Walt Disney World testing reserved table system for quick service dining.

October 6, 7:21 PM Walt Disney World Recreation Examiner Peggy Macdonald

Walt Disney World testing reserved table system for quick service dining Website.


Disney World is testing a new reservation system at its quick service restaurants with the dual goal of seating guests at a faster pace and increasing profits. As a result, the practice of sending a family member to save a table while another family member orders food and beverages is no longer allowed when Disney's theme park restaurants experience peak traffic.
Under the new reservation system, Disney World cast members seat groups at tables, much like they would do at a traditional table service restaurant (minus the server). According to the Orlando Sentinel, select Magic Kingdom restaurants now restrict guest access to tables during peak dining periods while guaranteeing seating for diners.
Although this new approach to quick service dining will help maximize profits for Disney World during the recession, it will inconvenience families with babies and young children, who will be required to stand in long lines instead of waiting at their table. Before this new system was implemented, one family member was free to feed a baby, park diaper bags and cumbersome packages, and allow young children and the elderly to rest at a table while another member of the party ordered food. It would appear that disabled guests will also be prevented from waiting at a table, although few lines accommodate disabled guests at the pick-up station.
Currently the quick service dining reservation system remains in the testing phase. Disney has not decided if it will implement the new system at all of its quick service locations at the Walt Disney World resort.



Will this help? What do you think of this?

It might just work. In busy times, we wait together anyway because finding a seat separately is impossible. If this helps improve turnover then it might make busy times smoother and quicker.

Lets see how the tests go before judging. I'd be interested to hear comments from those who experience it.

It will definitely help with the traffic flow. I always seem to have to wade through a river of people going back from the sitting area to the line to help someone carry food. Given how efficient Disney is with everything else, I am somewhat surprised that they haven't fixed this earlier. The conveyor belt style where you all move one way through a line just seems to make sense from an efficiency point of view. As long as their are tables at the other end and they manage the front of the line to accommodate the seating available, then I think it works great. Most people are concerned with getting a tray of food and having to stand while groups of people who are done eating sit and talk at their table like it is a park and they own it. This is especially true in the summer when everyone tries to use it as a place to cool down and when it is raining. Both are understandable, but there are other places to go for that. Have some sympathy for that young couple with four kids running around like crazy and the parents with trays of food in their hands that render them helpless. Give up the seat. Help a fellow Disney lovers experience be magical. Off my soapbox now...ha

So true... a little Disney courtesy goes a long way.

When we were there this month they didn't have it up & running. EVeryone did what they did before. Good idea maybe..if they (Disney) ever decide to use it again

They definitely could have used something like this last week. I think the big key to the counter service is to zig when others are zagging. We got in lines for shows at noon and either ate at 11 or at about 1:30 depending on when our dinner reservation was. That seemed to work pretty well. The one exception was Christmas Day and we were at Cosmic Ray's right at noon....Apparently everyone else was there too. It took about 15 minutes just to get a table after we got our food.