I just read this on All Ears, a comment sent into them. I find this disappointing then hearing it is also happening at other buffets a bit more irking but not surprising. The kids meals were not great to start with so down grading them more disappointing.

From All Ears Hears:


We just returned from a quick jaunt to
the World and ate at our favorite restaurant, Boma. We have
dined at this restaurant on all of our visits over the last few
years. The biggest draw for us has always been the prime rib. On
this visit, we were very disappointed to learn that they are no
longer serving prime rib... and this change isn't unique to
Boma. Across property, they have replaced prime rib at carving
stations with a "roasted strip loin". Management cited that it
is actually a better cut of meat (think "New York strip") and
healthier (less fat). Our personal preference is the juicy prime
rib. The new meat tasted more like roast beef to us. This change
will drastically impact our decision on dining at Boma and other
buffets. The menu outside Boma still lists prime rib as a menu
item. Also, the kids' buffet now has fried chicken wings instead
of the fried chicken strips they used to have. Our server
brought us a plate of chicken nuggets instead, but they were
definitely not as tasty as the old standard Disney chicken
strips that our kids looked forward to.

Those chicken strips have been slowly disappearing from all over the place on property. I am sorry to see if they are now no longer serving Prime Rib also.

I think there are two factors driving the menu changes. One is the waistline and the other is the bottom line. Disney has been making its menus more health-conscious over the past couple of years. But the dining plan has had more of an effect, I believe. When people are getting to dine on credits instead of dollars, they go for the more expensive items to maximize the value of their dining plan. That led to several items initially being excluded from the plan, but later led to items disappearing from menus altogether. Changes like this are noticable to those of us who go frequently, but to the infrequent guest it seems like the way things always were.

The prime rib is not such a big deal for me, but chicken wings on the kid's buffet? Bones and kids, I'm not sure I like that choking hazard.
Also, I LOVE those chicken strips, and they are not any less healthy than fried chicken wings

My husband is NOT going to be happy if we go to Chef Mickey's on our anniversary and he can't get the prime rib. It's the whole reason we go there to eat every time we visit WDW. I don't think I'll tell him this is happening and hope public outcry will reverse the "no prime rib" decision.

I also agree with the member citing bones and children don't mix. I don't have kids myself, but with all the activity buzzing around character buffets, I can see how something very wrong could happen very fast.

As a Disney shareholder and annual visitor, I think they need to come up with a different way to shave off a few bucks.

From Scott Joesph's Orlando Food Blog. The second half was great!

Disney Guests Ask "Where's the Beef?"

Prime Rib Missing From Buffets
Prime rib has been replaced on buffet serving lines at Walt Disney World restaurants with whole strip loins. The official, company line is that the switch was made for aesthetic reasons. Lenny DeGeorge told me that prime rib is not meant to be cut into small slices, which is how people in a buffet situation request it. He says they want smaller portions because they're sampling a lot of different things and don't want to fill up on just prime rib. And when cutting small pieces you can get a lot of fat.

The whole strip loin, he says, is better suited for smaller slicing. So at venues like Boma, the all-you-can-eat walkabout buffet at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, the prime rib is out and the whole strip loins are in, and on the spit with the signature African blend of spices.

But is that the real reason for the change? Could it be that strip loins are cheaper than standing rib roasts? Restaurants, even those at Walt Disney World, are trying to find ways of cutting costs in this depressed economy. DeGeorge says the strips are a little less expensive, but he points out that prime rib hasn't been banished entirely from the Kingdom. "We're still using tons and tons of prime rib," he says. You can still find it at such places as Olivia's, Boatwright's and Captain's Grill at the Yacht and Beach Club.

And when he says tons and tons, he means that quite literally. He estimates Disney serves between 400 and 500 thousand pounds of prime rib annually. Just not at all-you-can-eat venues anymore.

So watch that number to go down next year.