The Important Factors Of A Signature Restaurant ..

Well Mr Fergus,as i don't drink (teetotal) the bar option is not there for me either.As for what i look for in a restaurant it is probably the same as you have mentioned.Ambience,Menu and how good the staff is.I am not a fan of creative food but do like something nice that is well presented. (yak and Yeti for example).The ambience is also a strong thing and a good example of this is BOG.As for the staff,you can get good and bad staff wherever you go.We also had a bad time in EW Canada but the server we had up the road at Nascar cafe was great and really made eating there a pleasure ...
So i think all those things are important whether the place is signature or not.
For me i wouldn't do signature (just not my thing) but do expect a certain level of everything at a sit down place wherever it is.

We check the menu first ... it has to be appealing and have foods we like. Second would be the atmosphere of the restaurant.

Whit! Teetotal...That's almost as bad as being a vegetarian...LOL..

We price check first. I enjoy food, but I'm equally likely to eat lobster or ramen noodles. I find that once a meal has crested $100, my enjoyment of that meal declines exponentially for each additional dollar spent because I start to think about all of the other items/ experiences that I could have spent that money on. After I find a few options that are within our budget, I check to make sure that they have at least 2-3 items that DH and I each like and then I consider the atmosphere, read a review or two, and consider whether or not the food will provide good fuel for park touring (as opposed to sitting in our stomachs like a rock).

It's all about the food for me. I really don't mind noise/chatter/kids, and service does not make or break a meal. It's all about food - I want food I can't make myself or get anywhere near home.

Oh, and dessert. There HAS to be an awesome dessert.

I haven't experienced signature dining but I think for me, if I were deciding to eat at a signature dining, the factors of a signature restaurant are really no different than what I look for in a regular restaurant. It's food, price, reviews, service, atmosphere for me as the biggest factors basically and that order is what I prioritize in terms of evaluating restaurants.

We haven't done signature dining yet either but would like to...so...my question for those of you that have...which one gave you the most bang for you buck when you take into consideration all those factors- great food-ambiance-and service?

Good question...Are you from Scotland by any chance.? LOL...Let's get the worse out the way first..Le Cellier..( I'll never get that money back ) ..Now the best...Has to be Jiko just by a short hair over Cali Grill..Only my opinion..

We love to splurge on great meals when at Disney. So signature for us would be amazing food, good atmosphere, and great service. Artist Point and Yachtsman are two that have all the things we look for. They never disappoint. Oh and Yachtsman has the best server ever (Ricardo).

My DW wants AP this year as we are staying at WL..I was going for Yachtsmen and the 28oz Porter but the more I looked at Shula's 24oz porter,it looked more feasible and a heck of a lot cheaper..( There's the Scotsmen coming out in me ) ..

When you go to Artist Point ask and see if Sandrine is working. She is amazing. You will get great service and she is a blast to talk to. As a server myself I appreciate really good service.

Cheers..Will do..Thanks..

Artist's Point, hands down. And who is this Sandrine person? IZZI is where it's at.

Not from Scotland but it has always been on my list of dream places to visit I will look into your recommendations. Still planning for that special celebratory dinner for our 25th!

Everyone will have their favourites..Just like cars or favourite holiday destinations...That's part of the fun..Trying them out for yourself..

Thought I'd revive this question as I've recently been reading reviews of signature restaurants on another Disney web site and the California Grill ( since its refurb ) has been getting below average reviews, however when I checked out Trip Advisor it's been getting rave reviews.. ...Confession time..When it comes to fine dining, I always like to check out reviews and get a general feel about where I'm going to spend my big bucks..I've already got three Signature experiences noted down for next year, and I was wanting one more, and it was a toss up between YS and CG...I really enjoyed Yachtsmen last year and the only thing that stopped me giving it a 10/10 was the fact that certain people turned up in shorts and T-Shirts..( I do like to make the effort and abide by the dress code ) Anyway..My California Grill experience in 2012 was awesome, and I think this will be hopefully our final choice..

Watchmaker you are not alone in checking reviews. I make my list of potential restaurants than start looking at reviews from various web sites. I try to tell myself that every one has different tastes and ideas of what they want to get out of an experience but if a place gets to many bad reviews I may cross it off the list. This year I am debating about Le Cellier. It has not been getting very good reviews on two different web sites but DH really wants to try it so not sure what to do. As for CG we are going back this year for round two and so looking forward to it!

Totally agree...Funilly enough Le Cellier was our first signature restaurant that we tried, many years ago, and it was the only one that has disappointed us..But myself,wife and son, just love Jiko..Last year it was our favourite out of our three signature choices..Yachtsmen ..Artist Point..were the other two..So next year, we are booking it twice, but I'm leaning towards a CG return.

Menu is huge for me. I'm not often a picky eater but there are days when I want something that looks and tastes as boring as I feel XD So finding somewhere that can keep me covered if I'm feeling adventurous, or feeling like I'm down for a salad and some soda, is a must.

Plus I'm with a few others in this thread - desert. Nothing is better than some creme brule from the France pavilion - or some cream cheese filled, tempura fried wantons in honey from Yak & Yeti. Just too good!