Which Disney Restaurants Need a Re-Theme?
Which Walt Disney World restaurants need re-theming?
Please take a moment to consider that and remember what popped into your head first.
I’m asking for a simple reason. Last month, Disney brought back 1900 Park Fare after a multi-year absence.
The new version, while delightful in its own way, bears only a passing resemblance to the previous one.
![Monorail Dining](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/1900-Park-Fare-Disney.jpg)
![Monorail Dining](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/1900-Park-Fare-Disney.jpg)
Photo: Disney
As I lament the retirement of the Wicked Stepsisters, I can’t help but wonder what’s next?
Disney has become stubbornly efficient in maximizing its restaurant throughput and revenue.
If something is underachieving, it’s potentially on the chopping block.
So, here are five restaurants I wouldn’t be surprised to watch Disney re-theme or, at the very least, modify.
Opening Thoughts
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/download-4.jpeg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/download-4.jpeg)
Photo: Everything Mouse
First, let’s establish a baseline here. I’m aiming for realism, which rules out a couple of obvious choices.
Few Disney restaurants are as divisive as Tony’s Town Square and Coral Reef.
![Coral Reef](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Coral-Reef.jpg)
![Coral Reef](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Coral-Reef.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Still, they’re anchor dining experiences at popular sections of the park. They’re often crowded, and a re-theming wouldn’t go over well.
Would you want to be the person saying that Lady and the Tramp entrees are no longer on the menu? Yeah, me neither.
![Coral-Reef](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Gluten-Free-Coral-Reef-Restaurant-Epcot-Sea-Turtle-Picture.jpg)
![Coral-Reef](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Gluten-Free-Coral-Reef-Restaurant-Epcot-Sea-Turtle-Picture.jpg)
Photo: Disney Daily Dime
Similarly, we cannot just change the theme of a place sharing space with a giant aquarium.
Instead, we’re considering places where real change is possible, even though all Disney restaurant updates would face some backlash.
![rainforest cafe](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Rainforest-Cafe-entrance.jpg)
![rainforest cafe](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Rainforest-Cafe-entrance.jpg)
Photo: Facebook/Rainforest Cafe
That philosophy rules out Rainforest Café (and T-REX) as well.
The corny theme is the hook at those places. And Disney doesn’t own them anyway.
![tusker house exterior](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Tusker-House-10.jpg)
![tusker house exterior](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Tusker-House-10.jpg)
Tusker House’s signage in all its glory! Credit: Canadian Disney Blog
I’ll also confess that I didn’t include a couple that I strongly considered.
Tusker House has proven to be a curse for me and mine, but it’s generally popular with people. Including it would be petty.
![Garden Grill](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2023-wdw-epcot-garden-grill-restaurant-stock-1-scaled.jpg)
![Garden Grill](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2023-wdw-epcot-garden-grill-restaurant-stock-1-scaled.jpg)
Garden Grill
I also considered Garden Grill, but its TripAdvisor scores are better than I would have expected based on the opinions of people I know.
Also, I don’t know how easily you can re-theme something connected to Living with the Land. The tie-in is organic.
![Hollywood & Vine Summertime Dine](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/H-V-Minnie-Summer-hands-on-hips-16x9-1.webp)
![Hollywood & Vine Summertime Dine](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/H-V-Minnie-Summer-hands-on-hips-16x9-1.webp)
Photo: Disney
So, that left me with other options for character dining, Hollywood & Vine and Crystal Palace.
I didn’t pick Hollywood & Vine because the themed experience here, the character meal, is excellent.
![Hollywood & Vine](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-hollywood-and-vine-minnies-springtime-dine-1-scaled.jpg)
![Hollywood & Vine](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-hollywood-and-vine-minnies-springtime-dine-1-scaled.jpg)
Hollywood & Vine
Sure, Disney needs to work on the menu, but that’s a recurring theme with All-You-Care-to-Enjoy restaurants.
For this reason, I’m coming in hot with what’s probably my most controversial suggestion.
