Future of buffets?

[Lilsia]

I am not sure where you got this from. There is NO requirement to have a bunch of random food on a plate. Every family style restaurant in my area has you pick your specific foods its not just a random platter of food (yes I understand Disney has been doing more of this low effort family style). Family style though here was never a replacement for buffets so possibly why they are done differently.

Typically its:

• Each person picks the main dish for first platter (Fried Fish, Broiled Fish, Salmon, Chicken, Prime Rib, Burger, Brats whatever else they have)
• Table outlines sides they want (Fried Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Pasta, Mac N Cheese, ect)
• Table outlines if they want salads, breads, ect (also normally how many people want each item so server knows size to bring)
• Dessert normally not included but would be by the plate off a cart they bring table side

Yes if you have crappy family style then no people will not want it. A proper well done family style (Disney charges $40/$50/$60 so they can make the math work) will end up being a superior experience since you are not walking around, standing in lines, and having a dish out of stock as you walk up.

There are no family style restaurants where I live. I was going off of what Disney does. Biergarten is a great example of this. They pre-plate them and they bring out the same thing to everyone. The cruise is the same for things like bread baskets. We have asked for specific type of bread but they said that they pre-mix them and that they can't do individuals. In the past we have been to Whispering Canyon and got the platter and were told the same thing, that they bring it all out regardless.

 

[sethschroeder]

There are no family style restaurants where I live. I was going off of what Disney does. Biergarten is a great example of this. They pre-plate them and they bring out the same thing to everyone. The cruise is the same for things like bread baskets. We have asked for specific type of bread but they said that they pre-mix them and that they can't do individuals. In the past we have been to Whispering Canyon and got the platter and were told the same thing, that they bring it all out regardless.

I would personally expect any long term removal of Buffets to come with a redo of how they do family style as well.

With Biergarten as an example with reduced guests its possible that making lesser requested dishes would cause issues. Obviously if the current version of Biergarten was the final version I would rather have the buffet back instead.

I outlined by view on Family Style to show how I normally see it and why I personally think its a step up and can still delivery variety. As for it being more or less cost to Disney I am not sure.

 

[mkb3]

Sorry a kid licking the serving spoon and putting it back likely is not happening in the kitchen. I will take the kitchen over buffet line if we are trying to find the one that is cleaner.

You are a absolutely correct, it's likely not a kid, but I promise you servers and cooks do it all the time.

 

[sethschroeder]

You are a absolutely correct, it's likely not a kid, but I promise you servers and cooks do it all the time.

Guess what and the food is still being cooked not just sitting at room temp for an hour at worst case in the case of cook.

On top of that a person doing that out of the kitchen should be let go full stop. Where I have worked in the past there was simply a bucket of clean utensils for tasting and used ones would be thrown into the dirty dishes pile bucket. If they are willing to do that I would be willing to bet they are cutting corners on food safety elsewhere.

Also want to add kids will get you sick way more often than cooks/servers anyways. So you are better off likely having 1 cook and 1 server lick the spoon before you have 1 kid lick it. (And yes there is research how families with kids get sick way more often because of the child its something like 5x more likely to get sick if at least 1 child lives with you)

 

[Betty Rohrer]

There are no family style restaurants where I live. I was going off of what Disney does. Biergarten is a great example of this. They pre-plate them and they bring out the same thing to everyone. The cruise is the same for things like bread baskets. We have asked for specific type of bread but they said that they pre-mix them and that they can't do individuals. In the past we have been to Whispering Canyon and got the platter and were told the same thing, that they bring it all out regardless.

same for the family style in my area. just platters and bowls brought to the table no ordering what you want. from what I have seen lots of waste as once at table can not be replated. have 3 large family style places here in our tourist area plus a couple of buffets that were open until all had to close last week but that is another story for another time

 

[PattnFmly]

I know of no family style restaurants here either. I was also going on what I have been to in Disney. Whispering Canyon is the one in particular that we had issues with. The platter is the platter (yes there are a couple now but I digress), you don't tell them what meats to put or not put on the platter. That is what does not work for my family. And I don't like to pay for food that I know no one in my family will eat. If I can choose, even from tiers, what to put on my platter that is ok. The purpose of buffets for my family, was so everyone could eat what they wanted. It is vacation after all, fun stuff - not forcing to eat what you don't like just because you paid for it.