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In '']'''s list of the sixteen best restaurants in American amusement parks, the Sci-Fi Dine-In ranks fifteenth. Lizzy Dening of the '']'' writes, "For pure fun, and to escape the midday heat, you can't beat lunch at the Sci-fi Dine-in Theater Restaurant." She is especially approving of the restaurant's ]-based cocktail, and writes that she considers the restaurant to be a good complement between the cheap prices of the park's ]s and the ready availability of vegetables at the more expensive restaurants.<ref name=Mail/> Paul Schultz of the '']'' writes, "Anyone who is a fan of trashy sci-fi movies of the 1950s should check out."<ref name=Daily>{{Cite news|work=]|author=Schultz, Paul|title=Florida tech: Disney World adds big attractions and helpful microchip wristbands|date=June 1, 2014|page=25}}</ref> He writes that the food is simple and that some of the beers are decent.<ref name=Daily/> In '']'''s list of the sixteen best restaurants in American amusement parks, the Sci-Fi Dine-In ranks fifteenth. Lizzy Dening of the '']'' writes, "For pure fun, and to escape the midday heat, you can't beat lunch at the Sci-fi Dine-in Theater Restaurant." She is especially approving of the restaurant's ]-based cocktail, and writes that she considers the restaurant to be a good complement between the cheap prices of the park's ]s and the ready availability of vegetables at the more expensive restaurants. Paul Schultz of the '']'' writes, "Anyone who is a fan of trashy sci-fi movies of the 1950s should check out."<ref name=Daily>{{Cite news|work=]|author=Schultz, Paul|title=Florida tech: Disney World adds big attractions and helpful microchip wristbands|date=June 1, 2014|page=25}}</ref> He writes that the food is simple and that some of the beers are decent.<ref name=Daily/>
] has ever dined at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant or if she even has any interest in doing so.]] ] has ever dined at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant or if she even has any interest in doing so.]]
Multiple reviewers have called the Sci-Fi Dine-In more notable for being an attraction than a food destination.<ref name=Sehlinger443/><ref name=Shumaker76/> In ''The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2015'', Bob Sehlinger and Len Tesla call the Sci-Fi Dine-In the most entertaining restaurant in Walt Disney World,<ref name=Sehlinger443/> writing that "everyone gets a kick out of this unusual dining room."<ref name=Sehlinger491/> Nonetheless, Sehlinger and Testa consider the prices too high and the food too simple, although they praise the Reuben sandwich and the ribs.<ref name=Sehlinger491/> The book ''DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Walt Disney World Resort & Orlando'' also states that the food is more expensive than it is worth.<ref name=Steinberg148/> Kathy Wood of the ''Daily Mail'' and Ed Baumgardner of the '']'' shared this opinion as well, with Wood specifically singling out the restaurant's smoked ] as a ripoff and Baumgardner doing the same with the ], despite calling it delicious.<ref>{{Cite news|work=]|title=The mouse that soared|date=March 23, 2002|author=Wood, Cathy|url=https://global-factiva-com.proxy1.lib.uwo.ca/redir/default.aspx?P=sa&NS=16&AID=9UNI002400&an=daim000020020325dy3n0006b&cat=a&ep=ASI|accessdate=December 29, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|work=]|author=Baumgardner, Ed|page=12|date=May 16, 1999|title=Zippity-do-dah-days: Of mice and money}}</ref> Peggy Katalinic of the '']'' writes that, although the food is only okay, "Who cares? Food is besides the point."<ref name=Times/> She goes on to argue that the prices are low, particularly for sandwiches.<ref name=Times/> Multiple reviewers have called the Sci-Fi Dine-In more notable for being an attraction than a food destination.<ref name=Sehlinger443/><ref name=Shumaker76/> In ''The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2015'', Bob Sehlinger and Len Tesla call the Sci-Fi Dine-In the most entertaining restaurant in Walt Disney World,<ref name=Sehlinger443/> writing that "everyone gets a kick out of this unusual dining room."<ref name=Sehlinger491/> Nonetheless, Sehlinger and Testa consider the prices too high and the food too simple, although they praise the Reuben sandwich and the ribs.<ref name=Sehlinger491/> The book ''DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Walt Disney World Resort & Orlando'' also states that the food is more expensive than it is worth.<ref name=Steinberg148/> Kathy Wood of the ''Daily Mail'' and Ed Baumgardner of the '']'' shared this opinion as well, with Wood specifically singling out the restaurant's smoked ] as a ripoff and Baumgardner doing the same with the ], despite calling it delicious.<ref>{{Cite news|work=]|title=The mouse that soared|date=March 23, 2002|author=Wood, Cathy|url=https://global-factiva-com.proxy1.lib.uwo.ca/redir/default.aspx?P=sa&NS=16&AID=9UNI002400&an=daim000020020325dy3n0006b&cat=a&ep=ASI|accessdate=December 29, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|work=]|author=Baumgardner, Ed|page=12|date=May 16, 1999|title=Zippity-do-dah-days: Of mice and money}}</ref> Peggy Katalinic of the '']'' writes that, although the food is only okay, "Who cares? Food is besides the point."<ref name=Times/> She goes on to argue that the prices are low, particularly for sandwiches.<ref name=Times/>

