Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant

Coordinates: 28°21′22″N 81°33′37″W / 28.356126°N 81.5602796°W / 28.356126; -81.5602796
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
cuisine of the United States
Dress codeCasual[2]
CityBay Lake
CountyOrange County
StateFlorida
CountryUnited States
Coordinates28°21′22″N 81°33′37″W / 28.356126°N 81.5602796°W / 28.356126; -81.5602796
Seating capacity260
ReservationsRecommended
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

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. Established in May 1991, the restaurant is modeled after a 1950s drive-in theater. Walt Disney Imagineering designed the booths to resemble convertibles of the period, and some servers act as carhops while wearing roller skates. While eating, guests watch a large projection screen displaying clips of 1950s and 1960s films as Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster, Plan 9 from Outer Space, and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman.

The restaurant serves traditional

garden salad
), "The Cheesecake that Ate New York", and "Attack of the Killer Club Sandwich", but these playful names were later altered so that they now describe the dishes in a more standard and straightforward manner.

In 1991, the Sci-Fi Dine-In opened along with nineteen other new Walt Disney World attractions marking the complex's twentieth anniversary. By the following year, the Sci-Fi Dine-In was serving upwards of 2,200 people daily during peak periods, making it the park's most popular restaurant. Thai movie theater operator EGV Entertainment opened the EGV Drive-in Cafe in Bangkok in 2003, in a very similar style to the Sci-Fi Dine-In.

The Sci-Fi Dine-In has received mixed reviews. USA Today's list of the best restaurants in American amusement parks ranks the Sci-Fi Dine-In fifteenth, but many reviewers rate it more highly for its atmosphere than for its cuisine. Ed Bumgardner of the Winston-Salem Journal wrote that the food is more expensive than it is worth, specifically calling the restaurant's roast beef sandwich both delicious and a ripoff. In their book Vegetarian Walt Disney World and Greater Orlando, Susan Shumaker and Than Saffel call the Sci-Fi Dine-In "the wackiest dining experience in any Disney park".[3]

History

The exterior of the 50's Prime Time Café
The 50's Prime Time Café, a theme restaurant that opened two years before the Sci-Fi Dine-In. Its success led to an emphasis on theme during the design of the Sci-Fi Dine-In.

The Sci-Fi Dine-In, located on Commissary Lane across from

Star Tours and adjacent to ABC Commissary,[4] opened on April 20, 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 theme, in emulation of the 50's Prime Time Café, which had opened two years prior.[5] Disney hoped that the focus on theme would bring the Sci-Fi Dine-In the level of success that had been garnered by the 50's Prime Time Café. Within five weeks of opening, it was serving between 1,500 and 2,000 meals on a daily basis, just as the 50's Prime Time Café was doing.[6] A year after opening, 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.[7] 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 had been developed shortly prior.[8]

In 2003, there were twenty character meals offered at Walt Disney World, during which actors portraying various Disney characters would interact with guests while they ate at the parks' restaurants, and Disney was in the process of increasing the presence of

costumed characters in the parks at the time. Nonetheless, Minnie Mouse character meals held at Hollywood & Vine were discontinued that year, and Robert Johnson of the Orlando Sentinel partially attributed this cancellation to competition from the Sci-Fi Dine-In, which he said "almost always has a line of customers waiting".[9][a]

Theme

Three women sitting at a picnic table in the Sci-Fi Dine-In
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 forgo the experience of sitting in the cars.

