Free Dining Entree Size Conspiracy

[2hapykdz]

Is it just me or does anyone else think they give you smaller portions when you're on Free Dining? The last 5-6 times I've gone has been Free Dining...so I can't really compare to paying OOP. They last few meals I've had at multiple locations have been pretty skimpy. Quality is still there..... but we've left several meals with clean plates....and that never used to be the case. I almost wanna try next time to just order and not say we're on the DP until the meal is over. Thoughts?

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

CM's making your food don't know if you paid for the dining plan or got it for free or that you are even on it so your theory has already fallen apart.
I've been at various times of year January, February, April, June, July, August, September, November, and December and I have paid OOP, paid for the dining plan, and have gotten it for free.
Over the years I do believe portions have gotten a bit smaller in general for everyone and they have reduced what comes with the dining plan but it has absolutely nothing to do with you getting it for free or paying for it.

 

[Figmentmommy]

Is it just me or does anyone else think they give you smaller portions when you're on Free Dining? The last 5-6 times I've gone has been Free Dining...so I can't really compare to paying OOP. They last few meals I've had at multiple locations have been pretty skimpy. Quality is still there..... but we've left several meals with clean plates....and that never used to be the case. I almost wanna try next time to just order and not say we're on the DP until the meal is over. Thoughts?

Absolutely not

 

[SteveH]

Doubtful. More likely as prices for the food and labor go up they begin to make some cuts to keep prices "in line" with expectations. No difference then changing the box size of cereal and leaving the price the same.

 

[AngiTN]

Considering the overwhelming amount of food waste, I hope the meals have shrunk. They are absurdly large, and this comes from someone who eats a pretty darn big meal. But it has nothing whatsoever to do with who is on free dining and who isn't.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

I really don't think Disney has the manpower to do this. Imagine the kitchen. Order comes in, "Alright Guys, paying customer, hook them up" or "Alright guys, freeloader here, smaller portions on table 8" I don't buy it.

 

[Disneylover99]

I really don't think Disney has the manpower to do this. Imagine the kitchen. Order comes in, "Alright Guys, paying customer, hook them up" or "Alright guys, freeloader here, smaller portions on table 8" I don't buy it.

Plus there are plenty of people who paid for their dining plan during FD times. Not everyone gets the promotion.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Is it just me or does anyone else think they give you smaller portions when you're on Free Dining?

There is no size difference during Free Dining.

 

[Lisa F]

Is it just me or does anyone else think they give you smaller portions when you're on Free Dining? The last 5-6 times I've gone has been Free Dining...so I can't really compare to paying OOP. They last few meals I've had at multiple locations have been pretty skimpy. Quality is still there..... but we've left several meals with clean plates....and that never used to be the case. I almost wanna try next time to just order and not say we're on the DP until the meal is over. Thoughts?

You just put the real reason right there in your opening post. You are cleaning your plate whereas before you used to leave food. Food left behind = waste = money going in the trash. If Disney serves hundreds of thousands of meals, a few oz here and there of waste really adds up.

 

[JerseyJanice]

In 2009, we went during Free Dining. It was the height of the Big Recession, and the parks were the emptiest we had ever seen them.

We did not notice any difference in the size of entrees or anything else we ordered at the ala carte restaurants.

However, we did notice the buffets had lesser quality offerings compared to the previous year—things like smaller shrimp and strip loin roast instead of prime rib (though I think that became the rule now).

 

[LaidBackDad]

There certainly is credibility to the theory, at least at some restaurants. One of the biggest problems with the DDP is the enormous amount of waste built into the plan. Less food on the plate equals less waste and less complaints that there was too much food. Plus, smaller portions means more profit for the restaurants. There is virtually no remedy to a problem with the portion size or any other failure of service if you use the DDP. There is next to no chance your dining credit will be refunded if you're not satisfied with the meal or you think the portion was too small and even if it was refunded, fat chance getting an ADR or finding time to squeeze in another meal since you booked all your meals months in advance. Finally, a lot of people who use the DDP just because they like the pre-pay aspect and they are oblivious to or don't care how much more they paid for the meal than if they paid OOP. With that group there is little chance that they would even notice a smaller portion size or care if they did.

