A Chef TJ Dining Experience at Trails End

[wendinator 109]

http://youtu.be/iUvbyB8Q9pc

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Awesome! That's like he did for our dessert...I'm glad you got video!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Cool video!!

 

Was he there in July? He looks familiar. I wonder if he's the same one who made Elena's gluten free flatbread.

 

I think he moved over there around that time, but I'm not sure exactly when.

 

Also another tidbit...

The blue name tag Chef TJ is wearing is for "Legacy Award" winners.  They're given to full time CMs that exceed guest expectations over and above. That jives with reports I've seen elsewhere for some time where he's done extra special things before like he did for Dave and INC.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Ok. I'm a beef guy, a pork guy, a venison guy, and a give me any sort of meat guy but your meal looked awesome.

I was in the restaurant business most of my life (we owned a restaurant in Germany when I was kid).

And I can't think of any restaurant that goes so much out of their way to accommodate special request like they do at Disney. Kudos to Disney.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Ok. I'm a beef guy, a pork guy, a venison guy, and a give me any sort of meat guy but your meal looked awesome.

I was in the restaurant business most of my life (we owned a restaurant in Germany when I was kid).

And I can't think of any restaurant that goes so much out of their way to accommodate special request like they do at Disney. Kudos to Disney.

 

You're absolutely right.  And I would never ask for nor expect that kind of service....he invited us to dine with him while we were at the Hoop so we decided to try it out.  Am sure glad we did!  But I can imagine there are people out there who expect and feel entitled to this sort of thing at Disney.  That's the slippery slope when you cater to people in this way.  While most of us would simply appreciate the wonderful experience we were given, some people would stomp their feet and whine if they go to Trails End the next time and he is unavailable or unable to do this.  Actually....I won't stomp my feet, but I might whine a little.  :D    

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Thanks for sharing the experience with us, Dave.  I am glad that you and INC got to enjoy that special meal.

 

It's amazing to me that Disney management allows their chefs to do this for guests.  Everywhere else you look at WDW, there are cuts and things being taken away, but here's a guy that can apparently do whatever he wants to do. 

 

What bugs me is that while some guests get the royal treatment,  over on the buffet guests get the same old marginal food as always.  I wouldn't mind if TJ upped the quality of all the food.  A man with his culinary skills could easily improve the cardboard pizza they serve over at the take out and on the buffet line.  Instead, his groupies get freshly prepared multi-course meals for the same price others pay for the swill on the buffet.

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Thanks for sharing the experience with us, Dave.  I am glad that you and INC got to enjoy that special meal.

 

It's amazing to me that Disney management allows their chefs to do this for guests.  Everywhere else you look at WDW, there are cuts and things being taken away, but here's a guy that can apparently do whatever he wants to do. 

 

What bugs me is that while some guests get the royal treatment,  over on the buffet guests get the same old marginal food as always.  I wouldn't mind if TJ upped the quality of all the food.  A man with his culinary skills could easily improve the cardboard pizza they serve over at the take out and on the buffet line.  Instead, his groupies get freshly prepared multi-course meals for the same price others pay for the swill on the buffet.

 

TCD

 

I disagree. There are a lot of situations where Disney does something "magical" for a person or family that everyone doesn't get. I think that's part of the Disney charm. Our pastor had a great series on what would happen if people "did for one what they wished they could do for everyone." It could change the world. I think unexpected special moments are important. 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I disagree. There are a lot of situations where Disney does something "magical" for a person or family that everyone doesn't get. I think that's part of the Disney charm. Our pastor had a great series on what would happen if people "did for one what they wished they could do for everyone." It could change the world. I think unexpected special moments are important. 

 

I agree with you.  And since the Mouse tried to kill my family later in the trip, this moment is particularly special for me. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I disagree. There are a lot of situations where Disney does something "magical" for a person or family that everyone doesn't get. I think that's part of the Disney charm. Our pastor had a great series on what would happen if people "did for one what they wished they could do for everyone." It could change the world. I think unexpected special moments are important. 

 

 

I agree with you.  And since the Mouse tried to kill my family later in the trip, this moment is particularly special for me. 

 

I think magical moments are great, but having a guy on the payroll who is supposed to serve the entire restaurant cater to just a few chosen guests just doesn't sit right with me.

 

I'm sure that restaurant has one budget.  So, the guests eating frozen pizza are paying for the special meals being enjoyed by the chef's pet guests.  That ain't right.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I think magical moments are great, but having a guy on the payroll who is supposed to serve the entire restaurant cater to just a few chosen guests just doesn't sit right with me.

 

I'm sure that restaurant has one budget.  So, the guests eating frozen pizza are paying for the special meals being enjoyed by the chef's pet guests.  That ain't right.

 

TCD

 

The Chef presumably has a defined set of responsibilities. Providing these meals to his guests are something he chooses to do above his job description. I don't think the quality of service or food that others receive is diminished because he is working hard to provide something extra to someone else.  If he wasn't doing the job he was hired to do, he wouldn't still be working for Disney after 20 years.   