The Sci-Fi Dine-In is modeled after a 1950s drive-in theater.[11] The entrance is made to look like a box office, and guests can walk from there along a tall fence to the dining room, where they sit at formica countertops in booths made to look like convertibles from the 1940s and 1950s.[12] These booths were designed by Walt Disney Imagineering and are made of fiberglass with much chrome plating. The cars have whitewall tires, and speakers are mounted on poles next to each car.[6] The license plates are dated from 1955, and each convertible seats four people, although these mock vehicles were initially six-seaters when the restaurant first opened.[13] There are six picnic tables near the back of the room that are only used when the rest of the restaurant is full and there are guests who are willing to forego the experience of sitting in the cars. All guests who make reservations are seated in the cars, although this was not the case the year the restaurant first opened.[6] The restaurant has a total seating capacity of 260.[7]

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 sneaked into the theater without paying.[14] The dining room is dark and air-conditioned, and measures 8,400 square feet (780 m2).[15] The ceiling simulates a night sky replete with twinkling stars made from optical fibers.[16] There is the facade of a snack counter at the back of the room, behind which is the kitchen.[17] The upper walls of the dining room display a cyclorama of Southern California as seen over a fence.[6]

Patrons inside the car themed booths watching the screen.
Patrons inside the car themed booths watching the screen.

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, bizarre newsreels, and animated cartoons, all on a loop that lasts 47 minutes.[18] The film clips are taken from such films as The Blob, Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster, Teenagers from Outer Space, The Amazing Colossal Man, Plan 9 from Outer Space, Invasion of the Saucer Men, and Cat-Women of the Moon.[19] The original Attack of the 50 Foot Woman trailer is also included.[20] The clips are shown on a large projection screen.[21] 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.[22] Film props and vintage horror and science fiction movie posters can be found on the outside perimeter of the themed restaurant, including many props used in Disney's The Rocketeer, which premiered about three months after the restaurant opened.

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.[7] The restaurant participates in the Disney Dining Plan. Meals are served starting at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays and Wednesdays, and starting at 11:00 a.m. every other day of the week.[2] The restaurant closes each day at the same time that the park does, which is in the late evening.[23] 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.[2]

A club sandwich and potato chips on a plate at the Sci-Fi Dine-In
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 names.

Food selection at the restaurant comes from the traditional

St. Louis-style barbecue ribs, beef-and-blue-cheese salads, sautéed shrimp with farfalle, French fries, cucumber salads, Buffalo wings, Boca Burgers, Tofutti, and steaks.[25] Drinks include souvenir phosphorescent ice cubes.[16] The desserts are served in larger portions than are customary elsewhere.[26] There are vegetarian options. The chefs at the Sci-Fi Dine-In sometimes cater for special requests in advance.[27] The cookbook Delicious Disney Just for Kids contains a recipe for the BLT soup served at the Sci-Fi Dine-In.[28]

Items in the restaurant's menu used to have themed names, such as "The Galactic Grill" (triple-decker grilled cheese sandwich), "Beast from 1,000 Islands" (

garden salad), "The Cheesecake that Ate New York", "Attack of the Killer Club Sandwich", "Beach Party Panic" (fish fillet), "Saucer Sightings" (rib eye steak), "Terror of the Tides" (broiled fish), and "Journey to the Center of the Pasta" (vegetable lasagne), but these have since been replaced with more descriptive names.[29] A popcorn bisque was once on the menu, but it was removed due to poor reception.[7]

Imitation

The interior of the Bayliner Diner
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).

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".[30] 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.[30]

In 2014, NBCUniversal opened Universal Orlando's first prime-value hotel, Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort, which houses the Bayliner Diner, a restaurant that borrows its premise from the Sci-Fi Dine-In. Both restaurants play old film footage on a loop.[31]

Reception

Two of the convertibles at the Sci-Fi Dine-In
Multiple reviewers have called the Sci-Fi Dine-In more notable for being an attraction than a food destination.

