This article is a review of Disney’s newest restaurant, The Wave. But it’s not a restaurant review, per se. Rather, it’s a commentary about how service succeeds or fails depending on the attention given to it. To that end, let’s set the stage.
Many of you know that you that Disney’s Contemporary Resort is undergoing one of the largest renovations since it’s opening in 1971. The last major rennovation was focused on building out the meeting and group business. That addition included a major convention center designed to attract more meetings to the resort. Indeed, it continues to be the flagship for meeting and convention space, rivaled only by Disney’s Coronado Springs resort, which tailors to a lesser high-end market.
The largest focus of this renovation is centered on the addition of a Disney Vacation Club Tower just north of the original A-framed structure. But there are many other additions going on at this landmark hotel. You see this as you drive up and notice the addition of a more Florida-tropical landscaping package to the resort. You can also see the addition of a new shop, “Fantasia,” which is located on the north side of the concourse and can be viewed by monorail as they pass by. This new retail location allows the former shopping location underneath the monorails to be taken over by an arcade, which is now the location of The Wave.
If you’ve stayed there, you’ll recall, in years past, the food and fun center located adjacent and around the corner from where guests registered at the hotel. This was the original location of the arcade—a big sprawling facility with more video games than the eye could see. The counter service part of the food and fun center has been broken into two new locations. One is Common Grounds, a coffee stand located near the entrance of the hotel across from the registration. The other is upstairs, adjacent to the Outer Rim Lounge.
And the Concourse Steakhouse? Well that has been completely removed. Cast Members say that this location will allow an extended counter service facility. But the Concourse Steakhouse’s real replacement is The Wave. So you see we’ve had a musical chairs experience in trying to re-establish the food and dining experience at Disney.
What does not appear to be touched is one of Disney’s most famous culinary experience—The California Grill. The California Grill was innovative as being one of Disney’s first attempts to dramatically improve the culinary experience of those visiting the resort. In fact, I saw a television interview of Michael Eisner not long after he stepped down as CEO. He was asked what was his greatest contribution. Befuddled by the question, he named improving the food at the Disney parks. If that were indeed the case, Disney’s California Grill is the crown jewel of his accomplishments.
But I would rather give credit for Disney’s California Grill to George Miliotes and Cliff Pleau. They came together to create what was really cutting edge in a Disney dining experience. The open kitchen concept, the combination of American and California cuisines, and of course, the gorgeous view. The restaurant was a hit from the beginning.
Then Miliotes and Pleau left Disney to join Darden Restaurants, known for Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze and Red Lobster. For Darden, they created a new concept based on fresh seasonal foods 52 weeks out of the year and was introduced as Seasons 52. Here is what Seasons 52 is all about:
- Great cuisine with a low caloric count (less than 475 calories on all menu items).
- An enormous selection of wines—more than 140—with more than 70 offered by the glass, not by the bottle.
- A fine dining experience at a “Red Lobster” cost.
- The ever popular “mini indulgences.” These are small desserts served in shot glasses and priced at $2 a piece.
Most people have not experienced Seasons 52 unless they have lived in the Southeast. But they can experience something comparable if they are staying on Walt Disney World property. Because in many ways that trend has been capitalized on at The Wave. Only there’s no Miliotes and Pleu. Instead, enter Master Chef Frank Brough.
If you liked Boma at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, then shared credit must be given to the chefs that Brough led over at that restaurant. And prior to that, he was head of the culinary studios at The Disney Institute. Here he’s brought delicious flavors to a health-sensitive meal at The Wave. It’s very much on the same line as The Season’s 52 experience.
So how does the entire service experience rank: Let’s look at it in terms of categories I refer to as the six Ps: Promise, People, Place, Process, Product, and Price.
Promise. Well it’s “contemporary” isn’t it? Yes. Far more contemporary than the former Concourse Steakhouse. And the Web site says that this restaurant “boasts an exciting, trendy menu featuring world flavors, healthful choices and imaginative dining. Of course, all of that is copy created by marketeers. But the experience with the remaining Ps must at least meet or better yet—exceed, the promise. So does it? Let’s look at the next several Ps.