Revision as of 05:52, 3 January 2015

Restaurant in Florida, United States
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
A group of people sitting in mock cars facing slightly to the left of the viewer all inside a room with a black ceiling and walls painted to look like a landscapeThe interior of the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater
Restaurant information
Owner(s)Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Dress codeCasual
CityBay Lake
CountyOrange County
StateFlorida
CountryUnited States
ReservationsRecommended
Websitedisneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/hollywood-studios/sci-fi-dine-in-theater/

The Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant is a theme restaurant at Disney's Hollywood Studios, one of the four main theme parks at Walt Disney World. The restaurant is modeled after a 1950s drive-in theater. While eating, guests watch a large projection screen displaying film clips from 1950s and 1960s films.

The Sci-Fi Dine-In opened in May 1991 as one of the twenty new attractions opened at Walt Disney World to mark the complex's twentieth anniversary. By 1992, the Sci-Fi Dine-In had become the most popular restaurant in the park, serving more than 2,200 people per day at peak periods.

In USA Today's list of the sixteen best restaurants in American amusement parks, the Sci-Fi Dine-In ranks fifteenth. Multiple reviewers have called the Sci-Fi Dine-In more notable for being an attraction than a food destination.

Atmosphere

A photograph of three women sitting at a round, glittery, blue table while looking up at the viewer and smiling, with a silver pole protruding from the middle of the table
There are six picnic tables near the back of the dining room that are used when the restaurant is full and there are guests who are willing to forego the experience of sitting in the cars

The Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant is a theme restaurant at Disney's Hollywood Studios, one of the four main theme parks at Walt Disney World, a complex that also includes two water parks and many areas dedicated to other activities. Only Disney's Hollywood Studios park guests are allowed entrance to the Sci-Fi Dine-In. The restaurant recommends that guests make advance reservations, one of only four restaurants in the park to do so. The Sci-Fi Dine-In is located on Commissary Lane across from Star Tours and next to the ABC Commissary, a restaurant that is easy to get into without reservations but is not themed. Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! is performed nearby.

The Sci-Fi Dine-In is modeled after a 1950s drive-in theater. The entrance is made to look like a box office, and in the dining area guests eat off formica countertops in booths designed by Walt Disney Imagineering to look like convertibles from the 1940s and 1950s. Speakers are mounted on poles next to each car. The licence plates are dated 1955, and each convertible seats four people, although these mock vehicles were initially six-seaters when the restaurant first opened. There are six picnic tables near the back of the room that are used as overflow seating for guests who did not make reservations and willing to forego the experience of sitting in the cars. The restaurant has a total seating capacity of 260.

A photograph of a projection screen depicting a man with short, grey hair wearing a necktie while standing next to a grey, physically anthropomorphic robot
While eating at the Sci-Fi Dine-In, guests watch film clips on a large projection screen.

