What is the Disney equivalent of the Costco hot dog?

I've always felt that Akershus was one of the best values in WDW for a sit-down meal that also includes characters. However, if you're a chicken fingers and cheeseburger person, it's probably not worth it.

As far as the Costco Hot Dog example, there really isn't a single item or location in any Disney park I've been to where it feels like you're getting something at or below cost. Some of the buffets (like the aforementioned Akershus that has an unlimited cold bar along with plated entrees) you can get decent value if you have a ravenous appetite (or skip lunch in favor of one big dinner). However, I wouldn't put it on the same level as the Costco Hot Dog, and there really aren't any dishes/locations in the Disney parks I've visited that would come close - I might have said a burger from Pecos Bill's back in the day when you could create a side salad from the toppings bar, but sadly that "hack" has disappeared. I haven't eaten here in a while, but I think Flame Tree BBQ at DAK still provides decent value with their 1/2 chicken platter (or combo rib platter) that is typically enough for 2 people costing <$20.

I once found a 1/2 eaten pretzel and used the water in the bathroom to wash it down...
HAHAHAHAHAAH

Anywho - I believe there is a real value is at a major competitor of Disney

The Great Feast $74.99 at Three Broomsticks feeds Four
75/4 = $18.75

I gotta say Coke Freestyle bottle. Kinda revolutionized the game if you ask me.

The basic burger at D-luxe Burger?

You've got plenty of choice of all cuisines for all palettes and varying prices at EPCOT but it's Disney so nothing is really value for money is it? I have always enjoyed La Cantina de San Angel and, to be fair, it's probably the best VFM of all the places I've eaten at at WDW. Most entrees are $16 or less...........sorry, plus tax.........and gratuity.

@VelocicoasterFan - I'd agree, though I think the Freestyle phenomenon itself has run its course. Personally, I really like the machines, but they can be so frustrating with other guests not knowing how to use them and parks incapable of maintaining them properly (to be fair, they're surprisingly expensive because of the individual "printer ink" style cartridges used for the various syrups and flavors). Even though they've been around for over a decade, and used in various situations from restaurants, sporting venues, and movie theaters, I always see people who are perplexed by them or take forever to decide what they want. They're also super messy IMHO, because the flavor syrup is dispensed through a separate tube that threads through the main spigot, but always splashes everywhere. I don't know how many times I've tried to get a weird flavor of something and end up with my hand the color of the syrup because it sprays everywhere but in the cup. Frankly, I'd much rather have a regular fountain than Freestyle machine in a destination park to make things move faster and cleaner.

However, I would agree that the idea of guests being able to walk around a park with the cup that allows them to get unlimited refills for the day without having to interact with a CM/TM is brilliant. Let the staff deal with things that actually make the park money, and push the effort of refilling cups to the guest.

I guess in a similar vein you could call out popcorn buckets. Guests get a reasonably priced souvenir, a snack to go along with it, and the ability to get refills for a nominal fee. Now, I do think the phenomenon has gotten a bit out of control with buckets that light up, spin, and do all kinds of non-popcorn bucket things, but the basic premise of the refillable popcorn bucket is typically a good value.

Here I was ready to discuss loss leaders in theme parks. But if we're talking purely food, the sandwiches at Earl of Sandwich provide genuinely good food at a cost that feels equivalent to real world prices as opposed to Disney prices. Likewise Boudin's bread bowls provide high protein carb duo to provide energy for anyone who only wants to pay for one meal to carry them all day. Light dinner, my choice is that grilled cheese tomato soup combo on Main Street at Disneyland.

AngryDuck...........that's a "yes" from me. Forgot about that hidden treasure at Disney Springs even though I always go on every visit. It's a cheap way of satiating Mrs Plum.

@Russel Meyer- How much longer do we think before the freestyle cups get motors and lights and non-freestyle cup features? I could see a world where it happens.

@VelocicoasterFan - Disney has offered upgrades to their refillable cups - we paid extra for a metal insulated Star Wars cup the last time we stayed on site at WDW instead of the ugly plastic mugs. So I do think there's a market for upgrading to a cup that's more practical outside of the parks/resorts, especially if it carries a brand name like Yeti, Corksicle, Stanley, etc... However, I think when it comes to getting drink refills, the fact that those refills are typically free and the vessel still needs to hold a specified volume of liquid, there's only so much you can do with it, preventing it from becoming the toys that popcorn buckets have become. For popcorn buckets, you can make them pretty much any size/shape you want, because when a CM hands you your popcorn, they give it to you in a paper container because all the buckets are different sizes and would slow the line even more if CMs had to shove popcorn into the oddly shaped buckets. I just don't see a practical way to create a refillable drink container with the same features and shapes that they've come up with for popcorn buckets. Ultimately, it's going to look like a cup/mug, and if it has unlimited refills, you either need to sell it at a standard price ($25-40) for cheap plastic with minimal style or go the "designer" route (>$50), where people buying them are just going to want a more stylish cup, but one that still functions like a cup/mug, and allows the guests to get refills without assistance from a CM (chipped base that can actually fit under a soda fountain).

The baguette at Epcot’s France pavilion?