Place. As you enter the brush steel arch tunnel you sense you are in for something special. You come upon a dark scandinavian style with lush drapes and dark woods. Accompanying the host desk area is a lounge that clearly fulfills the exciting, imaginary, and trendy promise that is being made. Along the wall you see a wide array of wines. Step beyond into the dining area and you find an open area. It’s nicely furnished with beautiful and intimate booths around the walls of the restaurant. But it lacked the intimacy and trendy feel that you experienced previously in the entry/lounge area.
On the day we were there, few were dining, and most of them were Disney salaried cast members having lunch. Perhaps filled to capacity you would sense the excitement. But for us, it fell flat.
People. There were plenty of cast members to take care of you. Perhaps that’s because it was a new opening, and all were learning their roles. As always they were courteous and friendly—Disney style. They certainly contributed rather than distracted from the experience. And I’ve mentioned Brough’s touch on the experience—all of that is positive.
Process. Processes consist in the policies, tasks, procedures that create the experience. For instance, Disney reservations is one process that contributes to the whole experience. And, for the most part, that works well. What about other processes? Well, the time between ordering and eating was fairly good. No problem there. No problems with the billing experience either. All were fairly standard, supporting rather than distracting from the total experience.
If there was one problem however with the entire experience, it was deciding to use the restrooms during my stay. I asked where to go and was directed back out into the hotel to restrooms adjacent to the check-in area. There I found the restrooms to be a complete mess—clearly unchecked for some time.
You might ask why I mention the cleanliness of the restrooms under Process and not Place. Well, the restrooms were a handsome facility. In fact, they looked like they had been remodeled recently. The facility itself is not the problem. It’s the process that creates accountability for making sure restrooms are clean and that someone follows up. This was truly disappointing. You would have thought such a pivotal location would have their act together. And such a failure in processes only serves to distract from all the work being done to create a fairly solid experience otherwise.
Product. But back to the restaurant itself, principally, the food that is the real product in this instance. Again, comparable to a Season’s 52 experience. But great food anyway. The use of screw-top wines allows Disney to provide a similar wide offering found at Season’s.
It’s better than the Concourse Steakhouse. And much better for you than anything you’re going to find next door at The Magic Kingdom or upstairs at Chef Mickey’s. My entree was a chicken sandwich, an add-on or special to the menu, but clearly popular among others dining that day. Comparisons to Seasons 52 are also made to the dessert concept. Here you have a choice of four selections, each selection has three “mini” desserts within it. Each costs $7.99, which is pricer than Seasons when divided by three desserts. It also gives you less choices.
Still, everything was delicious. Know that you will find other entrees for dinner, and even an innovative menu for breakfast. So much of it is really good, and good for you.
Price. Between breakfast, lunch, and dinner you are told to anticipate spending between ($15-$35.99 per person). Lunch for the three of us, including soft beverages, came to less than $54. And that’s probably comparable to a Seasons 52 charge. Not bad given the value. And how do you determine the value? It’s whether the sum of the experience with the people, place, process and product outweighs whatever price you charge in order for someone to find value.
But price is more than the exchange between your credit card and the bill. The price is also intangible, such as the distance traveled or the hassle getting a good reservation. Given equal distances, would you go here over a Seasons 52? I’d be hard pressed not to find a greater value with Seasons 52. But perhaps as this restaurant matures, my mind might change. Certainly, it’s easier to get a seat over at The Wave then it is at Seasons 52. On weekends, that restaurant is slammed. And it’s certainly a great choice if you are staying on property and don’t even have a car. Indeed, compared to a dinner in the Magic Kingdom at Tony’s Town Square or Liberty Tree Tavern, this is a great choice and only a quick monorail ride away. And again, it’s probably a lot more healthier for you.
As I mentioned on the outset, this was not intended so much to be a restaurant review, but a way of looking at service. What you offer in terms of people, place, process, and product, must be at least equal if not much better than what you promised. Likewise, those same components should outweigh the price you pay. And that same concept can apply to any experience, whether you’re talking about buying a car, a dress, or a meal.
So take a look at your own business. What promises do you make to your customers? What is the price they pay? And is your offering in terms of the people, place, process, and product worth it? Here’s to the magic in your business as you discover those answers.
See you at the parks.
