Beware menu changes at LeCellier

[disneymom06]

I decided a while ago that when I do end up going there, it will be just for the cheese soup & an order of Poutine. So looks like my plan is still good.

That is exactly what we did on this last trip. But the meal was so salty, and I do not shy away from salt. The soup as well as the poutine, I just couldn't eat. Way to much salt!!!!! The pretzel bread and creme brulee were very good, but the meal was NOT worth the expense, (and I used my TIW discount)

 

[SimonSez]

Yes, the Outback Steakhouse thing was an April Fools joke...which apparently sparked a lot of complaining, so it was widely believed.

It's a signature restaurant now, I think they announced when they went signature that they would be using new and seasonal ingredients at times. I realize that many want their old and familiar favorites but that's not where they are going, judging by the very act of making this restaurant a permanent signature destination.

I'm also not sure that they are failing. They did succeed in lessening the overwhelming demand for the place but that's what WDW wanted to do.

Haha, that was a good April Fools joke! Of course the much loved Main St bakery is now a Starbucks... We were joking the other day about different Disney eateries becoming chain restaurants--Pecos Bill would become Burger King, The Columbia Harbor House would be a Long John Silvers, etc. Please Disney Don't Ever Do That I've never been to Le Cellier, but it seems to be a Disney favorite with a lot of repeat guests.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Le Cellier was at one time my favourite restaurant at WDW. It gas really gone down hill. Was just there last week and I ordered the Caesar salad and it was terrible. It was brown and slimy and disgusting. When I asked if it was supposed to be brown the server said it was grilled then chilled for a smoky flavour. It was gross. I only go there for the cheese soup. Is there anywhere else to get it?

Also, how much do servers make generally?

Biergarten actually has an awesome cheese soup, but they don't have it everyday I don't believe...but when they do.....YUM!

 

[Karlzmom]

The sad part to me is that people make their ADRs 6 months in advance. The choices they make are frequently driven by what the menu says will be available. I completely get that some changes - a kin to specials- may not be available on a particular date, but messing with the signature items is just setting a place up for problems.

I can't count the number of time we arrived for our much anticipated meal only to discover the reasons we booked the meal are no longer there. Sometimes it feels like we would be better of to just make random reservations because then there is no disappointment that what you were seeking is no longer on the menu or that your memory of a great dining experience will be marred by lower quality food or service this time around.

We loved Le Cell the first time we went many years ago and it feels like we have been chasing that experience ever since. The prices keep going up, up, up but the meal does not satisfy in the same way. I now feel like it is one of the most in-your-face examples of how to extract as much money from per diner as possible. We won't be back.

 

[Planogirl]

Le Cellier changing to an Outback would only improve the food and decrease the prices but that aside, what a shame! I was thinking about working this into our next trip but now I'll just have to wait and see.

 

[hippsmom]

Without the mushroom filet I will be switching to the Yachtsman.

 

[freshmanjs]

Haha, that was a good April Fools joke! Of course the much loved Main St bakery is now a Starbucks... We were joking the other day about different Disney eateries becoming chain restaurants--Pecos Bill would become Burger King, The Columbia Harbor House would be a Long John Silvers, etc. Please Disney Don't Ever Do That I've never been to Le Cellier, but it seems to be a Disney favorite with a lot of repeat guests.

you know that long before that, it was the sara lee bakery right?

yeah, imagine if the ice cream parlor were an Edy's store. or if Casey's were branded coca cola. or if there were a carnation restaurant in disneyland. or if there were a kodak shop. hahahahaha yeah, disney don't ever sell out to corporations...have you ever seen the original main street photos?

 

[dischef]

Was disappointed in LeCellier last time we ate there.....and we have eaten there every visit for at least 15 years. I now love the filet at HBD, so get my steak fix there.

Agreed about the filet at HBD! It is my absolute favorite! We ate at LC in September 2012 and while most of the meal was delicious (including all of the appetizers we ordered plus that delicious pretzel bread!) my steak was AWFUL. It was the worst steak I've ever had. The restaurant was so busy when we were there (for a 4:15pm ADR) that our server was running around like a crazy person. By the time she was able to come back & check on us the rest if my party was done eating. I just gave the steak back to her and told her I didn't want a replacement. On the bright side, I did fill up on Cheese Soup, Poutine & Lobster Salad.

 

[wunkmom]

This thread makes me sad. Le Cellier has always been one of our favorites. We had a wonderful, albeit somewhat loud dinner there in October. Thankfully, we found a meal as good or better at Artist Point. I'll have to watch closely for more changes to Le Cellier before we start planning our next trip. R I P mushroom risotto.

 

[2102raven]

I am not averse to changes especially when it comes to food offering at a restaurant. In fact some of the best restaurants tend to change their food selections for variety reasons and seasonal adjustments.

But it is one thing for the change to happen for the better and another for the worst. Le Cellier unfortunately belongs in the latter-it is neither a positive change nor an improvement in quality

 

[saskdw]

I guess I'm going to have to be the one to point out the obvious here.

The poster that started this thread has 1 post and joined DIS to start this thread. Sorry, I need more opinions and proof than this 1 post person who has zero credibility here. I'm not here to defend Le Cellier or WDW food I just wanted to point that out.

FWIW, we ate there this past December and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Made an ADR this morning for our upcoming December trip. I'm not here to sway opinions just point out that the OP has zero credibility here, so take that post with a grain of salt.

 

[Ilovemyprincesses]

There have been other posts and I have seen pictures of the pea risotto.