The Sci-Fi Dine-In has received mixed reviews. Jack Hayes of Nation's Restaurant News calls the Sci-Fi Dine-In "wacky" and "on the cutting edge of sheer dining fun".[32] In USA Today's list of the sixteen best restaurants in American amusement parks, the Sci-Fi Dine-In ranks fifteenth.[33] Samuel Muston of The Independent writes that the Sci-Fi Dine-In is "memorable in the best way".[34] In the Evansville Courier & Press, Pete DiPrimio writes that the Sci-Fi Dine-In ranks among the most unusual of the restaurants at Disney's Hollywood Studios.[35] In The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2015, Bob Sehlinger and Len Testa 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".[36]

Multiple reviewers have called the Sci-Fi Dine-In more notable for being an attraction than a food destination.[4][11] One reviewer from The Guardian compares the Sci-Fi Dine-In to Epcot's Coral Reef Restaurant, writing that both restaurants "are great settings" where "eating is awful".[37] Sehlinger and Testa consider the prices too high, and the food too simple, although they praise the Reuben sandwich and the ribs.[2] Schultz writes that the food is simple and that some of the beers are decent.[38] The book DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Walt Disney World Resort & Orlando also states that the food is more expensive than it is worth.[39] Ed Bumgardner of the Winston-Salem Journal shared this opinion as well, specifically singling out the restaurant's roast beef sandwich as a ripoff, despite calling it delicious.[40] Peggy Katalinich of the Tampa Bay Times writes that, although the food is mediocre, "Who cares? Food is besides the point".[41] She goes on to argue that the prices are low, particularly for sandwiches.[41] In Frommer's Walt Disney World and Orlando 2012, Laura Lea Miller expresses disappointment that the menu no longer contains the playful item names it once did. She writes positively of the atmosphere, but considers the food mediocre.[16] 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".[42]

A woman and a child at the Sci-Fi Dine-In
Reviewers Susan Shumaker and Than Saffel write that the Sci-Fi Dine-In is particularly suitable for families with young children.

Some food items at the Sci-Fi Dine-In have been received favorably by reviewers. Rona Gindin and Jennifer Greenhill-Taylor write highly of the restaurant's hot-fudge sundaes in Fodor's 2012 Walt Disney World.

fast food restaurants in the park.[44] A reviewer for the United Kingdom's The Sentinel also writes positively of the Sci-Fi Dine-In's milkshakes, and argues that, "if you chose to treat yourself to a good lunch in one of the Disney parks, then this is the one".[45]

Positive reviews of the Sci-Fi Dine-In have indicated diverse reasons for appreciating the restaurant. In Vegetarian Walt Disney World and Greater Orlando, Susan Shumaker and Than Saffel write that the restaurant has "the wackiest dining experience in any Disney park".

Daily News writes, "Anyone who is a fan of trashy sci-fi movies of the 1950s should check [the Sci-Fi Dine-In] out".[38] In his book Sci-Fi Movie Freak, Robert Ring calls the Sci-Fi Dine-In film clips "hokey",[47] while David Steele of The Rotarian calls them "classically awful",[48] and Rick Ramseyer of Restaurant Business Magazine calls them "campy".[26]