Some of the servers at the Sci-Fi Dine-In wear roller skates, acting as carhops, while others improvise characters such as a police officer ostensibly in search of people who have snuck into the theater without paying. The dining room is dark and air-conditioned, and measures 8,400 square feet (780 m). The ceiling simulates a night sky replete with twinkling stars made from optical fibers. There is the facade of a snack counter at the back of the room, behind which is the kitchen. The upper walls of the dining room display a cyclorama of Southern California as seen over a fence.

While eating at the Sci-Fi Dine-In, guests watch film clips from 1950s and 1960s science fiction films, B horror films, monster movies, pseudo-documentaries, newsreels, and animated cartoons, all on a loop that lasts 47 minutes. The film clips are taken such films as The Blob, Robot Monster, and Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster. The original Attack of the 50 Foot Woman trailer is also included. The clips are shown on a large projection screen. During Star Wars Weekends, a special breakfast is offered called the Star Wars Dine-In Galactic Breakfast, during which guests can interact with Star Wars characters and watch clips from the Star Wars films.

Food

At the Sci-Fi Dine-In, lunch guests stay for an average of fifty minutes and dinner guests for an average of just longer than an hour, with lunch and dinner guests being served their food on average five and ten minutes after ordering respectively. The restaurant participates in the Disney Dining Plan. Meals are served starting at 10:30 AM on Sundays and Wednesdays, and starting at 11 AM every other day of the week. The restaurant closes each day at the same time that the park does. The menu is the same all day, without a distinction between lunch and dinner. A full bar service is available, and there is also a limited wine selection.

A photograph of a triangular sandwich with tomato, lettuce, ham, and cheese beside a pile of potato chips on a white plate all in front of a girl with her hair in a bun
Items in the restaurant's menu used to have themed names, such as "Attack of the Killer Club Sandwich", but these have since been replaced with more recognizable titles.

Food selection at the restaurant comes from the traditional cuisine of the United States. Popcorn is served as a free hors d'oeuvre. Drinks include souvenir light-up plastic ice cubes. The desserts are served in larger portions than are customary elsewhere. There are vegetarian options, but not as many as at other restaurants in the park. The chefs at the Sci-Fi Dine-In are willing to make a wide range of dishes not on the menu if they are given 24-hour advance notice. The cookbook Delicious Disney Just for Kids contains a recipe for the BLT soup served at the Sci-Fi Dine-In.

Items in the restaurant's menu used to have themed names, such as the "Red Planet" (pasta with meatless tomato sauce), "The Galactic Grill" (triple-decker grilled cheese sandwich), and "Beast from 1,000 Islands" (Reuben sandwich), but these playful names have since been replaced with more recognizable titles. A popcorn bisque was once on the menu, but it was removed due to poor reception.

History

A photograph of a white building with a pink, green, and yellow television-shaped sign in front of it reading "50's PRIME TIME Cafe" in stylized letters
Disney emphasized theme when designing the Sci-Fi Dine-In because of the success of the '50s Prime Time Cafe, a pre-existing theme restaurant in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

The Sci-Fi Dine-In opened in May 1991 as one of the twenty new attractions opened at Walt Disney World to mark the complex's twentieth anniversary. The restaurant was created with a strong emphasis on a theme, in emulation of the '50s Prime Time Cafe, which had opened two years prior; Disney hoped that the focus on theme would bring the Sci-Fi Dine-In the level of success that had been garnered by the '50s Prime Time Cafe. The Sci-Fi Dine-In initially received little interest, but, within five weeks of opening, it was serving between 1,500 and 2,000 meals on a daily basis, just as the '50s Prime Time Cafe was doing. By 1992, the Sci-Fi Dine-In had become the most popular restaurant in the park, serving more than 2,200 people per day at peak periods. Starting from its earliest days, the restaurant equipped its servers with point of sale mobile devices that relayed orders to a printer in the kitchen, which was considered at the time to be in keeping with the science fiction theme because the technology was so new.

