. Then in another browser window, go to the Wayback Machine at <a href="http://www.archive.org" target="_blank">http://www.archive.org</a> . Cut and paste the URL from the current menu into the Wayback Machine and it will show you old versions of the website. However, that's only part of the story. From the menus you don't get changes in ingredients, size or presentation. On a small Disney site some friends run, someone uploaded some "then and now" pictures of a few desserts. He had problems posting them to the message board so I did that part, but you can take a look. <a href="http://www.july171955.com/vBulletin/upload/showpost.php?p=2051&postcount=16" target="_blank">http://www.july171955.com/vBul letin/upload/showpost.php?p=2051&postcount=16</a>
Originally Posted By hopemax And to go back even farther you can use this URL www.wdn.com/dwills/menu/menus.htm in the Wayback Machine. Then you can see menus back to 1995.
Originally Posted By DAR Mr. X you're right it wasn't in NY. It was in Indonesia. <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=061222090145.gozuisis&show_article=1" target="_blank">http://www.breitbart.com/artic le.php?id=061222090145.gozuisis&show_article=1</a>
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<I just checked the menus for those two and didn't see just hamburgers and fries.>> The burger and fries at Chefs de France is on the lunch menu: <a href="http://allearsnet.com/menu/menu_cdf.htm" target="_blank">http://allearsnet.com/menu/men u_cdf.htm</a>
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I think the "dumbing down" of menus is greatly overstated. In some restaurants the number of selections has been significantly reduced, but in many it is about the same. I decided to check out Le Cellier because it is a very popular Epcot restaurant. The menu dates were October 2003 and May 2007. The difference between menus: Starters Roasted Quail has been dropped Seared Rare Tuna has been added Duck Two Ways has been added Advantage: 2007 Entrees Spiced Black Bean Cake has been dropped Beef Bourguignonne has been added Sauteed Shrimp and Pasta has been added Stuffed Piquillo Peppers has been added Pan-Seared Canadian Scallops has been added Advantage: 2007 No dumbing down at Le Cellier, in fact menu options have improved considerably. When I have time some weekend I will check other restaurants. I'm inclined to think the supposed "dumbing down" of WDW restaurants is perhaps rooted more in rose tinted recollections of the past than in reality.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip As I said in my prior post... <<In some restaurants the number of selections has been significantly reduced>> I decided to check out Spoodles; one of my favorite restaurants and one where memory said that the menu had been significantly reduced. It has. Appetizers have gone from thirteen to nine (although one that was dropped was a sampler platter of some others, so I'm not sure that counts). Entrees have gone from ten to six; a significant reduction. This would be consistent with my memory (bad as it is at my advanced age) that while the resort restaurants have cut back their menus, the Epcot restaurants have for the most part been spared the cutbacks.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<This would be consistent with my memory (bad as it is at my advanced age) that while the resort restaurants have cut back their menus, the Epcot restaurants have for the most part been spared the cutbacks.>> I should mention (before I get nailed on it) that the restaurants I have considerable experience with are: Mexico China Germany Morocco Britain Canada I make no claims for: Norway Italy Japan France OK... am I scrambling backwards well enough here?? ;-)
Originally Posted By Mr X >>Mr. X you're right it wasn't in NY. It was in Indonesia.<< lol. How silly, huh? And it's freakin TINY, only 7 ounces! Geez. At least the NYC burger is BIG, for petes sake. Oh, and that NYC one is also "kobe beef" which is supposed to mean something. What it means to the Japanese is, you DON'T chop it up into hamburger meat. That's completely pointless.
Originally Posted By Mr X And speaking of totally silly prices... <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2004/05/17/hotel_menu_offers_1000_omlet/" target="_blank">http://www.boston.com/news/odd /articles/2004/05/17/hotel_menu_offers_1000_omlet/</a>
Originally Posted By jmuboy Le Cellier is GREAT!!! Duck 2-ways is quite tasty. So is the Filet Mignon with Maple BBQ sauce. Have the cheddar potatoe soup with pretzel bread too if you have room.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <I'm inclined to think the supposed "dumbing down" of WDW restaurants is perhaps rooted more in rose tinted recollections of the past than in reality. < Nope, what they have done to limit the menu at Olivia's for instance is absolutely real.... Olivia's may not be le Cellier, but tome it was a hidden gem, going from 15 + entree's to 9 for lunch ( only 1 of which is not a sandwhich or salad) & usually only 7 entree choices for dinner is absolutely dumbing down. And in a Key West atmosphere, even the conch fritters are gone.
Originally Posted By jmuboy I think the problem with Olivia's is that it's far off the beaten path nd may not have the visitors to support as elaborate a menu as it once had. I am an OKW DVC owner and have never eaten there myself. Regardless, I don't apologize for Disney - so please don't think that's what I am trying to do.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 ^^^^^^^^^^^ you really missed out by not eating there...the homemade soups, and most of the fish entre's were all really good. And surprising options like an unbelievably good meatloaf - with garlic mashed... having been an OKW owner for a very long time, I can tell you in the 90's it was packed all the time...even had a character breakfast on Sunday's - they let it 'go away' It is off the beaten path, but also no large, so usually was full by 5 pm for dinner each night. It has lightened up now only because of the lack of choices for some people. Some nights not one chicken entree - how can that be ?
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I'm inclined to think the supposed "dumbing down" of WDW restaurants is perhaps rooted more in rose tinted recollections of the past than in reality.>> Trippy, this placing the onus on guests recollections of the past being 'roe tinted' versus the fact that THINGS WERE BETTER really grows old ... I know what's been done at resturants as a result of consultants, the DDP and the desire by management to 'cruise line' WDW dining. If you want to be really anal and pull up an example or examples where things appear to be better now, that's fine. Realize there are always exceptions. But overall in GENERAL, WDW dining has taken a huge fall. When 'fine' dining locations have 5-10 entrees and they all seem to be the same across property (gee, remember when Le Cellier was the only place to serve that soup?) ... and the prices keep going up to push people into buying the DDP and gouging the locals and anyone who doesn't want it ... you want to play devil's advocate? Fine. But it doesn't make your conclusions correct. Even your own example of Spoodles, once one of my fave locations, bares out the chnages. They stopped serving lunch. They cut back dinner options by about 65% from when the place opened ... maybe higher. Do you recall all the tapas they offered back in the 90s? I do.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<And in a Key West atmosphere, even the conch fritters are gone. >> Yeah ... and that's just one great obvious example. How about taking monkfish off the menu at Jiko? (let's leave out the huge price increases that location has had) How about the fact you can't buy lobster at the Coral Reef anymore? How absurd is that? Then there's the $23 hamburger that you can bet your behind will be back on the Chefs De France dinner menu in place of the (formerly $23 now $28) filet mignon that will disappear as soon as free dining comes this fall. What about the fact you need to ask for rolls at LTT (which you and Disney both know maybe 2% of all guests might do) ... and the apple butter is gone for good unless you get a VERY special server who takes a trip next door to the convention services kitchen and fetches something similar ;-) Want to talk about Yakitori House (quick serve, I know but I used to love the place and find it inedible now) serving mystery chicken pieces (assorted thigh and dark meat because at their pricepoint they simply can't offer breast meat and make their quotas!) Those are just some of my fave personal examples of the dumbing down of WDW dining ... contact Dieter Hannig head of WDW Food and Beverage if you don't like what's on your plate!
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Oh, and let's not forget the $45 salmon on the menu at Artist Point. Yeah, salmon. I don't care that it's flown in from the NW daily ... do you really think that Disney isn't putting an obscene markup on it?
