California Grill-Attire

travelgirl77

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 8, 2017
Hi! I am planning on a reservation at CG after a park day in MK. The only time I have been to CG was with my mom on a resort day where we dressed up a bit. Is it ok to go in traditional summer park attire? Or, should I plan differently? Thanks!
 
We've gone in our shorts & t-shirts. Sometimes I felt underdressed and sometimes not. Depends on the vibe that night I guess. You can totally do it though.
 
I’ve seen dressy to park attire. Cali grill can get a little loud with kids and parents allowing them to rule the roost. Don’t take this as bashing. We have kids and take them, but no way we let them run around and disturb others enjoying their dining experience. I find it rude actually. Sorry I got off topic. Just think Cali grill could be a little more special if some had respect and common courtesy. Maybe we have just been there at the wrong times. Even after my complaint we will still be going back summer of 19 though :-)
 
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Hi! I am planning on a reservation at CG after a park day in MK. The only time I have been to CG was with my mom on a resort day where we dressed up a bit. Is it ok to go in traditional summer park attire? Or, should I plan differently? Thanks!
While CA Grill reserves the right to enforce their dress-code, you'll likely find most people answering here will suggest that this is rarely, if ever, done.

Is it nice when people shower after a summer day in the Parks - Yup. But that's not possible for many people.

Is it nice when people 'dress' for dinner too - Yup. But that's not always the best attire for a summer day in the Parks.

Disney is hard-pressed to deny entry to people wearing, what my family refers to as - 'Camp Clothes'. In other words, how can Disney deny access to folks wearing a Mickey t-shirt? And if Mickey t-shirts are appropriate, why not other t-shirts?

There are plenty of skirts & dresses that are both appropriate for the Parks & dining. And any fella' can wear a shirt with a collar and a 'nicer' pair of shorts. Each would feel fine in both Parks & CA Grill.

So, while Disney sells their Signature restaurants as being someplace kinda' special, they really are just the high price-point for people visiting Disney.

But it is nice when people recognize that others may have assumed a Signature requires appropriate attire and do the same.
 
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We went in December in jeans and felt totally comfortable. I will say I chose to wear a non-graphic t-shirt that day so I was a little more fancy from the waist up.
 
They suggest business casual, but I've seen people dressed in almost anything including park attire. Often the resort restaurants are a little more dressy as people often go to their room to change before going to the restaurant as opposed to an in park restaurant.
 
We try to make it a point to shower and change before doing Signature dining. However, it just doesn't always work out that way. On park days where we plan on having dinner at a Signature, when we know we won't have time to shower and whatnot, we dress a little nicer that day in the parks (I'll wear nicer shorts and a polo, my DW will wear capris or a "skort" and a non-graphic shirt) and we will bring deodorant with us. This way we don't feel totally underdressed or 100% disgusting and sweaty. There are a couple of Signatures we wouldn't go to without cleaning up first, but CG is one that we are perfectly comfortable with dressing a little nicer and bringing deodorant.
 


One thing they are absolutely rigid about, men cannot wear hats and they will be made to take them off. Almost any other attire is fine but about that they make no exceptions.
 
Hi! I am planning on a reservation at CG after a park day in MK. The only time I have been to CG was with my mom on a resort day where we dressed up a bit. Is it ok to go in traditional summer park attire? Or, should I plan differently? Thanks!

Yes, you'll be fine in traditional summer park attire. This is the official no-no list: "Not permitted are tank tops, flip-flops, swimsuits, swimsuit cover-ups, hats for gentlemen, cut-offs, torn clothing and t-shirts with offensive language and/or graphics." I once saw a woman in cut-off jean shorts, a tank-top and viking face paint seated at Monsieur Paul, so I'm not sure how strict they really are with the dress codes . . . LOL! At Cali Grill, I've seen everything from park attire (shorts, t-shirts) to suits and cocktail dresses.
 
For every dinner we try to make a point of being freshly showered and dressed a little nicer. We have CG booked for brunch on our arrival day, which is also Mother's Day. I really want to wear my Minnie Mouse Greatest Mom tshirt and capris on the plane, but I'm not sure how comfortable I'll feel about going to CG with that on as I feel I shouldn't wear a tshirt there. It is a Disney World tee, but still, not sure what to do with that one. DS tells me that since it's Mother's Day I should be ok with it, not sure.
 
We tend to get dressed up a bit, but when coming from the park one night we just put some nicer shirts and shoes in our bag and changed before going to dinner. There are definitely people there in park clothes, I just don't feel comfortable going in that casual.
 
We always freshen up prior to a Signature restaurant. I wear linen capris and a nice blouse DH andDS wear dress shorts and collared polo shirts.
I we don’t have time to go back to freshen up we take a clean shirt etc with us that day and change in the rest rooms prior to Dinner
 
It's so simple IMO to dress for most signatures yet still remain comfy for a full park day.
For men: a polo shirt, tailored shorts for hot weather, tailored pants (like khakis) for colder weather.
For women: I frequently wear a sundress or a neat t-shirt and skirt for park wear which transitions nicely to dinner.
Children: dark coloured camp shorts plus a back up t shirt in case chocolate becomes a problem.