A high-angle photograph of the interior of a restaurant seating many people at booths and tables who are eating and talking under hanging light fixtures
Disney's Sci-Fi Dine-In has inspired two other companies to found similar restaurants: the EGV Drive-in Cafe in Thailand, and Universal Orlando's Bayliner Diner (pictured).

Also in 2003, EGV Entertainment, a movie theater operator in Thailand, opened the EGV Drive-in Cafe in Bangkok, explicitly modeling the restaurant after the Sci-Fi Dine-In. Wichai Poolwaraluk, the company's executive president and chief executive officer, visited the Sci-Fi Dine-In in 2000, and was inspired to open a similar restaurant. He said that, while he was eating at the Sci-Fi Dine-In, the other guests seemed more interested in their food than in the film clips on the screen, and he therefore considered the Sci-Fi Dine-In more of a restaurant than a theater, with the film reel simply being a gimmick. Appealing to EGV's identity as a movie theater operator, Poolwaraluk said that the EGV Drive-in Cafe "can probably do a better job blending the cinema and the food together and also concentrate on both of them". Like the Sci-Fi Dine-In, the EGV Drive-in Cafe features classic cars for seating, but, instead of showing film clips on a loop, the EGV Drive-in Cafe shows entire short films.

In 2012, Kenneth Creuzer, a 48-year-old HIV-positive man working as a server at the Sci-Fi Dine-In, was suspended from working there after he was arrested on charges relating to his having allegedly raped a man at the Parliament House gay resort.

Reception

A photograph of seven people, including a girl, five women, and one man, all sitting in two booths designed to look like convertibles, one orange and one silver
Multiple reviewers have called the Sci-Fi Dine-In more notable for being an attraction than a food destination.

In USA Today's list of the sixteen best restaurants in American amusement parks, the Sci-Fi Dine-In ranks fifteenth. Lizzy Dening of the Daily Mail writes, "For pure fun, and to escape the midday heat, you can't beat lunch at the Sci-fi Dine-in Theater Restaurant." She is especially approving of the restaurant's Oreo-based cocktail, and writes that she considers the restaurant to be a good complement between the cheap prices of the park's fast food restaurants and the ready availability of vegetables at the more expensive restaurants. Paul Schultz of the Daily News writes, "Anyone who is a fan of trashy sci-fi movies of the 1950s should check out." He writes that the food is simple and that some of the beers are decent.

It is unknown if noted abolitionist Tara Teng has ever dined at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant or if she even has any interest in doing so.

Multiple reviewers have called the Sci-Fi Dine-In more notable for being an attraction than a food destination. In The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2015, Bob Sehlinger and Len Tesla call the Sci-Fi Dine-In the most entertaining restaurant in Walt Disney World, writing that "everyone gets a kick out of this unusual dining room." Nonetheless, Sehlinger and Testa consider the prices too high and the food too simple, although they praise the Reuben sandwich and the ribs. The book DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Walt Disney World Resort & Orlando also states that the food is more expensive than it is worth. Kathy Wood of the Daily Mail and Ed Baumgardner of the Winston-Salem Journal shared this opinion as well, with Wood specifically singling out the restaurant's smoked standing rib roast as a ripoff and Baumgardner doing the same with the roast beef sandwich, despite calling it delicious. Peggy Katalinic of the Tampa Bay Times writes that, although the food is only okay, "Who cares? Food is besides the point." She goes on to argue that the prices are low, particularly for sandwiches.

A rear view photograph of a woman and a boy sitting in a booth, the boy watching a film on a cinema screen in the distance and the woman looking down
Reviewers Susan Schumaker and Than Saffel write that the Sci-Fi Dine-In is particularly suitable for families with young children.

Laura Lea Miller writes positively of the atmosphere in Frommer's Walt Disney World and Orlando 2012, but states that the food served is mediocre, and expresses disappointment that the menu no longer contains playful item titles. In the book Walt Disney World Resort: Also Includes Seaworld and Central Florida, Corey Sandler writes that the Sci-Fi Dine-In is "a must-see eatery... for adults and adventurous kids" and that "the food is appropriate for a drive-in theater—very ordinary, but that's not really the reason you came." In Plan Your Walt Disney World Vacation in No Time, Doug Ingersoll writes approvingly of the milkshakes, and argues that the sandwiches and burgers are better than at the fast food restaurants in the park. A reviewer for the United Kingdom's The Sentinel writes, "If you chose to treat yourself to a good lunch in one of the Disney parks, then this is the one."