 

[Hopefully]

Crazy idea

 

[Lisa F]

There certainly is credibility to the theory, at least at some restaurants. One of the biggest problems with the DDP is the enormous amount of waste built into the plan. Less food on the plate equals less waste and less complaints that there was too much food. Plus, smaller portions means more profit for the restaurants. There is virtually no remedy to a problem with the portion size or any other failure of service if you use the DDP. There is next to no chance your dining credit will be refunded if you're not satisfied with the meal or you think the portion was too small and even if it was refunded, fat chance getting an ADR or finding time to squeeze in another meal since you booked all your meals months in advance. Finally, a lot of people who use the DDP just because they like the pre-pay aspect and they are oblivious to or don't care how much more they paid for the meal than if they paid OOP. With that group there is little chance that they would even notice a smaller portion size or care if they did.

That is absolutely not true. We had a terrible meal at Narcoossees on the DxDDP. I wrote an email to guest communications after the fact because I kind of stewed on it a while and got more and more annoyed and wasn't ready to deal with it in the moment. They called, heard me out, asked for a copy of my receipt and ended up sending me a check to refund the amount of the meal + tip even though I used credits. If you have a true problem (ie not complaining that you think the portion is too small... I've never even considered sending back an entree for that reason!) they will make it right even if you are on the DDP.

Also absolutely not true that you can't get an ADR last minute. Maybe not at the prime places but tons of people fly by the seat of their pants and get ADRs day of or even within a half hour. It's 11:17am and if I want to have lunch today I can get an ADR for 2 at various times during todya's lunch seating at:
50's prime time cafe
akershus
ale and compass
biergarten
bongos
chefs de france
coral reef
espn club
frontera cocina
garden grill
grand floridian cafe
hollywood and vine
house of blues
skipper canteen
kona cafe
las ventanas
le cellier
liberty tree tavern
mama melrose
nine dragons
olivia's
paradisio 37
raglan road
restaurant marrakesh
san angel inn
Sanaa
spice road table
teppan edo
the boathouse
the diamond horseshoe
the hollywood brown derby
the wave
tiffins
tokyo dining
tony's town square
tusker house
whispering canyon

LITERALLY something at EVERY park, nearly every resort that serves lunch, and at Disney Springs. No matter where you are you can have a TS lunch without an ADR made in advance if you had credits to burn.

If you're on the DDP and volume of size is your primary concern, I recommend you stick with one of the AYCTE options where they will serve you food until you bust if that's your thing.

 

[GillianP1301]

I find it highly unlikely that dining plans has any bearing at all on portion size, there's just no viable way to administer that. We've been going to WDW yearly for the last 6 years and do many TS meals each trip and I don't recall any noticeable decrease in portion size, although it's possible I just wasn't something I was paying that much attention to. Honestly, I would be okay with smaller portions because it would help a lot with minimizing waste. I personally don't equate good value of a meal on portion size anyway, I'm more of a quality/overall experience type person. There are plenty of AYCTE options at WDW for those whose priority is volume of food.

 

[sanapp]

Truly I welcome the portion sizes being cut some. I hate to waste food and I think there is way to much of that at Disney and everywhere else! I would much rather have quality than quantity!

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Is it just me or does anyone else think they give you smaller portions when you're on Free Dining? The last 5-6 times I've gone has been Free Dining...so I can't really compare to paying OOP. They last few meals I've had at multiple locations have been pretty skimpy. Quality is still there..... but we've left several meals with clean plates....and that never used to be the case. I almost wanna try next time to just order and not say we're on the DP until the meal is over. Thoughts?

