You’re having the best day at Disney World, but decide to take a break and grab a bite to eat so you can keep on going.
Cinderella Castle
You’re not looking for anything too fancy and don’t have any reservations, so a counter-service or food court spot it is! There’s nothing inherently wrong with that — in fact, some of our favorite eats are from food courts — but there are some serious issues you might run into at these quick service spots. Food court drama is real in Disney World, and we’re sharing some of the most egregious misdeeds we’ve seen!
We love stopping by a counter service spot to grab a quick bite to eat before continuing with our Disney World day. But, we’ve seen some serious food court drama happen from time to time, so we’re warning you about it before your next trip!
Sitting Down Without Food
Unfortunately, we see this all too often around Disney World. Some counter-service spots are incredibly popular, and since they primarily have open, food court-style seating — it can be a pain to find a seat once you’ve found your food. This is especially complicated by the fact that people will often save a table for their party without actually having any food. We’ve found ourselves waiting upwards of ten minutes for tables sometimes.
Backlot Express is a Counter Service Restaurant in Hollywood Studios
Most of the time, the people with food who are looking to sit down likely could have eaten by the time the other party even made it to the saved table. It should go without saying, but you should wait until you have your food before finding a table at a counter-service spot. In fact, Disney may make the choice for you.
At certain restaurants, like Connections Eatery at EPCOT, Cast Members will sometimes be stationed around to advise people not to sit until they’ve received their food. This is typically reserved for especially busy times.
Seating at Connections Eatery
In addition to Connections, we have found we have the most trouble finding seats at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe at Magic Kingdom, Backlot Express at Hollywood Studios, and La Cantina de San Angel at EPCOT. If you’re looking to dine at a fast food spot during peak meal times, keep in mind you might be waiting for a table — but please don’t take one until you have your food!
Pushing To Get a Table
Can you tell that getting a Disney World quick-service table can be a cutthroat game? We know you’re tired and hungry and those french fries on your tray are about to bring you back from the grave, but please do NOT push past anyone to beat them to a table. You may have to wait a bit, but we promise that another table will open up soon.
It’s all outdoor seating, right?
We’ve witnessed adults pushing past children and families balancing full trays of food just to sit at a table by themselves — with no food. Meanwhile, the kiddo and family had to turn around and find somewhere else to sit.
Cutting in Line
You might find cafeteria-style service depending on which fast food spot you’re dining at, like at Sunshine Seasons at EPCOT or the Disney World Value hotels. In these scenarios, there are often food stations, grab-and-go cases, and drink machines. At the food stations, there are lines, but the grab-and-go and drink machine areas tend to be a free-for-all.
Sunshine Seasons
While there may not be lines at the soda fountain or by the dessert case, it’s easy to see if there is anyone waiting to get to something that someone else may be using. We’ve been snaked when it came to refilling our resort Refillable Mugs more times than we can count!
Leaving a Major Mess
We get it — you’re on vacation and don’t feel like doing any work, chores, or cleaning up after yourself. But have some basic human decency, people! Cast Members work hard to keep dining locations looking fresh and clean, so the least you can do is bus your trays and clean up any major messes you might have made.
Cosmic Ray’s Seating
With DOZENS of places to eat at Disney World, we know it can be tough to plan your meals. That’s why we wrote the DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World. We have reviews, pictures, and details about every restaurant all in one digital download – along with ALL of our best tips and strategies from decades of Disney World trips.
Everyone’s gotta eat when they’re at Disney World, and if we all do our part to make things a bit easier on other parkgoers, chances are we’ll all end up having a magical vacation! In the meantime, we’ll be on the hunt for the latest updates from Disney World, so stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for more!
The BEST Counter Service Restaurants in Disney World in 2024
Need Disney Restaurant Advice? We’ve Got EVERYTHING You Need to Know
The ONLY Disney Dining Planning Tool You’ll Need Is Here – Get the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining!
See Our Complete Disney World Restaurants Guide
The Best Magic Kingdom Restaurants
The Best EPCOT Restaurant Restaurants
The Best Hollywood Studios Restaurants
The Best Animal Kingdom Restaurants
The Best Disney Springs Restaurants
Check Out Dozens of Disney Dining Tips and Tools
Learn All About Tipping at Disney Restaurants
How to Use Mobile Order in Disney World
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the latest Disney food news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
Have you ever dealt with these Disney World dining problems? Tell us in the comments.
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
I’m a little more lenient on people who are sitting at the table without food. I know it’s annoying, if you order your food at the counter and then go looking for a table. But the vast majority are those who mobile ordered and are waiting for their number. (That’s me. I order before I arrive, grab an empty table, wait a minute or two, and then eat.) The second set are those with families where one goes to order while the others rest. (I’m cool with that.) The third set are those who (you can see it on their faces) NEED A BREAK. (I don’t mess with those folks. They can have the table.) The fourth group is the ones that bother me. They are the ones who are there to hang out while others are enjoying attractions. (The trays are full of trash and the seats are empty, except for the one person who is camped out, usually on their phone. You’ve seen them. We all have.)
I rarely see park visitors cut around people for a table or leave their trash on their table (in ride queues, all of the time!). But cutting in lines has become vast. It’s everywhere. Restaurants, quick service, drink stations, carts, stores, bathrooms, rides. It’s so blatant. I keep wondering, how do these people get away with this?
The quick service drama is one of the (many) reasons that we prefer table service a lot of the time. It doesn’t have to be that much more expensive than quick service comparing entree to entree costs, and there are ways to keep table service costs down if you’re looking to do that, like drinking water, or ordering appetizers instead of meals (but planning on a decent tip for your server is a MUST). Some people are concerned about the time table service takes, but we have found table service restaurants to be plenty fast enough most of the time. Truthfully, we have found that sometimes we even feel rushed – they are looking to get you fed and out and sit another party. Table service is probably not that much (or any) longer most of the time when you factor in things like waiting in lines (sometimes even with mobile orders you find yourself waiting in a line to pick up your food), hunting for or waiting for tables, cleaning up after yourself, etc. But I certainly recognize that table service is not for everyone whether that’s due to time, cost, menu, or simple preference of how to dine. And we have our own quick service spots that we love. Thank you for publishing these blogs reminding everyone not to be part of the problem!
I understand the not sitting until you have your food but… When traveling with someone in a wheelchair it is very difficult to find a table that can accommodate the footrests of an adapted wheelchair and/or have the room for the wheelchair so… Sorry if we find a table that accommodates the wheelchair we will get it.
Les Halles in Epcot is the worst I’ve seen for table holding. Groups will walk in, and one person goes to hold down a table. It takes some time to get through the line, so people with trays stand helplessly around the dining area, while foodless people occupy the tables. Sometimes your only option is to hover over people who look like they might be almost finished, which is awkward. The last time we were there, we were finishing our lunch, but saw foodless people eyeing our table. I went over to a family that had just emerged from the line, and offered them our table. They were thrilled. It was a small gesture, but at least we made someone else’s meal a little less stressful. The food is good, but not worth the hassle.