Need to freshen up before dinner and can't make it back to your hotel? Those newfangled body wipes are useful and weigh next to nothing. Lightweight accessory(ies) in the form of costume jewelry or scarf takes you to a new level.
 
The website states:
Dress Code
Guests are asked to adhere to the minimum dress code requirements at this Signature Dining experience. Dressier attire is also welcome. Please explore the minimum dress code requirements:

Men must wear khakis, slacks or dress shorts and collared shirts. Jeans may be worn if in good condition. Sport coats are optional.

Women must wear Capri pants, skirts, dresses or dress shorts. Jeans may be worn if in good condition.

Not permitted are tank tops, flip-flops, swimsuits, swimsuit cover-ups, hats for gentlemen, cut-offs, torn clothing and t-shirts with offensive language and/or graphics.
 
I'm surprised they say jeans are allowed. I mean, officially, that is. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my jeans, and even jeans can be quite stylish and expensive, even, however, I personally, wouldn't wear them to a signature, even if they were Gloria Vanderbelt's! For me, it just screams too sporty and too casual for these sorts of fine dining establishments. I don't like to clash with the decor, you know? With these signature, they do such an amazing job of making them so elegant and beautiful, for me, I feel that the patrons should at least try to make an attempt to live up to that ritzy elegance, as requested, even if it takes a modicum of planning in advance, and really it is quite a small amount at that to realize on this day you go there, to wear something a bit nicer than your beach clothes. As has been stated, you can easily look nicer and more presentable in still comfortable and cheap clothing like khakis (shorts or pants), polos, and capris and the like. There are so many options! You don't have to go back to your resort to change and shower - LOL! Though I am very impressed by those that go that far. It would just be simple enough to wear one of the many suggested, slightly more classy outfits that I am sure everyone already has in their closet (and can all be bought for reasonable prices at the discount chains like Wal-Mart and Target), even if they may RATHER be in their beach shorts and graphic T-shirt of Darth Vader or Minnie Mouse, it will hardly put anyone out to wear a comfy cotton or knit polo short or something for one day.
 
The website states:
Dress Code
Guests are asked to adhere to the minimum dress code requirements at this Signature Dining experience. Dressier attire is also welcome. Please explore the minimum dress code requirements:

Men must wear khakis, slacks or dress shorts and collared shirts. Jeans may be worn if in good condition. Sport coats are optional.

Women must wear Capri pants, skirts, dresses or dress shorts. Jeans may be worn if in good condition.

Not permitted are tank tops, flip-flops, swimsuits, swimsuit cover-ups, hats for gentlemen, cut-offs, torn clothing and t-shirts with offensive language and/or graphics.
The key words are, "Guests are ASKED to adhere...."

ASKED, not required.

We are Vacation Club members and our 'home resort' is Bay Lake Tower attached to Contemporary. By default, we eat at our hotel just for the convenience. This means 1- or 2-times each year; use to be as many as 3-times when we had no child in school.

We have seen it all. I stopped letting it bother me.

Folks not staying on-site really have no way of showering after the Parks. Oh well.

And some folks find jeans with the well-placed shredding of fabric to be stylish. Oh well.

And plenty of women have a pretty dress and are simply more comfortable wearing simple sandals - that could very well be flip-flops. Oh well.

And a follicly-challenged person, or someone trying to shade their face may very well need to arrive with a hat. So folks remove their hats and now expose their hat-hair. Oh well.

Cut-off shorts with noticeable scissor lines are horrible. And a tank-top undershirt for men (sometimes called wife-beaters) are not he same as a spaghetti-strap tank for women. This is what Disney is trying to stop.

Yes, some people arrive looking to have a Signature experience - showering, putting on fancy clothes, maybe taking extra time for make-up, but others just have different needs and opportunities that make their experiences different.

Do I wish everyone would arrive in 'nice clothes' to make all the Signatures a Signature-experience - Yup. But that's simply not possible at a place like Disney where the needs of everyone arriving are so vastly diverse.

The fact that folks ask about proper-attire is a good thing. But it really does not take much to be in proper-attire, even if coming from or dining in the Parks. We've all been there - that's part of the beauty of Disney. I readily admit - this understanding took me a few years to accept at the Signatures, particularly a place with the elegance of CA Grill. But should anyone be denied access to CA Grill simply because they came from a day in the Parks - Nope.
 
If I'm paying that much for food I'm going fancy lol - :rotfl:

All joking aside, I'm sure what you're wearing that day will be fine - but depending on how hot and humid couple with how busy the park is you might want to change :thumbsup2
 
What the people around me in a restaurant are wearing, in no way affects my dining experience.

We ate at California Grill for the first time last year and I wore a knit dress with flip flops and DH wore Cargo shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. We had a great dinner and no one turned their nose up at us because we weren't in our Sunday best.
 

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