I don't think so, I don't think anyone prepping your food would know you have FD. We've been on the dining plans and also paid OOP, I've not noticed a difference. Now there are certain restaurants that I think generally speaking have smaller portions but IMO it's not related to being the DDP or FD.

 

[BandtheBoys]

Considering the overwhelming amount of food waste, I hope the meals have shrunk. They are absurdly large, and this comes from someone who eats a pretty darn big meal. But it has nothing whatsoever to do with who is on free dining and who isn't.

I totally agree with you AngiTN. We have always found the portions too big and feel so bad about wasting the food. (I find portions sizes here in Ontario are ALOT smaller than what Disney offers)

 

[Lisa F]

I totally agree with you AngiTN. We have always found the portions too big and feel so bad about wasting the food. (I find portions sizes here in Ontario are ALOT smaller than what Disney offers)

Americans in general eat way more than the rest of the world. Probably why we're also so fat!

 

[LaidBackDad]

That is absolutely not true. We had a terrible meal at Narcoossees on the DxDDP. I wrote an email to guest communications after the fact because I kind of stewed on it a while and got more and more annoyed and wasn't ready to deal with it in the moment. They called, heard me out, asked for a copy of my receipt and ended up sending me a check to refund the amount of the meal + tip even though I used credits. If you have a true problem (ie not complaining that you think the portion is too small... I've never even considered sending back an entree for that reason!) they will make it right even if you are on the DDP.

Also absolutely not true that you can't get an ADR last minute. Maybe not at the prime places but tons of people fly by the seat of their pants and get ADRs day of or even within a half hour. It's 11:17am and if I want to have lunch today I can get an ADR for 2 at various times during todya's lunch seating at:
50's prime time cafe
akershus
ale and compass
biergarten
bongos
chefs de france
coral reef
espn club
frontera cocina
garden grill
grand floridian cafe
hollywood and vine
house of blues
skipper canteen
kona cafe
las ventanas
le cellier
liberty tree tavern
mama melrose
nine dragons
olivia's
paradisio 37
raglan road
restaurant marrakesh
san angel inn
Sanaa
spice road table
teppan edo
the boathouse
the diamond horseshoe
the hollywood brown derby
the wave
tiffins
tokyo dining
tony's town square
tusker house
whispering canyon

LITERALLY something at EVERY park, nearly every resort that serves lunch, and at Disney Springs. No matter where you are you can have a TS lunch without an ADR made in advance if you had credits to burn.

If you're on the DDP and volume of size is your primary concern, I recommend you stick with one of the AYCTE options where they will serve you food until you bust if that's your thing.

Congratulations on getting a refund. I'm glad to hear. It doesn't surprise me at all as over all Disney does a great job of responding to guest complaints when guest contact them as you did. It sounds like you were on top of things and saved your receipt. I assume you probably took your time, composed your thoughts, and articulated a well written email. Problem is, most people wouldn't have saved their receipt that long or took the time and effort to complain, and they know that. I doubt you would have had similar luck with a manager in the restaurant and even less likely you would receive a cash refund at the time. Still, even if you did get a refund of a credit, what are you going to do with it since most people would already have all of their meals / restaurants booked months in advance. Are you going to book a second dinner just so you don't waste the credit? Cutting the portion size to reduce waste is fine if it also comes with a reduced price, but that is unlikely to happen.

All I'm saying is the theory is plausible and it involves the same company that suddenly decided to start charging its onsite guest extra for parking. They do ask everyone before they order if they are using a DDP. It would be no more difficult than cooking a steak medium rare for one person and well done for another.

 

[maxiesmom]

Is it just me or does anyone else think they give you smaller portions when you're on Free Dining? The last 5-6 times I've gone has been Free Dining...so I can't really compare to paying OOP. They last few meals I've had at multiple locations have been pretty skimpy. Quality is still there..... but we've left several meals with clean plates....and that never used to be the case. I almost wanna try next time to just order and not say we're on the DP until the meal is over. Thoughts?

I think it is just you.