new hunger movement, poll of destiny

[Mission Seagull]

It was shocking when nearly 80 percent of voters found that the quality of Disneyland food was only too be adjudicated by their relative locales. And many chimed in with what they thought were the choice places to dine.

But seriously lagging is the general quality and draw of foods. We all have different dining needs, so lets isolate that one area we want to see improved first. As Mara would suggest, choose wisely. In the end I believe this poll will reveal the priorities of youth, riches, and maybe the future consumer demands on the park.

[disneyfreeek]

I think Quick should go first, purely because we need quality quick food. The last to be updated is sit down, as BB has really great food and I believe they would do good even if the food wasn't that great.

[melmel]

I think the mid-low cafeteria type places need to be helped first, because looking at the list, these are the kind of restaurants at the Resort that I find myself eating at THE LEAST. Actually, I've never eaten at Village Haus or River Belle, just Hungry Bear. They could use the help.

The quick is just as it is-- quick! Award Weiners and Stage Door are great for what they are. And the Mid-Range Buffeteria places are superb. Rancho del Zocalo and French market are great!

It's that restaurant that find itself in-between those two levels that look bad.

[BigPigletFan]

I am very happy with the Village Haus, but that's just me from ANYTHING I've learned. I don't expect Disneyland to get a Cosmic Rays anytime soon nor would I think anything like it would be very successful for space, themeing, etc. I do think that locations such as the Plaza Inn should have more variation because after a couple of days of vacation you can easily find yourself looking for more within that park without going somewhere like the Blue Bayou. But that could be wishful thinking...

[Mission Seagull]

Originally Posted by melmel

I think the mid-low cafeteria type places need to be helped first, because looking at the list, these are the kind of restaurants at the Resort that I find myself eating at THE LEAST. Actually, I've never eaten at Village Haus or River Belle, just Hungry Bear. They could use the help.

For those that have eaten at Village Haus, I think we all might agree that it sells a certain atmosphere and convenience, but offers no menu to smile about.

What could be done to improve this particular location and make it not only well placed, but a "destination" dining experience? If the Buffeteria's seem to be so much better off would this and other cafeteria locations work better as buffeteria's?

[Chernabog]

Ugh the Village Haus is the absolute worst place to eat inside the Park. Somehow the same burgers that they serve at other locations in the Park taste like they've been dropped on the floor a few times at Village Haus. One of those "I'll never eat there again" locations (which outside the Parks include Catal, Tortilla Jos and Storytellers)

[Loomis]

Originally Posted by Chernabog

One of those "I'll never eat there again" locations (which outside the Parks include Catal, Tortilla Jos and Storytellers)

I really enjoyed Tortilla Jo's. We ate there twice during our stay. Also at the Rainforest and Napolini (the latter twice).

However, I think that the cheap and quick eats inside the park need the most improvement, especially for those of us in the vegetarian way. The amount of cheap, healthy and/or vegetarian food is negligable. Of course, there were fruit stands around the place, but sometimes you feel like something a bit more substantial.

For that reason, we very rarely ate IN the parks. Usually ate across the road at Dennys, in our hotel or in Downtown.

[Evil Minion]

Isn't there an 'all restaurants' option ?

With the exception of Carnation Cafe, all the restaurants in Disneyland are rather lackluster. I prefer to eat at Tortilla Jo's or Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney.

[pixie chick]

i would love to see the mid-range places to get a serious makeover. i would love to see something besides burgers, school cafeteria pizza & just plain fried stuff everywhere. maybe higher quality salads, grilled chicken breasts, etc.

[JungleBumCT]

Food in DL generally sucks. Even the Blue Bayou. Sorry, for what you pay for food there, you really aren't getting your money's worth. We mostly do the cafeteria stuff...but only very reluctantly. I'd say the two main problems are 1) low quality and 2) low quantity.

We were at DL last week and after several hours pushing strollers, herding children and standing in lines, we were in desparate need of fuel. The portions just don't cut it. Our solution was to bring our own drinks into the park so that we could spend that money on another side of fries or something. A combo meal in DL is like a kids' meal everywhere else in the country. I weigh 205 and am fairly slender, and I can never get my normal food intake from a standard DL 'meal.'