 

Regarding the budget...how in the world would that be impacted by this?  Most guests at that buffet are filling up on smoked ribs, chicken and other meat items.  Have you shopped for tofu, noodles and vegetables recently?  The stuff is a bargain compared to what meat costs.  Those meals are not straining the Trails End budget, causing them to have to cut corners with their pizza.  The pizza there sucked long before Chef TJ came in. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

  The pizza there sucked long before Chef TJ came in. 

 

That's true.

 

My point is that the special ingredients this guy is using cost something, and I assume he's not buying it in bulk like they do the chicken, ribs and frozen pizzas.  There are also labor costs. If this guy has extra time to make special meals, then maybe he doesn't even need to be on the payroll.  They can get college kids to work the fryers and get the frozen pizzas out of the box.

 

TCD

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

...Providing these meals to his guests are something he chooses to do above his job description. I don't think the quality of service or food that others receive is diminished because he is working hard to provide something extra to someone else.  If he wasn't doing the job he was hired to do, he wouldn't still be working for Disney after 20 years.   

 

Agreed.  If he was going above and beyond for only certain guests to the detriment of others, there's no way Disney would still employ him.

 

Also remember that he is just one of a group of sous chefs working under a head chef. Presumably that's the guy making the big decisions about overall food quality and variety as well as handling the budget. If anyone has the ability to impact the overall quality of the food at the Fort, it's going to be the head Chef, and not TJ.

 

And if what Chef TJ does from time to time impacted the head Chefs' ability to meet his expectations in terms of Guest experience and expectation overall, I would imagine that would be a problem to be dealt with and Chef TJ would be out looking for a job instead of wearing his Legacy Award nametag.

 

 

...can imagine there are people out there who expect and feel entitled to this sort of thing at Disney.  That's the slippery slope when you cater to people in this way.

 

And that happens... all. the. time.  You just have to spend an hour on some other forums to see how much it happens. It's probably the biggest negative that's sprung out of internet communities of Disney fans.  One person says "OMG we got pixie dust!" and then people show up demanding the same thing.  In some cases, it's directly resulted in things being taken away from everyone - example: Miyuki.  So many people bitched that their kid get didn't picked to have one her special candy creations, Disney stopped letting her give them out to anyone.

 

I think there is a fine line with Disney when it comes to allowing their CMs to go above and beyond sometimes, and pushing it to the point where the masses demand it ALL the time.

 

I can't remember where I first saw this but it was in the context of people that expect/demand "special" treatment at Disney because they've seen or heard about other people getting it ... if everyone is special, then no one is special.

[keith_h 420]

Maybe it's my naivety but having the chef do something special for a random customer does not seem that out of line for the restaurant industry. I have had it happen and have seen it happen at other restaurants and thought nothing of it. I think the majority of the other customers felt the same. To me seeing the chef do this or visit with tables is just part of the job by getting in touch with the customer as opposed to being isolated in the kitchen.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

That's true.

My point is that the special ingredients this guy is using cost something, and I assume he's not buying it in bulk like they do the chicken, ribs and frozen pizzas. There are also labor costs. If this guy has extra time to make special meals, then maybe he doesn't even need to be on the payroll. They can get college kids to work the fryers and get the frozen pizzas out of the box.

TCD

My guess is most of those ingredients are already there in a different form... Look at the roasted veggie flatbread you can order at lunch. A lot of those veggies could have come from that.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

OK I get it.

 

I am glad that DIT and INC got to enjoy this special meal.  I wish a superstar chef arriving at the Fort would mean improved food for everyone, but if we can't have that, I'm glad that some people with special dietary needs are having an improved experience.  That's a good thing, and I hope that it continues.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

OK I get it.

 

I am glad that DIT and INC got to enjoy this special meal.  I wish a superstar chef arriving at the Fort would mean improved food for everyone, but if we can't have that, I'm glad that some people with special dietary needs are having an improved experience.  That's a good thing, and I hope that it continues.

 

TCD

 

On a related note, have you noticed the improved fries with the GAG recently?  Or were we just lucky?  They were extra crisp and fresh, not limp and greasy.  I'm wondering whether those are the norm now or just a once off? 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

On a related note, have you noticed the improved fries with the GAG recently?  Or were we just lucky?  They were extra crisp and fresh, not limp and greasy.  I'm wondering whether those are the norm now or just a once off? 

 

Yes.  But it's not just with the GAG.  We've also noticed new and improved fries at Casey's Corner, BOG,  Cosmic Rays, and other places.  They are a bit thinner, and crisper than the previous version of Disney Fries.  So Chef TJ doesn't get credit for that.

 

TCD

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

Yes.  But it's not just with the GAG.  We've also noticed new and improved fries at Casey's Corner, BOG,  Cosmic Rays, and other places.  They are a bit thinner, and crisper than the previous version of Disney Fries.  So Chef TJ doesn't get credit for that.

 

TCD

 

I fully agree, I had fries all over the world this past trip, including TE and I felt they were much improved everywhere.

 

Casey's Corner were actually really good, much thinner than the others which is my favorite type of fry.

