How Epcot’s Food Booths Became a Permanent Festival Fixture

The Disney Dish with Jim Hill

This episode of The Disney Dish explores the evolution of Epcot's food booths into permanent Global Marketplaces with open kitchens, featuring insights from

Key takeaways

• Epcot's festival food booths have transitioned from temporary offerings to permanent Global Marketplaces with open kitchens, reflecting growing guest demand for immersive dining experiences.
• The dedication of cast members, including those using culinary tweezers in hot conditions, highlights the high standards and effort behind Epcot's food service.

Main topics

• Epcot's food booths evolution into permanent Global Marketplaces
• Disney park news: Lakeshore Lodge, Tiana's Bayou Adventure refurbishment, Art of Animation renovation

Notable quotes

"These people work so hard and in high spaces for the full run of food and wine and then flowering yard."

Conclusion

Epcot's transformation from festival-only food booths to permanent culinary destinations reflects Disney's

Transcript preview

Speaker 4 (0:00) This episode is brought to you by Saley. So what's the plan for this summer? Thinking about traveling overseas? Maybe visiting a couple of different countries? Well, that certainly sounds like a fun adventure. But what do you do if, while you're on this trip, you suddenly find yourself in need of an internet connection and you can't find a Wi-Fi spot? That's why, before you head overseas, you really need to do the smart thing, which is to sign up for an eSIM plan with Saley. which is this new eSIM service app brought to you by the creators of NordVPN. With an eSIM from Saley, you can then have an internet connection wherever you travel to. Better yet, you'll save money on roaming fees. And the process couldn't be simpler. Just purchase the eSIM plan you prefer at the Saley website. They've got global and regional options. And then follow the instructions on the app and install the eSIM on your phone. 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Welcome Speaker 3 (1:57) back to another edition of the Disney Dish podcast with Jim Hill. It's me, Len Testa, and this is our show for the week of Shmur's Day, September 7th, 2026. On the show today, news, including guests Christina Harrison and Amy Schinner to talk about food and wine. In surveys, are we getting more? themed Disney cruises, plus your listener questions. Then in our main segment, Jim talks about how open kitchens became a popular part of Epcot's seemingly endless array of festivals. Let's get started by bringing in the man who tells returning students to underline things in their textbooks that they don't understand, because next year's kids will think you understood it and that it's really important, providing a renewable source of generational anxiety for years to come. It's Mr. Jim Hill. Jim, Speaker 4 (2:40) how's Speaker 3 (2:40) it Speaker 4 (2:40) going? It's going well, Len, but speaking of textbooks, do kids... And by the way, this is something we used to do 60 years ago when I was in primary school. And that also included washing that individual piece of slate you were handed at the start of the school year, which you'd use for your figurine. But do people still do this? Do they take old, what is it, brown paper bags and wrap the outside Speaker 2 (3:05) of it? Oh, Speaker 4 (3:05) book covers. Yeah. Those were Speaker 3 (3:07) classics. Yeah. Chrissy, you've got students. And Amy, you've got kids in school. Is that brown paper bags still book covers? Speaker 2 (3:13) No, now we have to buy cute Hello Kitty ones. Yeah, no, Speaker 3 (3:16) Papaw. It's not. Y Speaker 2 (3:18) 'all Speaker 3 (3:19) are Speaker 2 (3:19) rich. Speaker 4 (3:19) That's what I'm hearing. I'm hearing. Speaker 1 (3:21) Okay. Okay. All right. Wow. Speaker 4 (3:23) Speaking of Hello Kitty, I have spent an embarrassing amount of time over the past week or so driving around to McDonald's. Have you seen these Hello Kitty Godzilla Happy Meal toys? Yes. Speaker 2 (3:35) No, but I know what Speaker 4 (3:36) I'm doing for lunch now. There we Speaker 2 (3:38) go. Speaker 4 (3:38) There we go. I literally had to go on eBay to get the last three, and I'm not going to mention what I paid. It is truly embarrassing. I Speaker 2 (3:47) had to take a picture of Hello Kitty walking out of HHN last night to send to Chrissy to cleanse myself of all of the other things. Speaker 3 (3:55) There we go. All right. And as you guys can tell, also with us on the show are Touring Plains researchers Amy Schinner and Christina Harrison, taking time off from food and wine to be with us. Welcome, Amy and Christina. Hello. Speaker 2 (4:06) Hello. Speaker 3 (4:07) Great to have you on the show. And before we get started, let's do a quick shout out to our subscribers. Thanks to everyone who subscribes to the show over at patreon.com slash jimhillmedia, including Andrew Leiker, John Fredine, Wade Nichols, Robert Blank, Martin Lewison, hey Martin, and Michael Beck. Jim, this is Disney's Lightning Lane team trying to get guests off their phones when making ride reservations. Their leading idea so far is to distribute paper-based tokens in person on the day of your visit. From kiosks stationed around the parks. True story. Speaker 4 (4:37) Wow. Deja vu. That's Speaker 3 (4:39) a Speaker 4 (4:39) good idea. Okay. You know, let's kill a few trees. Let's see what happens. There we go. Speaker 3 (4:43) All right, folks. On to the news. Folks, the Disney Edition News is sponsored by Be Our Guest Vacations.com. From our friends at tvcrentalstore.com. Jim, every parent should teach their kids how to face their fears and