 

[ElizabethB]

Why pea risotto? Peas are cheaper than mushrooms.

I agree with Rusty. The decline in quality at the Disney restaurants continues unabated and the DDP is to blame.

But, I do not see Disney abandoning the DDP. Why? Because it keeps guests on Disney property for the duration of their stay, thus avoiding those who hop over to Universal and/or Sea World for the day.

As Universal gets better and better (new Daigon Alley and Gringot's bank, anyone?), Disney's need for DDP just keeps increasing.

But, Disney clearly sets detailed cost per meal limits for the restaurants (no doubt devised by the Disney "quants" and their computers) -- the result of which is that chefs and restaurant managers have to keep cutting back as food costs rise. I cannot imagine that being a chef at Disney is a fun job these days. Might as well be operating a hospital cafeteria.

The upshot is that we generally avoid nearly all the Disney signature and other restaurants. Or, if we go, we focus on appetizers which is where the creative cooking is going on these days. Then, we might share a piece of fish as an entree. We skip the truly hopeless desserts.

Thank heaven for Il Mulino, Shula's and some of the Downtown Disney places.

Of course, our other option is the one we are exercising two months from now -- spending our entire time at Universal. We are looking forward to wonderful meals at Bice, Tchoup Chop, Emeril's, Mama Dellas -- and even at the park restaurants. We're also staying club level at Portofino Bay Hotel, which beats every club level at WDW, including GF RPC (for less than 1/2 the cost of GF RPC).

 

[hungry heifer]

I wish I had taken pics of the menus for skeptics. We had seen the pea risotto pics on blogs before going, but were reassured by the fact no online menus had changed. That doubled the disappointment. I would never jest about my favorite dish!

 

[TDC Nala]

Menu prices and items can change at any time without notice. Any menus. You can't take the online menus as a reflection of exactly what will be served on your visit in the future.

If you're making reservations six months out you cannot be certain that the dish you selected will still be on the menu when you get there. Especially at a signature restaurant.

 

[JimmyV]

Yes, the Outback Steakhouse thing was an April Fools joke...which apparently sparked a lot of complaining, so it was widely believed.

It's a signature restaurant now, I think they announced when they went signature that they would be using new and seasonal ingredients at times. I realize that many want their old and familiar favorites but that's not where they are going, judging by the very act of making this restaurant a permanent signature destination.

Making seasonal changes is one thing. Shrinking the size of the steaks while doubling the number of Plan credits (and not reducing the prices) is something else entirely. Give people less and charge them more. That is the formula that results in all of the "Disney is losing its magic" threads.

They did succeed in lessening the overwhelming demand for the place but that's what WDW wanted to do.

Source? Doubling the number of plan credits may have been the basis for lessening the demand. But taking popular items off the menu or shrinking the size of the steaks would never fly as a basis for doing so. Even still, doubling the number of credits was not designed to lessen demand so much as it was to force people to buy another meal OOP. Making people burn through credits faster makes them spend more money. No restaurant manager says: "We are too popular. We need to do something to keep people from coming here."

 

[TDC Nala]

There isn't a restaurant on property that hasn't taken popular items off the menu or shrunk the size of some offerings. That is Disney's current management at work.

It went to two credits because there were too many complaints from guests who couldn't get in. What do you do about that, you either expand the restaurant or you make it more expensive so you dont' have the kind of demand the restaurant can't handle.

 

[JimmyV]

It went to two credits because there were too many complaints from guests who couldn't get in. What do you do about that, you either expand the restaurant or you make it more expensive so you dont' have the kind of demand the restaurant can't handle.

Right. A restaurant fills up every service so it takes steps from preventing that from happening. If the restaurant can serve 2000 covers a day and is doing so, it doesn't care about the 10,000 people who didn't get in. The restaurant doesn't care which 2000 of the 12,000 get seated, as long as 2000 get seated. The very fact that it is hard to get an ADR generates buzz, and that is a good thing. Raising prices and doubling credits is not a very sympathetic way to address the concerns of the10,000 people on the outside looking in. "There you go, Ma'am. I addressed your complaint and just made it easier for you to get an ADR. I made the restaurant so expensive that many people no longer want to eat here. What? You don't either? Oops. What have I done?" Restaurants don't operate like that. The demand was great enough to move to 2 credits and in so doing, people who go there would have to dip into their pockets to buy an extra OOP meal. The move had the collateral effect of decreasing demand and that was to be expected. But lessening demand was not the primary goal. Since when has Disney cared that demand for its product out-paced supply?

 

[Missyrose]

I guess I'm going to have to be the one to point out the obvious here.

The poster that started this thread has 1 post and joined DIS to start this thread. Sorry, I need more opinions and proof than this 1 post person who has zero credibility here. I'm not here to defend Le Cellier or WDW food I just wanted to point that out.

FWIW, we ate there this past December and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Made an ADR this morning for our upcoming December trip. I'm not here to sway opinions just point out that the OP has zero credibility here, so take that post with a grain of salt.

I had doubts about the lack of follow-up reports from anywhere too. So I had a friend stop into Le Cellier yesterday and ask about the changes. Here's what she said:

So the mushroom risotto is still on the menu for now. I asked the hostess and she said there had been talk of possibly changing but it was with "great resistance" she said she doesn't think the change will happen because of all the fuss

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Right. A restaurant fills up every service so it takes steps from preventing that from happening. If the restaurant can serve 2000 covers a day and is doing so, it doesn't care about the 10,000 people who didn't get in.

Disney as a company does care more about that than about this individual restaurant.