Epcot restaurants missing from DP 2018

[Lisa Warner]

Is it typical that restaurants would be missing from the participating DP list this close to Jan 1?

 

[Random Ninja]

Yep, happens every year. Many of the non-Disney owned restaurants renegotiate their contractors this time of year. The brochure usually get updated after the 1st. It's pretty rare for restaurants to not be on the list once on it. This year could be different though with the new inclusion of alcohol.

 

[Lisa Warner]

Well that makes it a dangerous game for those going the first week of January. I feel like I need to now try to double up on reservations with a back up plan. My opinion contract negotiations should be done by at least Nov 30. It could be a huge surprise for someone to get a bill when they thought it was on the plan.

 

[Colleen27]

Well that makes it a dangerous game for those going the first week of January. I feel like I need to now try to double up on reservations with a back up plan. My opinion contract negotiations should be done by at least Nov 30. It could be a huge surprise for someone to get a bill when they thought it was on the plan.

So few changes have been made to the participating restaurant list over the years that it is essentially a zero-risk situation. Only one restaurant has ever left the plan. That was a Disney Springs restaurant, not one in the parks, and it came back after a year or two. And that was when the plan was newer, with more included, and priced to offer actual savings (which I assume equates to less profitable for the restaurant).

For almost a decade now, the list has been completely stable except for the addition of new restaurants as they open. The only real suspense about the 2018 list has to do with whether or not the coming-soon Disney Springs restaurants will participate.

 

[Allison]

There is no risk.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I would say there are one or two restaurants that might change. Now that Morimoto is an all-day menu, lunch might go to 2TS credits, stuff like that.

 

[sharonabe]

And I think there is a slight risk for some of the non-Disney restaurants. The price of the dining plan only went up a couple dollars, whereas the price of alcoholic drinks at these TS places is much higher than $2-3. It will depend on the negotiation of how much Disney promises to reimburse them for each dining credit used.

 

[Colleen27]

I would say there are one or two restaurants that might change. Now that Morimoto is an all-day menu, lunch might go to 2TS credits, stuff like that.

That is one change I do expect to see. It just doesn't make sense to have it only be a signature at dinner now that they have an all-day menu and my guess is that only the fact that they cannot change course mid-year per their contract with Disney has allowed the "bargain" of Morimoto for 1 credit to last this long.

And I think there is a slight risk for some of the non-Disney restaurants. The price of the dining plan only went up a couple dollars, whereas the price of alcoholic drinks at these TS places is much higher than $2-3. It will depend on the negotiation of how much Disney promises to reimburse them for each dining credit used.

I don't see a lot of squabbling over that since they'll be getting the higher reimbursement rate for all adult credits, including kids 10-20 and non-drinkers, and alcohol is much higher mark-up than food so there's a lot of space between menu prices and actually losing money. I also think there will be some expectation of one included drink encouraging second and subsequent drink orders. I know that's something I'm budgeting for - if I order a cocktail or glass of wine with my appetizer, I am very likely to finish it before I am done with my meal and then order a either second glass of wine or a tea/coffee/soda OOP.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

It's not a dangerous game. Assume they will all sign. they all have in the past. Only one restaurant ever dropped the dining plan in history, and it signed back up a few years later.

This effects many restaurants at Epcot and Disney Springs, although there are some third-party restaurants in other locations.