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[bad-pink-tink]

As a former chef who has worked for Hard Rock Cafe I thought I would share some advise about ordering off menu.


Many restaurants , especially high volume ones like at Disney operate 2 kitchens. This means they have a preparation kitchen, where the components for all the dishes are made, ie sauces, vegetables prepared and cooked, cakes, pies and quiches are made etc etc.


Then these components are brought into the service kitchen, where they are assembled when orders come in from guests in the restaurants.


If you want to order off menu or change or substitute something in a menu item, you really need to be clever.


One of the easiest substitutions is chips / mash /salad. Say for example you want to order the steak  On the menu it is listed as coming with chips, but you would prefer mash. You take a look at other menu items and see that the chicken dish is listed as coming with mash. It is very easy for the kitchen to substitute a portion of chips for a portion of mash. The same would apply to salad.


Another substitution is with burgers. Most people don't know that you can order burgers without the bun. And then using the above example you can substitute mash for chips.. So a cheeseburger with bacon in a bun with chips can get turned into a very different menu item.


The same with pasta dishes. If your child only eats plain pasta but you only see carbonara, or spagetti bolognaise on the menu many restaurants can easily serve plain pasta. In most high volume restaurants , the pasta and bolognaise sauce are separate and only put together when it is ordered.


Sometimes you can also change the sauces which come with a main course. Back to the steak again  If the menu says the steak comes with pepper sauce but another menu item has barbecue sauce, you can easily substitute the sauces or you can also ask for an extra sauce on the side. 


Desserts are another thing which can sometimes be ordered off menu. If you want to order apple pie but it is listed with custard and you see bread pudding listed with ice-cream, it is very easy to substitute. Or if the meringue comes with strawberry sauce you can get the strawberry sauce on your apple tart.


Ok now onto what can not be done.


Most important , if you have a special dietary requirement, you should ALWAYS contact the restaurant in advance. Many people just turn up to restaurant and expect that their particular dietary requirement will be accommodated and they get very angry when what they request can not be done.


As I have explained previously, most restaurants in Disney would operate the prep and service kitchen system. This means that if it is not in the service kitchen, then there is nothing the chefs can do. Despite it being Disney, chefs can not do magic and can only work with whatever ingredients are available to them at that particular moment. Also service kitchens may not have the same equipment as preparation kitchens, which can also limit the chefs ability to cook a special request.


If you are vegetarian for example. If you contact the restaurant in advance, they are more likely to have something to suit you than if you just turn up and demand a vegetarian meal. Even something as simple as a  mushroom  and tomato omelette may not be able to be served to you. Where as if you had contacted the restaurant in advance, they might have been able to make a vegetarian quiche just for you.


Having worked in the catering industry in various types of restaurants in multiple countries , I have seen every sort of customer and dealt with the most unbelievable customer demands.


If anyone has any thing they want to know, feel free to ask 

[Hudsonl]

How would they be with salt free diets? Been recently diagnosed with ckd stage 1 but  I am not going to let it spoil my xmas visit.

[bad-pink-tink]

How would they be with salt free diets? Been recently diagnosed with ckd stage 1 but  I am not going to let it spoil my xmas visit.

I would most defiantly contact the restaurants in advance. Salt is used alot in many different dishes, some of which you would not know about. Ring the restaurants direct, the restaurant reservations people will be able to give you a direct line phone number for individual restaurants. Explain your condition and ask to speak to the senior chef. Don't be fobbed off by who ever answers the phone, be very clear you want to speak to the senor chef. Restaurant mangers think they know everything but for specific dietary requirements ALWAYS speak to a senior chef. Depending on the restaurant, when you explain to the chef, they will either recommend low salt items on the menu, or they could make a special request of a menu item for you.


Then when you get to Disney, go to that restaurant BEFORE your actual meal reservation time, ideally the day before. Ask to speak to the chef who you spoke to on the phone and confirm about whatever special request you made.


Chefs and restaurant managers have no problem dealing with special requests as long as it is done in advance.


Another tip I would recommend is to get some information about your particular dietary requirement translated into French and typed onto a small card. My mum is on a gluten free diet and before any holiday to a non English speaking country she makes up these little cards about her condition in the local language. Then when she goes to any restaurant she just gives the card to the restaurant manger who takes it into the kitchen for the chef.


With a little preparation and thought, it is actually very easy to accommodate special dietary  requirements with minimum fuss.