Hi Trish,
Welcome to planDisney! Seeing that you are planning a trip for a larger group, I am first sending you patience! Traveling with a group can be absolutely AMAZING at the same time it is exhausting. While I would not recommend that you bring outside food into Steakhouse 71, I will say that my lesson learned from traveling with larger groups is that you do not have to always eat together.
This is a perfect example. Disney's Contemporary Resort also has
Contempo Café. Check out the
dinner menu. Currently, it includes chicken breast nuggets and turkey pasta marinara. One or two adults in the party could take the kids to eat there while the other adults enjoy dinner at Steakhouse 71. If you use this strategy a few times during the trip and rotate which adults go with the kids, it could give everyone some adult only time during a meal.
Years ago, while planning a trip with my mom, my girls, mom's older sister, my cousin, and her daughter, I found a reservation for four to
Cinderella's Royal Table. Since we were on a pretty tight budget, we decided that the reservation for four was fine. My cousin took the girls to lunch there while my mom, aunt, and I went to eat at a quick-service location. Everyone had a great time and we continued our fun at Magic Kingdom after lunch.
Trish, I hope this helps! I remember having this ideal vacation image of the whole group spending every moment together. Over the years, I have learned that it is ok for the group to do different activities from time to time. Of course, I will also add that if any of your kids have allergies, you can always speak to the chef when you arrive at the restaurant. They have been able to accommodate our girls' allergies and sometimes have been able to serve items not listed on the menu. Be sure to review all of the info with
Special Dietary Requests.
In the meantime, keep up the
practically perfect planning!
Magic and memories,
Donyell