UPDATE: While complimentary bread is far from what would make or break a vacation, many readers and guests were concerned at the possibility of the removal of complimentary bread from table service restaurants across Walt Disney World.
In light of the posted rumors, Disney has released an official statement regarding complimentary bread at their restaurants:
“We are continuing complimentary bread service at all table-service restaurants. At this time, there are no plans to discontinue complimentary bread service at any of our table-service restaurants.”
We checked in with Cast Members at Coral Reef Restaurant at EPCOT and they confirmed that while complimentary bread service was in fact removed for a few days, it was recently reinstated. Over at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant, the $9.00 garlic knots remain an option on the menu, but Cast Members have reassured us that complimentary bread service has also returned to the restaurant.
While we’re delighted that complimentary bread is back for good, it’s still worth noting that it was a recent measure (or at the very least a test) that multiple managers at restaurants confirmed to have been aware of, or heard talk of amongst management.
We’ll continue updating this post as we check in with various restaurants across property on the status of complimentary bread. In the meantime, have an extra roll or two––for our sake. The original story regarding the possibility of discontinued complimentary bread at restaurants is available below:
You’d be surprised, but at certain table service restaurants across property, what really stands out is the complimentary bread service, be it the doughy pull-apart bread from Coral Reef in EPCOT or the rolls from The Hollywood Brown Derby, served with butter that’s delicately speckled with pink Himalayan salt.
With price increases affecting everything from Annual Passes, to park tickets, and of course, dining at the parks and resorts, guests are having to reanalyze their vacation plans in anticipation of higher costs. Now there’s one rumored change coming that, while small, marks a big shift in Disney Dining: the possible removal of complimentary bread at table-service restaurants.
The first reports of the discontinued bread service came from Coral Reef, in fact, where Cast Members were informing guests today that the lack of bread was due to it being slowly phased out from restaurants. The General Manager at the restaurant later informed us that all table service restaurants in EPCOT were no longer serving bread with your meal as of Sunday, which was their last day offering it.
At first, we believed it had to be tied to a shortage of some kind, until Cast Members at Mama Melrose’s (in Disney’s Hollywood Studios) also confirmed that there have been talks amongst management to pull complimentary bread service from select restaurants. As of today, certain restaurants, like Mama Melrose’s, still has bread on offer, but it’s still unknown how long complimentary bread service would remain at restaurants, if at all. The situation might also be different when it comes to Signature Dining restaurants, as Cast Members at The Hollywood Brown Derby hadn’t even heard of the recent changes.
Complimentary bread will still be served at Magic Kingdom table-service restaurants that currently offer it, and the change is not meant to affect resort restaurants––yet. (Update: Cast Members from Tony’s Town Square Restaurant have also confirmed that complimentary bread and olive oil is no longer offered there and has since been replaced with a basket of Garlic Knots that cost $9.)
If true, the removal of the traditional complimentary bread service from restaurants would lower the value of already high-priced table-service meals even further at the parks and resorts, and while bread isn’t going to make or break a meal necessarily, it’s basically a staple at most restaurants, even basic chain restaurants off-property. One would expect better at a premier vacation destination such as Walt Disney World, but in a timeline packed with budget cuts, this is just another one. At least there’s still cornbread at Boatwright’s.
Well hopefully guest backlash against this persuaded them to backtrack. I was certainly concerned as with dining plan you get entree and dessert and it’s nice to have a little bit of bread to start the meal off well.
Nothing is truly “complimentary”.. you pay out the wazoo to go to Disney.
Hi. Friends were at Disney 2 days ago. All hand sanitizers were EMPTY and there was absolutely NO wiping of the fingerprint screens. Disney reported the opposite..Which is correct before we head over? Thank you
The article said it all. The food plates are very high priced, typical of parks and resorts and especially true for Disney. They raise prices on tickets and food but you don’t see a change in what you get – same quality, same portions (for the most part). Now, in respect to food, you get even less!
People will comment about wage increases and cost of food increases but it’s really negligible, especially the food cost because they get great vendor prices due to ordered volume and being ‘Disney’. Some people also will think the complimentary bread is not important, but many families pick places knowing what they get, including ‘who has the good bread’.
Also it’s part of that ‘first impression’ that people receive that determines a person(s) opinion. On the restaurant side, it gives some flexibility to the waiter and staff when it’s busy and food prep/cook times are longer – it’s essentially an assistant for table flow.
Whatever the collective group of managers were thinking when they met and tried to implement this, they screwed up, likely thinking about their bottom line and not giving enough emphasis to these important intangibles
Sadly after 15 trips to Disney from Ohio we made our last. the cost is just ridiculous and $15 parking at the value resorts was the icing on the cake
I’ve been going to WDW since 2000 and we have eatten at almost all the sit down restaurants every trip, we haven’t received complementary bread except once or twice. Never at coral reef.
Had dinner at Tonys Town Square a week ago. Went there because they now serve wine. We were told that they had discontinued the bread service. An Italian restaurant with no bread is like not having tomato sauce.
We’d stared into the face of Chapek and Chapek blinked first. You’d think that would make us feel brave or invincible. It didn’t.
Bad idea. Eating the bread raises insulin levels, INDUCING hunger, making customers order more food. They may lose money in the long run. Give people a loaf that’s worth what? A buck, maybe? And they’ll get hungry and order more pricey items…take it away and well, fewer expensive entrees/sides/desserts, etc. It’s science.
People that live in the Blue Zones (cultures with the highest concentrations of centenarians on earth), credit a high-carbohydate, low protein diet for their longevity. It’s science.
It is already starting. Cheapskate, Bob Chapek (aka Lex Luthor, just take a look at him lol) is cutting corners and reducing the value of the Disney experience. Things are about to sour at Disney, sadly. Bob Chapek will help Universal become true competition for Disney. Hopefully, Disney will see this mistake and fire Bob Chapek!
Disney made a huge mistake in making Bob Chapek the CEO of the company, he is worse than Michael Eisner, he will put Disney in a horrible position once Universal opens Epic Universe! At this point I sense Disney will go though another dark age I really hope they will see this mistake and fire Bob Chapek immediately!
Anything to keep squeezing blood from the stone that is its guests’ wallets.
I see this as a total victory for Annual passholders & Disney dining enthusiasts
How fricken cheap can they get?
I dined at Coral reef 4 days ago and didn’t get it :(
I don’t believe it was a shortage. I believe Disney was testing the waters with this one. But once they received so much backlash, they quickly added the bread back. They really thought we wouldn’t notice or care.
Glad this was reversed, at least for now. I mean – yea, it’s not going to make or break my vacation or anything, but hell, even Olive Garen – OLIVE GARDEN – gives out free bread and oil. And, most restaurants non-Disney related offer basic bread service. For the cost of these restaurants at Disney, not offering a very, very basic (and expected, especially in European countries) bread service definitely lowers the value of the on-site restaurants. It doesn’t have to even be super fancy bread, but I can’t think of other restaurants at the price points Disney offers that fail to offer basic bread service.