I'm incredibly excited for this change! Usually, I go to BoG at least once a trip (I'm almost always by myself) and I always feel bad for the servers there. I usually order a glass of bubbles or wine, an appetizer, an entree and then I get a Grey Stuff to go to eat at home, or if I stay to watch the fireworks somewhere out in the park, so the $55 price for the menu is already in line with what I usually pay - the difference will be booze cost, but if the apps/entrees are elevated ... it's a deal to me! I love the vibe, the relatively exclusivity, just everything magical that comes with dining at dinner at BoG.
But the last few times, I've been surrounded by large tables (I'm talking 6-8 tops) that are in for dessert or the charcuterie and out in less than half an hour, their only purpose for this prime ADR being to meet the Beast.
One of the great things about dining at Disney is the service staff - I personally know many servers that have been at CRT and HBD since Day 1, and love what they do. The problem comes when servers aren't making a decent wage at a restaurant where they have been given a certain expectation of doing so - it becomes almost impossible to staff full-time, especially for the small hours that BoG offers as an actual service restaurant (the food runners and bussers stay the same across all meals, but the actual servers only get dinner hours). Why should a server work at Disney for server wage and dessert-only tips when they can work at a non-Disney restaurant and make a livable wage? My last three times at BoG (all within the last three months), my servers have been new College Program employees. WHAT?!
And, unfortunately, since Disney prefers the ADR system and leaves it up to the discretion of the restaurant itself to accommodate walk-ups/wait list (some do, but BoG for dinner doesn't), those big tables sit empty after thirty minutes for the allotted 60 to 75-minute or whatever dining period the system has programmed for that specific table when it plans reservation spots.
There was a thread on this very board just a few months ago about a family of 6 that was going to come in, order the "specialty dessert platter" via Private Dining and nothing else at a popular dinner time (I wanna say 7 p.m.) just to meet the Beast - I said it back then, and I'll say it again now ... behaviors like this are why we "can't have nice things".
I feel badly for people that want to experience dinner at BoG but aren't thrilled about the prix-fixe offerings or the kids price, but this is wholly an example of people abusing the system to meet one character and ruining it for the rest of the population. This change isn't arbitrary or to make more money - I honestly believe it's to start making enough revenue to cover the restaurant's overhead, because it wasn't cutting it at dinner service. If people keep abusing breakfast, that will be the next change we see.
The one good thing is that hopefully with a guaranteed price, the restaurant will see more of an ROI on food cost and the quality will go up (I can't imagine how much fresh product they have to get rid of every night expecting a full dining room of actual diners, but getting half diners and half cupcake-only people), as well as the quality of the dining service staff.
I love BoG, and I hope it can be like my other favorite restaurants where I can develop a relationship with a server because I return so often.
Just my dos pesos ...