Crystal Palace
![Disney World dining little ones](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-09-21-16_48_47-n13_disney_world_crystal_palace_character_dining-1280×720.png)
![Disney World dining little ones](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-09-21-16_48_47-n13_disney_world_crystal_palace_character_dining-1280×720.png)
Photo: Disney
Hey, what’s the theme of Crystal Palace? Don’t tell me it’s a Hundred-Acre Wood thing.
Yes, you’ll find Winnie the Pooh and his friends at this restaurant, but Disney could just as easily put them somewhere else.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Crystal-Palace.png)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Crystal-Palace.png)
Photo: Disney
So, what’s the theme of Crystal Palace? Can you answer that better than, “It’s a shiny building brimming with light…”
I suspect few Disney fans could, and that’s because Disney has done such a poor job historically in differentiating it.
![Crystal Palace](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2-4.jpg)
![Crystal Palace](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2-4.jpg)
Credit: Disney
Casey’s Corner magnifies the problem since it’s such a cleverly themed Quick Service eatery.
The place beside it costs much more, but the food suffers the same issues as Hollywood & Vine.
Also, there’s no real sign of theming. It’s just a pretty building and a nice place to eat.
Wouldn’t Disney better serve the valuable real estate off the corner of Main Street, U.S.A. by adding something memorable here?
![Thanksgiving](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Crystal-Palace-entrance.jpg)
![Thanksgiving](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Crystal-Palace-entrance.jpg)
Crystal Palace
Real talk: do you even think about Crystal Palace when you’re not eating here?
I ask because you probably walk past or at least near it several times during a Magic Kingdom visit.
Other Disney restaurants draw your attention, but two on the corner of Main Street, U.S.A. fail to do so.
I think Disney should update this space to tie it to something iconic.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-dlr-disneyland-park-hyperspace-mountain.png)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-dlr-disneyland-park-hyperspace-mountain.png)
Hyperspace Mountain
Attractions like Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Space Mountain probably wouldn’t work due to the location.
Members of the Sensational Six definitely would, though…
![Donald Duck logo](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screenshot-2023-06-08-at-17-30-47-Fun-Facts-About-Disneys-Donald-Duck-Disney-Dining.png)
![Donald Duck logo](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screenshot-2023-06-08-at-17-30-47-Fun-Facts-About-Disneys-Donald-Duck-Disney-Dining.png)
Photo: Disney
Isn’t Donald Duck long overdue for a restaurant of his own? He and Daisy could run it together, fighting all the while!
Alternatively, since Cinderella is holed up in her castle, wouldn’t it be hilarious if her jealous stepsisters had a place across the way?
The Wicked Stepsisters could always be spying on Cinderella and Prince Charming!
Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
Disney recently updated the menu here, which feels like a cyclical process.
Fans complain about the bland food, Disney updates with even more generic Italian dishes, and then people gripe about the new menu.
Since Mama Melrose doesn’t have a tie-in to any existing Disney franchise or much of a backstory, for that matter, it’s on an island.
There’s nothing connecting this restaurant to the rest of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which grows more noticeable each year.
When Disney added Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the new restaurants fit with the theming.
Mama Melrose’s doesn’t. Since Disney probably isn’t going to do anything Muppets here, something else should fit.
I’d suggest The Incredibles as a theme since Disney already offers character greetings at this park.
Honestly, nothing will be a perfect fit here since Grand Avenue lacks an overriding theme.
![Disney table service restaurants](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mama-Melrose.jpg)
![Disney table service restaurants](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mama-Melrose.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Since the Olaf character greeting is around the corner, I could just as easily suggest a Frozen dining experience.
After all, the park hosts two different Frozen attractions. Plus, you could stick Anna & Elsa on anything, and it’d sell.
PizzeRizzo
Here’s why Mama Melrose’s is unlikely to gain a Muppets theme. We technically already have one of those at a restaurant.
Many people forget that because PizzeRizzo is seasonal…and terrible.
Fans deride Mama Melrose’s as Disney’s Olive Garden. Well, I think we’d all happily choose that over Disney’s Sbarro.
That’s how people decry PizzeRizzo, and they’re not wrong. How do you mess up a slice of pizza?