Another thing I thought was a joke was the 'Starfield of Greens' in that Tomorrowland cafe. I'm thinking, cool, I could use a nice salad of mixed greens. Of course the 'starfield of greens' is iceberg lettuce...and that's it. Technically iceberg lettuce isn't even considered a green. Nor does it have any nutritional value. What deceptive advertising!

I'll tell you one thing that would make a vast improvement in my DL eating experience is if they'd either offer bigger softdrinks or free drink refills. If you didn't have to throw down so much cash on drinks, you could either get a bigger meal or buy a side of something else to fill you up more. Having worked in the food industry and done a lot of purchasing, and I can tell you that soft drinks are the cheapest thing you can order, which is why virtually all eating establishments (outside of DL) offer them cheap with free refills.

This is one thing that has frustrated me for a long time. DL pays so much attention to every aspect of the guest experience-- except food. The detailed work on the buildings, the lush atmosphere, the magical music-- DL really does a great job immersing you in the magic. But then they serve up food that's right on par with hospital meals and school lunch. And to add insult to injury, they charge you outrageous prices for it. Only in airports can you find such ridiculous prices. I guess it's because of the same principle: does the guest really have a viable alternative?

[speederscout]

JungleBumCT, what did you order, and from where? We've always found the portions more than generous (in fact there was a recent thread where many of us discussed our desire to have "half portion" options!), but then again, I very rarely eat at the fast food places in the park. I certainly hope you realized what was inside that transparent plastic box containing the "Starfield of Greens" before you paid for it... I've seen that myself, and yuck! (The side salad at Plaza Inn is superior). But the dinner salads and pasta dishes at Red Rockets are more than enough food, and very tasty. Same goes for the meals at Plaza Inn. And BIG portions; I'm sure any dietician would strongly recommend one of those meals for two people.

Also, there are free refills in the park. I know for a fact they are available at Red Rockets and Riverbelle Terrace, at the very least, and I'm sure in many other locations.

On the other hand the fast food at the park is nasty and horribly overpriced. The reason I don't eat the fast food is because decent meals with much larger portions are available for just a very few dollars more... and you can share! A much better value. Ironically, most people that complain about the high prices and blandness usually eat at the fast food locations, believing that they are saving money! Nothing is farther from the truth. Park burgers and those fried chicken thingies... avoid!

[skoolpsyk]

Originally Posted by JungleBumCT

This is one thing that has frustrated me for a long time. DL pays so much attention to every aspect of the guest experience-- except food. The detailed work on the buildings, the lush atmosphere, the magical music-- DL really does a great job immersing you in the magic. But then they serve up food that's right on par with hospital meals and school lunch. And to add insult to injury, they charge you outrageous prices for it. Only in airports can you find such ridiculous prices. I guess it's because of the same principle: does the guest really have a viable alternative?

Well said!! We almost never eat in the parks and more and more are even leaving the resort altogether to eat. Because yes there are viable alternatives pretty darn close! Hop in the car and drive over to Pho Republic to get a massive cheap delicious meal (bowl of pho).

Even if DL improves the food quality they will also raise the prices even more...

[Mortgageman]

We just ate at Taste Pilot Grille for the first time last weekend. The menu and the food quality was not bad, my daughter had fun working the order screen but the service after ordering, wow. Sloooooooow...

[JiminyCricketFan]

I think that the food issue is not just the quality of the food or the size of the portions.

When someone is on vacation they want to be served! That want to ENJOY the food, not just fill up.

I think that it can be both a place to eat and an experience at the same time. At Boma at WDW, the quality of the food is EXCELLENT! The food is so interesting that the food is the entertainment. It is a buffet, but the service as it is, is great!

If Disneyland improves the QUALITY of the food and provides great SERVICE in a relaxing or entertaining atmosphere, it will go a long way to improving the guest experience.

What also has been brought up, the general quality of the counter food is poor. It has been for a long time. I believe that people's tastes have changed. They want more fresh, tasty, attractive choices in there food, not just burgers and fries constantly... And the burgers are nothing to write home about!

[Disneyfreak]

They all need serious help. We need more restaurants like Big Thunder BBQ and Tehitian Terrace with excellent food that is worth what you pay. Right now Disneyland is just a joke in terms of food compared to Knotts. I feel that Mrs. Knotts chicken house alone beats everything at Disneyland combined. Many people go to the chicken house before they head to Disneyland for the day.