Disney Sues… The Morocco Pavilion?
Firstly, yes you read the headline correctly. Disney filed suit against its own Morocco Pavilion.
Secondly, in a story out of Morocco, we get the details on this bizarre piece of legal maneuvering.
Yahia Haim of Morocco World News reported:
Walt Disney Parks filed a complaint on Wednesday against Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant, the company operating the facilities of the Moroccan pavilion in EPCOT.
The pavilion features several attractions, exhibitions, restaurants, and juice bars that offer visitors Moroccan-themed entertainment, food, and drinks. It also features replicas of some historical monuments, such as Marrakech’s Koutoubia Mosque, Rabat’s Bab Chellah, and Fez’s Bab Boujloud.
The claim against the company managing the attractions comes after it was unable to pay some of its debt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hatim cited the following tweet:
New Financing Statement
DOC#: 20200473461
Grantor: MARRAKESH MOROCCAN RESTAURANT LLC
Grantee: WALT DISNEY PARKS AND RESORTS U S INC
URL: https://t.co/C3xBywr06M pic.twitter.com/jiY0Im9ewo— Walt Disney World Automated Permit Bot (@wdwapb) September 9, 2020
Hatim added:
In March… the company managing the Moroccan pavilion applied for a loan of $1-2 million under the Paycheck Protection Program. The loan aimed to preserve 260 jobs.
Monorail News cited the above legal filing, which stated Disney “will claim collateral against ‘all goods, inventory, Furnishings, and all other items of personal property belonging to [Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant LLC]…[in all] restaurants, cafes, quick service restaurants, retail areas, concession areas, kiosks, hostess stands, back-of-house areas, storage areas, office areas, and any other areas where [the aforementioned company] does business.'”
That seems, to me, to mean that Disney intends to keep running a restaurant; keeping it in the location even if Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant LLC ceases to be.
Lastly, The Tangierine Cafe at Epcot is listed as temporarily unavailable on the official Disney World website. As is Restaurant Marrakesh. We await word regarding Epcot’s Morocco.
Stay tuned for more on this bizarre story.
