6 Disney World Restaurant Secrets From the Cast Members Who Worked Behind the Scenes

The AllEars team is full of former Disney World Cast Members.

People on our team have worked all over the resort, including hotels, parks, and even the water parks. I happen to be one of them as I used to be a seater at ‘Ohana in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Being a Cast Member allows you to get a look behind the scenes at what it takes to run a vacation destination as big as Disney World. We know a thing or two about dining at Disney World, but we asked former restaurant Cast Members on our team to share some of their restaurant secrets.

Have you ever wondered how Mickey Pretzels are delivered across the park? Or how can you score last-minute reservations to some of Disney World’s most popular restaurants? Well, we are pulling back the curtain and taking you behind the scenes as we share six Cast Member restaurant secrets. 

There are multiple Food and Beverage roles across the resort. There are food roles at quick-service restaurants (often referred to as QSR by Cast Members), outdoor vending (or ODV), and table-service restaurants. So, let’s get into it and spill some secrets!

The Disney Look

All Cast Members need to follow the Disney Look, which is Disney’s way of making sure all Cast Members look show-ready. The Disney Look has rules on hair, nails, facial hair, shoes, and jewelry. 

Food and Beverage Cast Members have to follow these rules strictly to maintain health and safety standards. This means that Cast Member’s hair must be pulled back, they can’t have their nails painted, and nails must be kept short. Jewelry is also restricted; they can’t wear bracelets or rings, but they are allowed to wear necklaces and earrings of a certain length.

In addition to these rules, Cast Members who work in Food and Beverage must wear slip-resistant shoes. Disney actually provides work shoes for specific roles, and Food and Beverage Cast Members are among them. Plus, there are multiple opportunities to get new shoes at no cost. 

Depending on what shoes were assigned to go with your role and costume, you could end up with blisters on your feet. I wore the Disney-given shoes during my first three shifts and could not wait to get to the car to take them off. I was able to buy my own work-approved Hoka non-slip shoes, which made being on my feet way easier.

Cleanliness is Super Important

Now, you would think that with how big Disney World is, it would be hard to keep it clean, but Disney really does focus on cleanliness, as safety is the key that is prioritized for Cast Members. 

When I worked at ‘Ohana, Kona Island (the coffee bar) had to be cleaned each night. This meant that one unlucky Cast Member was tasked with cleaning the espresso and coffee machines. 

The same goes for quick-service and outdoor vending, as ice cream machines were taken apart, emptied, and cleaned almost nightly. 

How to Get Last-Minute Reservations

Picture this: your 60-day Advance Dining Reservation window just opened up, and you totally forgot! Now, all the good reservations are taken. But don’t worry! We have a tip to help you snag those last-minute reservations. 

Dining reservation rules changed a few years ago. Before, reservations had to be canceled 24 hours in advance to avoid a cancelation fee. Now, reservations only need to be canceled two hours in advance.  But it is important to note that this is not the case for every restaurant at Disney World. This means that dining reservations for popular restaurants can pop up on the day of on the My Disney Experience app.

This tip works even before your trip starts. Check the app every day and refresh it to see if reservations pop up. It was always so disheartening to tell people that we did not have any last-minute openings when I worked at ‘Ohana, but I would tell them to refresh the app, and you would be shocked at the success rate.

This Is Officially the Best NEW Feature on the Disney World App

 

Now, this does not always work for the day, but there is a chance you will be able to snag a reservation at some point during your trip. Just don’t lose hope, and keep refreshing!

Walk-Up Waitlist and Party Sizes

Certain restaurants allow you to walk up to the host stand or to join the Mobile Dine Walk-Up Waitlist. In the case of ‘Ohana, we actually knew how many walk-ups we could accommodate before the restaurant opened, which meant that as soon as those spots were filled, we could not take any more guests. A lot of times, people would wait outside the ‘Ohana host stand to snag one of those spots before the restaurant opened. So, if you are trying to eat at a popular restaurant last minute without a reservation, make sure to get there right as the restaurant opens to see if they can accommodate you.

If you are joining the Mobile Dine Walk-up Waitlist, you will need to put in your party size first to see if the app can find you a spot in line. ‘Ohana has many eight-person tables, and the assignor does not want to give a party of four such a large table.

 

On the app, larger parties are more likely to get a walk-up since the assignor wants to seat as many people as they can. Often times guests would figure this out and put their party size larger than what it was to get a spot. We were told that we could not seat them unless the entire party they put down were there. 

 

In some cases, I have seen strangers decide to share a table in order to eat at the restaurant. Now I can’t speak for other Disney World restaurants as table configurations are all different, but if you are willing to eat with strangers, you may be able to snag a Mobile Dine Walk-Up at those popular restaurants.

How does food make it across the park?

Food and Beverage Cast Members can be assigned a stocking shift. In my case at ‘Ohana, stockers were in charge of making sure serving stations were full, getting pineapples for Lapu Lapus, and rolling silverware. 

Other stockers, like those in outdoor vending, are in charge of keeping ice cream carts full and bringing other supplies to the carts. One of our team members shared that she would be backstage salting pretzels or warming churros, and she would take the pretzels and churros from the kitchens and deliver them throughout the park in a big warmer—rain or shine!

Some of Your Favorite Disney Food is Frozen

While a lot of food at Disney World is made fresh, some of it comes in frozen. For example, the Mickey Pretzels you know and love come frozen and are then sprayed with water, salted, and warmed.

The iconic Disney World chicken tenders and fries are also frozen. Before I was a Cast Member, I went on the Keys to the Kingdom Tour in Magic Kingdom and went to tour the utility doors. I remember seeing Casey’s Corner Cast Members lug large bags of frozen hot dogs and fries back on stage. 

Funny enough, these foods can be bought at Cast Connections, the Cast Member store, and now my freezer is stocked with Disney World chicken tenders, fries, and biscuits!

And there you have it; it is almost like you are an honorary Food and Beverage Cast Member! For more fun stories and secrets like these, make sure to continue to follow along with AllEars.

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Did you know some of these secrets? Let us know in the comments!