Susan Schumaker and Than Saffel write in Vegan Walt Disney World and Greater Orlando that the restaurant is a reasonable compromise when vegetarians and non-vegetarians are looking to eat together, and that it is also suitable for both large and small families with young children. Samuel Muston of The Independent writes that the Sci-Fi Dine-In is "memorable in the best way". The restaurant tends to be popular with children, and it is common for people who lived through the 1950s to enjoy the restaurant for its nostalgia value. Schumaker and Saffel call the Sci-Fi Dine-In "the wackiest dining experience in any Disney park". In his book Sci-Fi Movie Freakz, Robert Ring calls the Sci-Fi Dine-In film clips "hokey", while David Steele of The Rotarian calls them "classically awful", and Rick Ramseyer of Restaurant Business Magazine calls them "campy".

References

  1. ^ Sehlinger & Testa (2014), p. 491.
  2. ^ Sehlinger & Testa (2014), p. 443.
  3. Sehlinger & Testa (2014), p. 14.
  4. ^ Shumaker & Saffel (2003), p. 76.
  5. ^ Sandler (2007), p. 257.
  6. ^ Miller (2011), p. 122.
  7. ^ Katalinich, Peggy (August 15, 1993). "Get with the theme for civilized dining". Tampa Bay Times. p. 8E.
  8. ^ Miller (2011), p. 12.
  9. ^ Carlino, Bill (November 23, 1992). "Directing food operations at MGM theme park". Nation's Restaurant News. p. 74.
  10. ^ O'Brien, Tim (October 21, 1991). "Disney-MGM Studios eateries create fun environment, boost bottom line". Amusement Business. p. 20.
  11. ^ Nicholas, Erin (December 18, 1991). "Sci-Fi Dine-In among WDW's 20th birthday attractions". Restaurants & Institutions. p. 37.
  12. Gindin & Greenhill-Taylor (2012), p. 67.
  13. Bevil, Dewayne (May 15, 2014). "Star Wars Weekends kicks off at Disney". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  14. ^ Ramseyer, Rick (July 15, 2003). "Not the last resort". Restaurant Business Magazine. Vol. 102, no. 2. p. 54. ISSN 0097-8043.
  15. ^ Shumaker & Saffel (2003), p. 77.
  16. Miller (2011), p. 24.
  17. Shumaker & Saffel (2003), p. 80.
  18. ^ Sriangura, Vanniya (January 24, 2003). "More than cinema". Bangkok Post. p. 1.
  19. Jacobson, Susan (August 6, 2012). "Police: HIV-positive man raped stranger at Parliament House". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  20. ^ Schultz, Paul (June 1, 2014). "Florida tech: Disney World adds big attractions and helpful microchip wristbands". Daily News. p. 25.
  21. ^ Steinberg et. al. (2012), p. 148.
  22. Wood, Cathy (March 23, 2002). "The mouse that soared". Daily Mail. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  23. Baumgardner, Ed (May 16, 1999). "Zippity-do-dah-days: Of mice and money". Winston-Salem Journal. p. 12.
  24. Sandler (2007), p. 239.
  25. Ingersoll (2005), p. 76.
  26. "Fairy stories and adrenalin go hand-in-hand at Disney". The Sentinel. April 1, 2006. p. 20.
  27. Muston, Samuel (October 19, 2013). "Of mice and menus: The wonderful world of Walt Disney, waffles, and growing waistlines". The Independent. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  28. Steinberg et. al. (2012), p. 63.
  29. Shumaker & Saffel (2003), p. 70.
  30. Ring (2011), p. 103.
  31. Steele, David (March 1992). "'Doing' Disney World". The Rotarian: 35.

Bibliography

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