L'Originale Alfredo Di Roma in the Epcot Italy Pavilion is closing this August. When it does another little bit of what makes Epcot a unique experience will fade away. The Rome restaurant was the the place where Fetticine Alfredo was created. A restaurant so famous in the 50s an 60s that Hollywood Stars would fly across the sea just for dinner.
I never experienced the Epcot version of Alfredo's in what must have been its prime. My first visit was last year during the holiday season when Disney was including its Dining Plan for free with extended hotel stays. The restaurant was over crowded, the service rushed, and the food barely edible. This was a less than magical experience for my family and our out of town guests who were visiting the park for the first time.
I can't say for sure why the famous restaurant is moving out now. My guess is that Alfredo's fell victim to the expanded use of the Disney Dining Plan. This plan has two evil side effects. First, it requires a hurried service approach as you have to churn more guests per hour to earn the same profit you earned when everyone paid full price for the meal. Second, it requires a much simplified version of the menu to prevent guests from taking too long to decide what to order. I suspect that the owners of Alfredo's felt that the guest experience no longer reflected on their brand in a positive manner. That was certainly my experience. With a restaurant in New York and one opening in Las Vegas, Alfredo's management couldn't afford to risk the brand image like that.
I'm sure the Disney Dining Plan is a money maker for Disney. But it's seriously cutting into the show quality one expects to get when dining at a sit down restaurant in Walt Disney World. Hopefully Disney will figure out what fixes are needed to return to full menus and a casually paced dinner in a setting where the party sitting next to you isn't so close you can smell the garlic on their breath.
Finally, for your entertainment look below the cut to see the cast member fact sheet if a guest has questions regarding the changeover:
Exciting new changes are coming to the Italy Pavilion at Epcot that will further enhance the Guest experience.
Our contract with L’Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante will reach its conclusion on August 31, 2007. While we have enjoyed working with the Alfredo’s Group since Epcot opened, we are finalizing plans to develop a new Italian restaurant concept.
FAQ's
Q1.Why are you making this change?
Q2.Why after so many years?
Although it has been a privilege to be the home to Alfredo’s Restaurant for more than 20 years, Epcot is transitioning to a new Italian dining experience where Italy’s rich history and vibrant culture will continue to enrich the Guest experience.
Alfredo’s is currently scheduled to close at the end of August 2007.
Although details are still coming together, we expect the restaurant to close temporarily during the transition process.
While we are not ready to announce this new restaurant, we are currently finalizing negotiations with a strategic partner. We look forward to sharing more details once they are finalized.
Q6.Will this change impact the Food & Wine Festival?
No. Everything will operate as normal for this year’s International Food & Wine Festival.
Q7.What will happen to the existing employees?
All affected employees will be presented with options, which will vary based on their current job function and individual set of circumstances.
Q8.What if a Guest already has a reservation booked for the restaurant (that occurs after its last day of operations); what should they do?
Q9.Has Alfredo’s Restaurant relocated in the local area?
Q10.Will the new Italian dining experience be a part of the Magic Your Way dining plan?
Q11.Will the new Italian dining experience continue to have Cultural Representatives from Italy to lend to a truly genuine Italian experience?
Yes.
Q12.Will this change impact any other venues within the Italy Pavilion or World Showcase?
No.
