No huge surprises in Round 1 … other than one little shock, I think.
When we run these polls, I’m often asked to comment on what things surprise me as I watch the votes unfold. Well, back in December, we elected our Favorite WDW Buffet/Family Style Restaurant and Germany’s Biergarten did very well. That poll covered the breadth of the Walt Disney World property. When isolated to its brother and sister restaurants in Epcot, Biergarten couldn’t …
… even break out of the first round.
True, it only fell to The Garden Grill by four votes, but it fell nonetheless. However, if you had asked me before I started the competition yesterday, I would have told you that I thought that Biergarten was its group’s #1 seed. How did this “upset” happen? Could it be that the presence of Chip ‘n Dale and their other friends took The Garden Grill and its character-meal offering past the German “beer festival”? That would be my guess.
Off to Round 2, fans. Remember! Bring your friends! It’s Monday! You know you want to have a little Disney fun! Vote! Vote! Vote!
Thanks for the great polls – I love the anticipation each day of seeing which rides, restaurants, etc will come out on top.
One quick thought on “Biergarten” … it’s gone downhill – drastically – in the past year. I really think this is being reflected in the voting. A constant trend I’ve read at the restaurant includes opening the second side of the buffet only after the line at the first has gotten out-of-hand; slower service (which seems to be a result of less-servers overall); a notable decrease in the quality of the food being served; and lastly, a shortened performance by the entertainment.
I believe all Disney restaurants go through their “ebbs and flows” … and also believe Disney keeps a close eye on trends – including reviews and reservation volume … so I fully expect the Biergargten to return to it’s previous platform of excellence.
Thanks, Robb! I really appreciate your kind comment about appreciating the polls. It is really fun to put them together, but comments like yours make the work very worthwhile. Also, thanks for the input re: Biergarten. We would agree with you. We tried it – for the first time in a long time – this past January, and we were quite disappointed. It might be another “long time” before we stop back.