Notes

  1. ^ Hollywood & Vine had resumed its Minnie Mouse character meals by 2005.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant". D23. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Sehlinger & Testa (2014), p. 491.
  3. ^ a b Shumaker & Saffel (2003), p. 70.
  4. ^ a b Shumaker & Saffel (2003), p. 76.
  5. ^ Nicholas, Erin (December 18, 1991). "Sci-Fi Dine-In among WDW's 20th Birthday Attractions". Restaurants & Institutions. p. 37.
  6. ^ a b c d O'Brien, Tim (October 21, 1991). "Disney-MGM Studios Eateries Create Fun Environment, Boost Bottom Line". Amusement Business. p. 20.
  7. ^ a b c d e Carlino, Bill (November 23, 1992). "Directing Food Operations at MGM Theme Park". Nation's Restaurant News. p. 74.
  8. ^ For the introduction and function of the mobile devices, see Carlino, Bill (November 23, 1992). "Directing Food Operations at MGM Theme Park". Nation's Restaurant News. p. 74.
    • For the initial perception of the mobile devices, see Jenkins, Robert N. (July 7, 1991). "Doing Disney: A User's Guide". Tampa Bay Times. p. 1F.
  9. ^ Johnson, Robert (April 21, 2003). "Disney Cuts Character Meals at Orlando, Fla., MGM Theme Park". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  10. ^ Wiley (2005), p. 263.
  11. ^ a b Sehlinger & Testa (2014), p. 443.
  12. ^ For the information about the entrance and fence, see Nicholas, Erin (December 18, 1991). "Sci-Fi Dine-In among WDW's 20th Birthday Attractions". Restaurants & Institutions. p. 37.
    • For the countertop material, see Katalinich, Peggy (August 15, 1993). "Get with the Theme for Civilized Dining". Tampa Bay Times. p. 8E.
    • For the design of the booths, see Miller (2011), p. 12.
    • For the imitated decades, see Carlino, Bill (November 23, 1992). "Directing Food Operations at MGM Theme Park". Nation's Restaurant News. p. 74.
  13. ^ For the information about the license plates and the current seating arrangements, see Sandler (2007), p. 257.
    • For the initial seating arrangements, see Nicholas, Erin (December 18, 1991). "Sci-Fi Dine-In among WDW's 20th Birthday Attractions". Restaurants & Institutions. p. 37.
  14. ^ For the information about roller skates, see Sehlinger & Testa (2014), p. 491.
    • For the servers' main acting role, see Carlino, Bill (November 23, 1992). "Directing Food Operations at MGM Theme Park". Nation's Restaurant News. p. 74.
    • For the example of an additional acting role, see Nicholas, Erin (December 18, 1991). "Sci-Fi Dine-In among WDW's 20th Birthday Attractions". Restaurants & Institutions. p. 37.
  15. ^ For the lighting and air quality information, see Sehlinger & Testa (2014), p. 443.
    • For the size of the room, see O'Brien, Tim (October 21, 1991). "Disney-MGM Studios Eateries Create Fun Environment, Boost Bottom Line". Amusement Business. p. 20.
  16. ^ a b c Miller (2011), p. 122.
  17. ^ For the information about the facade, see Nicholas, Erin (December 18, 1991). "Sci-Fi Dine-In among WDW's 20th Birthday Attractions". Restaurants & Institutions. p. 37.
    • For the location of the kitchen, see O'Brien, Tim (October 21, 1991). "Disney-MGM Studios Eateries Create Fun Environment, Boost Bottom Line". Amusement Business. p. 20.
  18. ^ For the segmentation of the film into clips, see Sehlinger & Testa (2014), p. 491.
    • For the inclusion of science fiction, horror, newsreels, and cartoons, see Miller (2011), p. 122.
    • For the inclusion of monster movies, see Gindin & Greenhill-Taylor (2012), p. 67.
    • For the inclusion of pseudo-documentaries, see Katalinich, Peggy (August 15, 1993). "Get with the Theme for Civilized Dining". Tampa Bay Times. p. 8E.
    • For the information about the loop, see Daly, Sean (April 6, 2014). "Retro Vibe, Value". Tampa Bay Times. p. 1D.
    • For the length of the film, see Long, Rani (July 8, 2013). "America's Best Amusement-Park Restaurants". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  19. ^ For the inclusion of The Blob, see Sehlinger & Testa (2014), p. 491.
  20. ^ Sandler (2007), p. 257.
  21. ^ Miller (2011), p. 12.