how to manage money. And you can do both with one trip to Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights 2026. Imagine the well-adjusted solvent adults you'll have. Be our guest at vacations.com for the children. Wow. Okay. I don't know if they listen to these, Jim, but I enjoy this. Okay. All right. All right. On to the news. And Chrissy and Amy, feel free to chime in here. We got some news on Lakeshore Lodge's opening date, which is July 1st, 2027. And they've announced a preview three-night experience available. And Chrissy, correct me if I'm wrong here. It's expensive. Speaker 1 (5:30) It's... Also, not my money. It's your money. So what is money? So what even Speaker 3 (5:35) is money? I don't know. It's a concept at this point. You Speaker 1 (5:37) don't take the pictures. I feel like Amy and I deserve, you know, we got to check it out. There's like research to be done. So it's a made up concept. All Speaker 3 (5:46) right. So it's a three night experience and it comes with tickets. Christy, what was like 547 points for like three nights for the... Is that how many points it was? Speaker 1 (5:57) I don't worry about those kind of details. I know it was a lot for you. It's like a whole, whole lot. A whole, whole Speaker 3 (6:03) lot. Yeah. Speaker 1 (6:04) It's brand new. You know, it's something to celebrate. So I think it's your money well spent. But yes, it's basically like the down payment on a nice car. A Speaker 4 (6:12) quick question, though. Did they do something similar when Island Towers came online? A three-day experience? A preview, special preview thing? Speaker 3 (6:22) No, sir. I don't recall that. And it certainly didn't come with tickets because I was there opening day. So I don't think they did. Okay. But also, if it's 500 and some points, let's assume $20 a point as a going rate, that's $10,000 for three nights, Jim. Speaker 1 (6:38) I mean, I know Speaker 3 (6:39) we're talking about the very nicest accommodations in the hotel, but still, $10,000 for three days. There's a Speaker 1 (6:45) lazy river, Len. Oh, Speaker 3 (6:47) I know. No, I'm just saying. Yeah. People thought the Star Speaker 2 (6:50) Cruiser was expensive. That's more. Speaker 3 (6:52) It's Star Cruiser money. Yeah, yeah. So, all right. But it still looks great, and I'm still excited. I don't know if I'm going to do that preview, but I'm going to try and be there on opening night. We'll see. We will. We'll try. We'll also be there opening night. Yeah. Speaker 4 (7:03) Okay. Speaker 3 (7:04) Also, Jim, did you see the news that Tiana's Bio Adventure in the Magic Kingdom is closing November 2nd, 2026? for its first major refurbishment. We don't have reopening dates yet, but I'm guessing this is to check on wear and tear for Speaker 4 (7:17) the new ride parts and hopefully fix some animatronic issues? Yeah, that, you know, again, for the opening of Tiana's Bayou Adventure, you know, and again, remember, we're only two years in at this point. You know, much was made about the all-electronic, or should it be all-electric animatronics and, you know, that sort of thing. And, you know, I think, you know, in theory, that was a great idea. In reality, I think they're going in, you know, with a notion of, okay, how do we make this that much more reliable? And, you know, we're just getting tired of the stuff that's showing up on social media, of AA figures from Tiana just sort of meh. you know, leaning over to the side. Interesting. Speaker 3 (8:01) Also, I note that Art of Animation is getting ready to start a 16-month refurbishment. I think this is the first major refurb since it opened in, what, 2012, 2014, Jim? It's the first major refurbishment Speaker 4 (8:12) it's had, right? Yeah. What's interesting is a lot of this is being done in the Little Mermaid wing of the hotel, which is where the standard, mostly standard room is not, the suites. And, you know, as we recently talked about the, you know, when the decision was made to take the legendary year section of Pop Century and turn it into Art of Animation, you know, this was the building that most concerned folks. You know, it just had been open to the elements for seven years. It turns out this one does need a lot of TLC this time around. On the other hand, on the other side of this 16-month refurb, a lot of really handsome rooms. Speaker 3 (8:58) It's Speaker 4 (8:58) going Speaker 3 (8:58) to look fantastic. The refurb is scheduled to start mid-June 2027 and run through October of 2028. Jim, I note that that period... mid-2027 to late-2028, includes the opening of Tropical Americas and Monstropolis. So we're going to have fewer value resort rooms available just as two new lands come online in Walt Disney World. Speaker 4 (9:21) Yeah, and that doesn't feel deliberate at all. Speaker 3 (9:25) So, all Speaker 4 (9:25) right, hey! Speaker 3 (9:27) I'm not saying this is a conspiracy theory. I'm just saying it happens to work out really well. There we go. Jim, in other news in Disney Springs, Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill is closing permanently. In Disney Springs. At one time, there were, what, three Wolfgang Puck restaurants Speaker 4 (9:40) in Disney Springs? Speaker 3 (9:41) Now we're down to none. Speaker 4 (9:42) Yeah, yeah. And one would hope that, you know, when the Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill at Disney Springs closes later this year, the staff behaves a little bit better than they did when the Wolfgang Puck inside of California Adventure closed, I want to say within a year of that theme park opening. When the Disney people got into the building after the Puck staff had cleared out, it's