StarDinerz is being shut down and replaced

[wave789]

Took them long enough. It often is such a hassle to get food from there because it takes so long. Buffeteria restaurants for CMs to get food in limited time? It just doesn't work very well if you have to travel far to get to an SD location.

So the feeding of CMs is going to be handed over to an outside agency that specializes in employee cafeterias and the like.

This is one thing that should make CMs happier, who will then be happier on stage. Or something like that.

So the 150 StarDinerz CMs are going to be joining the pool of the rest of the 2500 QSR CMs (Quick Service Restaurant). They won't be fired; they will simply be retrained at another location. This means there will be an influx of new CMs that already have a lot of experience compared to potential new hires.

From the guest's perspective, this will be completely transparent. All you need to know is this will be better almost all the way around.

Since we often discuss CM wages and conditions on this board, I don't see why we can't discuss this.

[VeganPrincess]

Hmmm.....I'm not really familiar with the way CM dining works. Is everyone assigned to a different cafeteria? Does anyone have pictures of what these cafeterias look like?

[wave789]

Here is a map of the DLR. The number '1' represents a StarDinerz location. For example, the one behind Plaza Inn is Inn Between. The one by Main Kitchen under NOS is Westside Diner.


We aren't assigned to any particular one, it's just that where ever you are, you are generally closer to one of them and that's the one you would go to, if you don't use other Cast dining locations, like break room vending machines or roach coaches. For example, Village Haus has a Cast window right next to the guest pick-up counter and to the right of it. The only thing separating the CM guests from the real guests is a wall.

As for pictures of the various StarDinerz locations, I don't have any, but I can tell you they all look different, while maintaining key similarities. And for the most part, menus are the same as well, with additional rotating daily specials. And for the hell of it, here's the operating hours of each one:

Bungalow Grill
Daily
06:00 - 23:00


DRC Cast Cafe
Daily
06:00 - 22:00


DCA Cafe
Daily
10:30 - Park closing


Eat Ticket
Monday - Friday
10:30 - 15:00
Sunday & Saturday
10:00 - 18:00 with Grab-n-Go options only


Inn Between
Daily
02:30 - one hour prior to park closing


Westside Diner
Daily
10:30 - two hours prior to park closing

Theme Perks

Location
Harbor Pointe
TDA Atrium
Greetings Breakroom

Operating Hours06:00 - 20:0006:30 - 16:00

07:00 - 19:00
(17:00 when park closes at 18:00)

[VeganPrincess]

So some places (like Village Haus) serve the same food to CMs as to guests at discounted prices?

[wave789]

So some places (like Village Haus) serve the same food to CMs as to guests at discounted prices?

Yes, but as far as I know Village Haus is the only one that does that. Yes, StarDinerz (Village Haus is NOT part of StarDinerz) does have some items from the parks, too, but on any given day they make up a very small portion of the menu.

[melmel]

Prices are going to be much, much higher.
I'm not looking forward to it.
I signed the petition, I was hoping they would stay. :|

[Duffy]

Prices are going to be much, much higher.
I'm not looking forward to it.
I signed the petition, I was hoping they would stay. :|

me too. I love some of their food. Some i find very disgusting. :\ The Grill was always nice.

I signed the petition too. I mean, the food is really not THAT bad, sometimes, its cheap as heck and fills me up good!

Open face turkey with upgrade... yum yum...

btw, you missed Eat Ticket on the map. Its by TaDaAa!

[Tracy98]

Prices are going to be much, much higher. :|

Really? Some CM's are under the impression it will be pretty much the same. To bad more didn't voice their oppinion (or were told more about it)!

[UncleTom]

If it goes up higher, I would sympathize with the CMs. The hamburger combo/grilled cheese combo was really cheap and awesome. I think the grilled cheese was a little more than $2. Awesome price for food, and it wasn't inedible and quite yummy.

[Westsider]

I'm an hourly Attractions CM, I refused to sign that stupid petition, and I'm looking forward to the change. Maybe that's because I remember what the InnBetween and the DEC used to be like five years ago before StarDinerz?

