Today, on the DIS Unlimited podcast, one of the hosts talked about an overcooked salmon dish she was served at Sunshine Seasons, a quick-service restaurant in EPCOT. My first thought was that I would have sent it back to the kitchen right away.
And then I realized that not everyone would. There’s something about being at Disney that seems to change the way we react in restaurants. At a hometown restaurant, if I order a medium-cooked steak and it’s delivered to the table well done, or if my salmon comes out dry enough to crumble apart with a fork, I politely ask for another one. I’ve paid for the meal, and restaurants generally want the chance to make it right.
But somehow, at Disney, many people hesitate. I get that it can be uncomfortable to complain about things sometimes. You’re on vacation; you don’t want to cause a scene or a conflict. There’s also the time it will take to get a new dish after explaining the issue to a cast member.
Personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with politely asking for a replacement when food simply isn’t prepared correctly. I’m not talking about “I decided I don’t actually like salmon.” I mean objectively overcooked, cold, undercooked, missing ingredients, or otherwise not prepared the way it should have been.
We all know that it isn’t inexpensive to eat in Disney restaurants. Even quick-service meals can easily top $20 per person, while table-service restaurants can run well over $50 per entrée. At those prices, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect your meal to be prepared properly.
When I think more about this particular situation, I think I would handle it the same way whether I was at Le Cellier or Sunshine Seasons. If I were at a table-service restaurant, I would tell my server about the issue. At a quick-service restaurant, I would just go back up to the counter and explain the issue. I would obviously be friendly and ask if they could remake the dish.
That’s where I’m curious what everyone else thinks.
If you’re served a meal at Disney that’s clearly overcooked or otherwise not prepared correctly, do you send it back? Does your answer change depending on whether you’re at a table-service restaurant or a quick-service location? Or do you just eat what you can and move on because you don’t want to make a fuss?
I’m genuinely interested, because I suspect there are a lot of Disney fans quietly eating disappointing meals when the restaurant would probably be happy to make things right.