like, oh, you didn't even drain the deep fat fryers. Speaker 3 (10:16) The Speaker 4 (10:16) refrigerator's still stocked. Speaker 3 (10:18) Lettuce still available. Yeah, Speaker 4 (10:20) kind of a Petri dish in there. But this was at least the remaining one at Disney Springs. It was a favorite, right? Speaker 3 (10:31) This is interesting because if you look at the reader surveys that we got for this over the last couple of years, 92 % thumbs up from readers, which is indicative of... Average, if not above average, for Disney Springs. The thing that jumped out to me was we've only got 70 reviews for this Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill in the last couple of years, whereas popular places at Disney Springs like Boathouse and Homecoming have 500 plus reviews. We're basically getting at least five a week from them. Here, we're getting fewer than one a week. So I think it was a volume thing. Chrissy, Amy, you guys have eaten here, right? Speaker 1 (11:05) Many years ago, yes. Speaker 3 (11:07) Oh, there we go. That could be it right there, Chrissy. There we go. Speaker 1 (11:10) Same. Yeah. And it was for work. I never spent a penny of my own money there. Okay. Is Speaker 3 (11:16) it the location? No, Speaker 1 (11:18) the location is great. It's near really good, really good shopping. It's just, it was expensive and it just didn't feel like, like boathouse is expensive, but it's totally worth. the money, even without Ricky there. But it just felt, I don't know, it wasn't a good value for Speaker 2 (11:37) me. For me, it was menus with picky eaters and family and, you know, that kind of thing. Speaker 3 (11:43) Yeah. I mean, the pizzas were the best thing on the menu, but I never had anything bad there, but I never had anything where I was like, oh, I need to come back here and get this specific thing next week. You know? And the service, you mentioned Boathouse. So service wasn't like at Boathouse where there was an outstanding server that was memorable or anything like that. Yeah, it was just fine and then in a bad location, I think. Well, there we go. I think we answered why this is closing. Right. Last little bit of news out of Walt Disney World. Jim, I note the American Pyrotechnics Association annual meeting happens in Walt Disney World from September 26th to October 2nd this year. And I mention this because... You know how you're going back home from vacation and you have to go through airport security? And every once in a while, they're going to swab someone for gunpowder residue, Jim. I am begging the Orlando airport right now to dedicate an entire line of TSA security just for these people so we don't have to be behind them. Speaker 1 (12:41) Leonard, why are you not going to this? You went to the Mayan artifact. Speaker 3 (12:47) I need to go. So if anyone is a listener and is a member of the American Pyrotechnics Association, let me know how I can get invited to this thing. I will. I'll bring Speaker 4 (12:57) the donuts. And by the way, if this is anything like the shows they used to do back in the 90s, what's great about the American Pyrotechnics Association's annual meeting is each night of the event, one of the companies then puts on a. just stunning fireworks display on Disney property. In fact, what they used to do is literally set up chairs in front of the contemporary, you know, that section of lawn that faces out onto Seven Seas Lagoon. And every night they put on a show to impress their peers. So, I mean, again, in theory, from the 26th through the 2nd, there's going to be spectacular fireworks displays there at Disney and not... in the parks. In fact, that's what's ultimately going to confuse a lot of people. They're going to be driving on World Drive and it's like, hang on. When did Blizzard Beach get Speaker 3 (13:54) fireworks? Speaker 4 (13:55) There we go. How Speaker 3 (13:58) about that? Speaker 4 (13:59) Yeah, Speaker 3 (13:59) I'm excited for that. I think Jim, Disney started notifying hotel guests too that there might be fireworks testing. around the parks around this time too. So I wonder if that's what they're planning for there. Those of us Speaker 2 (14:11) who live near get that. We just got a notification actually. Oh, okay. Speaker 3 (14:18) So I might get in touch. We'll see if we can do something there. Jim, over at Disneyland, a groundbreaking has happened for the new parking and transportation hub east of the parks. Disney's also released some concept art that has been updated. And I have in the show notes both the before and after. I think, Jim, the big change here is that the pedestrian walkway now is covered, whereas it was not before. And there seems to be a new fence design for the walkways as well. Speaker 4 (14:43) Yeah, and Mr. Shule and I were talking about this just yesterday. And the part of this that hasn't been mentioned yet is during this construction, the bus... drop-off area, which again, remember, part of the Disneyland Plaza, just to the right there, you know, next to the entrances of Disneyland, the original, and California Adventure. This is going to move for as long as 18 months down next to, well, where Lululemon and that Star Wars, what they did with the old rainforest to change it into a Star Wars thing. Oh, wow, Speaker 3 (15:22) that's a hike, yeah. Okay. Speaker 4 (15:23) It's actually, Shule measured it, it's a half a mile. So, you know, if you're taking the bus, plan on, you step off the bus, and it's a two-mile hike to the parks for at least 18 months. And then, ironically enough, when they open the new transportation hub, it's also going to be a half a mile. You know, only you'll be coming in