While there are a few exceptions I know of, and a couple great people I know personally, for the most part those StarDinerz CM's are some of the worst in the Resort. The average StarDinerz CM's have horrible Guest Service skills, are lazy, have no sense of showmanship, and are generally just bitter lumps who know they can get away with dramatically worse service at the backstage Cast Commisaries than they ever could at any onstage Guest location. Lookout Disneyland visitors, because there are about 100 bitter pills about to be unleashed on your favorite park restaurants.

The Foods Union, of course, has tried to make a huge stink about this from the beginning. They had these ridiculous petitions to sign when news of this possibility first got out a few months ago, as if a petition actually has ever done anything. But they had all the Shop Stewards out there trying to bully us into signing petitions and lying to everyone saying that Disney was going to lay off people. HA! There are more open shifts, more daily and weekly overtime available, and more open staffing requirements in the Foods department than in any other department!

Foods can't keep the Plaza Inn fully staffed on a weekend, let alone keep every other location staffed. And the Shop Stewards had the nerve and gall to try and lie to everyone saying Disney would lay people off! Casting is right now offering a 500 Dollar signing bonus for any new Cast Member who agrees to accept a position in Foods because they are so desperate for new hires. Layoffs?! How do those Shop Stewards sleep at night with all the bullying and lying they do to their union "Brothers and Sisters"? Be honest with us and admit that you're just mad you'll lose out on the monthly dues from 150 CM's. The Union is all about the dues money, and very little else. No one in Attractions I know signed that ridiculous petition.

The new company taking over the Cast dining locations in June is an outfit called Sodexho USA. They also handle the food service at the Burbank Studios and WDI campus in Glendale. I've seen the Burbank dining facilities, and they are amazing, so that's a good sign. I'm sure the menu won't be the same as Burbank though, since most 8 dollar an hour CM's can't afford to spend 12 bucks on lunch. Sodexho cooks up their own food, and also brings in food from restaurants like Panda Express, La Brea Bakery, and La Salsa Mexican.

This is all great news for Cast Members. The food at StarDinerz started out bad about four years ago, and it got worse and worse and worse every year. It's mostly inedible at this point. They even overcook the Macaroni & Cheese to a point that when the sullen hostess behind the steam table slops it on the plate, it all just melts into one unrecognizeable blob of orange goo. This last week I tried to order the Macaroni & Cheese and I couldn't even make out the actual pasta noodles, it was all just orange mushy goo.

Hello Sodexho! I can't wait to meet you! http://www.sodexhousa.com/

[Jeronius]

All I have to say to the CMs...

Mini Cheeseburgers with Thousand Island Dressing upgraded. Yuuuuum

[lesmisfan]

Add me to the list of CMs that are actually happy for the change. I can be a very picky eater, my fault, not disneys. But its very hard to find something in the cafeteria for not much money that is actually edible. I am sick of the orange macaroni goo and the overdone tough chicken. We work eight hours and over and can deal with sometimes difficult guests, at least give us a good meal if we have to pay for lunch at work.

[Westsider]

Add me to the list of CMs that are actually happy for the change. I can be a very picky eater, my fault, not disneys. But its very hard to find something in the cafeteria for not much money that is actually edible. I am sick of the orange macaroni goo and the overdone tough chicken. We work eight hours and over and can deal with sometimes difficult guests, at least give us a good meal if we have to pay for lunch at work.

I think the only people that signed that petition were Foods CM's, and only because their Shop Stewards were using scare tactics and some really laughable propaganda.... LAYOFFS! OUTSOURCING! YOU ARE NEXT!

You find the chicken to be tough? I usually find it to be so overcooked and gooshy that it disolves in my mouth before I can even bite down.

Seriously, some of the worst food I've ever tasted in my entire life is food that came from StarDinerz. Top that off with the sullen, sloppy service from bitter CM's and you've got a dining experience that I wouldn't wish on a dog.

[lesmisfan]

yeah i know. Even disney worlds cast cafeterias are just a bit better. at least they had a subway availalble were i worked when i worked at disney world on the college program.

[PrincessY]

Will they be changing the names of the CM eateries? I mean, the InnBetween is a classic. I'd hate to see the names change to "McDonalds".