  22. ^ Bevil, Dewayne (May 15, 2014). "Star Wars Weekends Kicks off at Disney". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on December 19, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  23. ^ For the coincidence of the restaurant and park closing times, see Sehlinger & Testa (2014), p. 491.
    • For the time of day at which the park closes, see Ingersoll (2005), p. 35.
  24. ^ For the cost, see Miller (2011), p. 122.
    • For the course, see Miller (2011), p. 12.
  25. ^ For the inclusion of milkshakes and sundaes, see Sehlinger & Testa (2014), p. 491.
    • For the inclusion of seafood salad and sloppy joes, see Jenkins, Robert N. (July 7, 1991). "Doing Disney: A User's Guide". Tampa Bay Times. p. 1F.
    • For the inclusion of fried pickles, see Long, Rani (July 8, 2013). "America's Best Amusement-Park Restaurants". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
    • For the inclusion of ribs, beef-and-cheese salads, shrimp, French fries, and cucumber salads, see Gindin & Greenhill-Taylor (2012), p. 149.
    • For the inclusion of Buffalo wings, see Schultz, Paul (June 1, 2014). "Florida Tech: Disney World Adds Big Attractions and Helpful Microchip Wristbands".
      Daily News
      . p. 25.
    • For the inclusion of Boca Burgers and Tofutti, see Shumaker & Saffel (2003), p. 77.
    • For the inclusion of steaks, see Miller (2011), p. 122.
  26. ^
    ISSN 0097-8043
    .
  27. ^ a b Shumaker & Saffel (2003), p. 77.
  28. ^ Miller (2011), p. 24.
  29. ^ For the characterization of the initial and current names, see Miller (2011), p. 122.
    • For the grilled cheese sandwich name, see Shumaker & Saffel (2003), p. 80.
    • For the garden salad and cheesecake names, see Nicholas, Erin (December 18, 1991). "Sci-Fi Dine-In among WDW's 20th Birthday Attractions". Restaurants & Institutions. p. 37.
    • For the club sandwich, fish fillet, and steak names, see Sandler (2007), p. 257.
    • For the broiled fish name, see Morris, Jerry (June 23, 1991). "Rides that are a Real Scream". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
    • For the lasagne name, see Jenkins, Robert N. (July 7, 1991). "Doing Disney: A User's Guide". Tampa Bay Times. p. 1F.
  30. ^ a b Sriangura, Vanniya (January 24, 2003). "More than Cinema". Bangkok Post. p. 1.
  31. ^ Daly, Sean (April 6, 2014). "Retro Vibe, Value". Tampa Bay Times. p. 1D.
  32. ^ Hayes, Jack (November 23, 1992). "Larry Slocum: Disney's Foodservice King". Nation's Restaurant News. p. 90.
  33. ^ Long, Rani (July 8, 2013). "America's Best Amusement-Park Restaurants". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  34. ^ Muston, Samuel (October 19, 2013). "Of Mice and Menus: The Wonderful World of Walt Disney, Waffles, and Growing Waistlines". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  35. ^ DiPrimio, Pete (May 15, 1994). "Magic Kingdom Leaves Everyone Smiling, Even Walt". Evansville Courier & Press. p. 6C.
  36. ^ For the comparison to all the other restaurants, see Sehlinger & Testa (2014), p. 443.
    • For the direct quotation, see Sehlinger & Testa (2014), p. 491.
  37. ^ "Travel: Top Tips". The Guardian. September 19, 1996. p. 19.
  38. ^
    Daily News
    . p. 25.
  39. ^ Steinberg et al. (2012), p. 148.
  40. ^ Bumgardner, Ed (May 16, 1999). "Zippity-Do-Dah-Days: Of Mice and Money". Winston-Salem Journal. p. 12.
  41. ^ a b Katalinich, Peggy (August 15, 1993). "Get with the Theme for Civilized Dining". Tampa Bay Times. p. 8E.
  42. ^ For the quotation about adults and kids, see Sandler (2007), p. 239.
    • For the quotation about food, see Sandler (2007), p. 257.
  43. ^ Gindin & Greenhill-Taylor (2012), p. 149.
  44. ^ Ingersoll (2005), p. 76.
  45. ^ "Fairy Stories and Adrenalin Go Hand-in-Hand at Disney". The Sentinel. April 1, 2006. p. 20.
  46. ^ For the information about children, see Steinberg et al. (2012), p. 63.
    • For the information about nostalgia, see Steinberg et al. (2012), p. 148.
  47. ^ Ring (2011), p. 103.
  48. ^ Steele, David (March 1992). "'Doing' Disney World". The Rotarian: 35.

Bibliography

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