Somehow, this restaurant does that, serving the most nondescript slice this side of Totino’s.
I think of this place as Not Even Trying – The Restaurant. Too mean? Possibly. But remember that I’m the Disney optimist by nature.
A place has to be pretty lousy for me to think this poorly of it.
![PizzeRizzo](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/15156843-1169235916478886-1891471219638762199-o-1479496194.jpg)
![PizzeRizzo](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/15156843-1169235916478886-1891471219638762199-o-1479496194.jpg)
Photo: WESH 2
As a fan of The Muppets, I feel like this place is missing a natural tie-in to the Swedish Chef.
That food sounds more appetizing than anything served by Rizzo the Rat, right? I mean, if we’re doing that, let’s pick Ratatouille.
![PizzeRizzo](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_6554-1024x683-1.jpg)
![PizzeRizzo](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_6554-1024x683-1.jpg)
Photo: DisneyWiki
For that matter, if you’re going to be so apathetic about pizza, at least theme the place to Statler and Waldorf.
Those two could crack wise about the thoroughly disappointing slice you’re about to eat.
The Plaza
![The Plaza Restaurant](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-the-plaza-restaurant-1.png)
![The Plaza Restaurant](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-the-plaza-restaurant-1.png)
Photo: Disney
I’ve eaten here many times and have some lovely memories of this place.
Still, if The Plaza were a flavor, it’d be vanilla. Disney has chosen such a generic menu here it almost feels intentional.
![The Plaza Restaurant](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-the-plaza-restaurant-2.png)
![The Plaza Restaurant](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-the-plaza-restaurant-2.png)
Photo: Disney
Does management not want to upstage the marvelous view of Cinderella Castle by distracting people with good food?
That’s a serious question. I could legitimately argue that point from a menu perspective.
![Plaza Restaurant menu](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Plaza-Restaurant-Sign.jpg)
![Plaza Restaurant menu](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Plaza-Restaurant-Sign.jpg)
Photo: TulipandSnowflake.com
Alas, I’m devout in the belief that Disney could and should put something better here.
You’re sitting by the courtyard of a beloved Disney landmark. It’s a place of honor.
![The Plaza Restaurant](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-the-plaza-restaurant-new-menu-items1.jpg)
![The Plaza Restaurant](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-the-plaza-restaurant-new-menu-items1.jpg)
Photo: Disney
The dining experience should match the view. Sadly, The Plaza doesn’t even try.
You’re gonna eat something plain and then maybe have some ice cream afterward.
![The Plaza Restaurant](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-the-plaza-restaurant-new-menu-items5.jpg)
![The Plaza Restaurant](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-the-plaza-restaurant-new-menu-items5.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Contrast that to the meal Disney serves inside the castle. At Cinderella’s Royal Table, you meet several Disney Princesses.
With a better theme, Disney could ensure that The Plaza is always booked.
![The Plaza Restaurant](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-the-plaza-restaurant-new-menu-items3.jpg)
![The Plaza Restaurant](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-the-plaza-restaurant-new-menu-items3.jpg)
Photo: Disney
The lone drawback is finding a theme that honors Disney and the concept of Main Street, U.S.A.
Anything would be better than The Plaza, whose very name is nondescript.
Restaurantosaurus
![Restaurantosaurus](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-wdw-dak-animal-kingdom-restaurantosaurus-everest-cupcake28-scaled.jpg)
![Restaurantosaurus](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-wdw-dak-animal-kingdom-restaurantosaurus-everest-cupcake28-scaled.jpg)
Restaurantosaurus
Out of everything I discuss here today, this is the one that feels inevitable.
Remember that the Tropical Americas are coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Once that re-theming occurs, DinoLand U.S.A. will become extinct, negating the need for a restaurant with a dinosaur name.
Presuming this area remains a restaurant – and it’s cheaper to keep it that way, we should expect South American flavors instead.
I’d expect some sort of Casita Madrigal theming here, and a character meal is frankly a good idea.
Wouldn’t you want to hang out with Isabela, Julieta, and Mirabel?
Currently, Restaurantosaurus has already been struck by the comet. We’re all just waiting for it to die.
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