 

WBI

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

The real key here is not that some folks got special treatment. If the quality of the food is exceptional then no one would care if a guest got a special food item. The problem is that attention needs to be paid to the buffet and it's quality of food being served. If I am chewing on a piece of cardboard pizza and paying the high price for it and the next table over gets served this amazing fresh off menu item I am going to be a little bothered. Not by their special treatment but by the food appearance and quality.  

 

As far as people demanding pixie dust, that is a clear sign of the time. Not everyone is a winner, sorry Barney. Not everyone gets to vacation at the GF.   Should we throw a fit and say it's not fair that some people get to stay there and others have to settle for POP? Not everyone gets the candy creation, get over it. Sell them in the gift shop and go buy jr. one. Not so long ago f=my family was at the park and my boys were climbing trees. A daycare worker came up to me and asked that my children not climb the trees because here daycare kids were not allowed to climb trees. What!?!? Move along lady life is not fair.

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

I don't know how this falls in this conversation, but have you ever been next to someone that received a magical moment? 

 

We have, both at Disneyworld and in the real world, at first we're like ohh that's great, they are so lucky, then you kind of think why them, why not us. 

 

We always have to remind ourselves of the times it did happen to us because like someone said if everyone got those special moments then they aren't special anymore.

 

I guess I pay for an experience, typically the best experience I can afford, as long as I get my money's worth I'm happy and any additional things are just bonus.

 

WBI

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Yes. But it's not just with the GAG. We've also noticed new and improved fries at Casey's Corner, BOG, Cosmic Rays, and other places. They are a bit thinner, and crisper than the previous version of Disney Fries. So Chef TJ doesn't get credit for that.

 

TCD

 

 

Yes, I agree....we noticed better fries in a couple of places.  I wasn't suggesting that TJ had anything to do with those.  I was just wondering whether everyone has noticed them or if we were just lucky....keeping in mind we hadn't visited in 2 years so memories aren't always accurate.  Nice to know this seems to be an across the board improvement. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I don't know how this falls in this conversation, but have you ever been next to someone that received a magical moment? 

 

We have, both at Disneyworld and in the real world, at first we're like ohh that's great, they are so lucky, then you kind of think why them, why not us. 

 

We always have to remind ourselves of the times it did happen to us because like someone said if everyone got those special moments then they aren't special anymore.

 

I guess I pay for an experience, typically the best experience I can afford, as long as I get my money's worth I'm happy and any additional things are just bonus.

 

WBI

 

Yes, I think jealously is a natural human emotion, and it's sometimes hard to keep things in perspective.

 

Remember the Year of a Million Dreams promotion a few years back?  It used to burn my butt to be walking in to an attraction and see a group of folks walking out with Dream Fastpasses.  What a great thing for them, but it stunk when you were the next guest and you missed getting that perk.

 

We've received more than our share of pixie dust over the years, so I shouldn't envy anyone else who gets it, but, truthfully, it's hard.

 

Having said that- I agree with what others have said here- I'm glad that Disney is a place where special things can happen, and I would hate to see that come to an end.

 

So, I'm fine with Chef TJ doing his thing, and I hope DIT gets to go back and eat all those vegetable creations some time soon.  I'll shut up and eat my cardboard pizza.

 

TCD

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

 

Remember the Year of a Million Dreams promotion a few years back?  It used to burn my butt to be walking in to an attraction and see a group of folks walking out with Dream Fastpasses.  What a great thing for them, but it stunk when you were the next guest and you missed getting that perk.

 

 

TCD

 

It's funny you used that as your example because I had that exact thing happen to me that year, we got off Big Thunder Mountain and the entire train before us was getting the Dream Fastpasses.  Talk about disappointed.

 

WBI

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

So, I'm fine with Chef TJ doing his thing, and I hope DIT gets to go back and eat all those vegetable creations some time soon.  I'll shut up and eat my cardboard pizza.

 

 

You missed my Facebook meltdown.  There will be no more trips to WDW for us anytime soon....thus no more vegetable creations.  Your cardboard pizzas are safe. 

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

 I wish a superstar chef arriving at the Fort would mean improved food for everyone,

 

Agreed.  And maybe if Chef TJ ever gets a promotion while he's there, that will actually happen.

 

Although I have to say that the lunch menu at Trails End has been pretty darned great the times we've been there the past couple of years.  I think we ate there 3 times this past trip and gave it 4 thumbs up each time.

 

 If the quality of the food is exceptional then no one would care if a guest got a special food item. ... If I am chewing on a piece of cardboard pizza and paying the high price for it and the next table over gets served this amazing fresh off menu item I am going to be a little bothered.

 

A good point, although I think there will always be people that, even if their meal is exceptional, envy anyone else getting anything "special."

 

 

 As far as people demanding pixie dust, that is a clear sign of the time. ... Move along lady life is not fair.

 

Sad, but true.

 

...have you ever been next to someone that received a magical moment? 

 

We have, both at Disneyworld and in the real world, at first we're like ohh that's great, they are so lucky, then you kind of think why them, why not us. 

 

We always have to remind ourselves of the times it did happen to us because like someone said if everyone got those special moments then they aren't special anymore.

 

^THIS^

 

Sure there's a little pang of "aw... why couldn't that be us" but I really do try and be happy that *someone* had their day made by a little pixie dust.

 

I said "try"...