One of the biggest and most unexpected announcements revealed at D23 2017 was the new Space Restaurant coming to Epcot. The restaurant was supposed to be operated by the Patina Restaurant Group and would be located near Mission: Space. However, the announcement didn’t touch on an expected opening date.
Now that it’s been over half a year since the original announcement was made, Disney still hasn’t released any more official details on the restaurant.
Is it time to be concerned? In the case of Disney, no news is usually bad news.
As of the date of this article, no official permits have been filed for work to begin on the Space Restaurant. That’s especially troubling given the reports that the Magic Kingdom Theater project has been cancelled/postponed. Though Disney has not made an announcement regarding the cancellation of the Magic Kingdom Theater, it’s clear that they’re keeping a close eye on all new expenditures at this time. The Space Restaurant isn’t the largest of projects (especially compared to the Guardians of the Galaxy project), but it is one that’s a new build and would require a decent investment.
The saving grace with the Epcot Space Restaurant project may be the connection to the third-party restaurant group. That’s not to say their involvement would save the project, but it would seemingly help it advance from a cost and commitment perspective.
Based on the concept art, the Space Restaurant would allow views into space from your table. It was originally assumed that the technology used at the Space Restaurant would be similar or identical to the “space views” offered at the Star Wars Resort. The whole experience sounds like a lot of fun and would create a unique dining experience at Epcot.
Here’s hoping it still happens.
