I have been seeing a lot of people talking about the new Connections Café & Eatery online and it isn’t always complimentary. In fact many feel the Electric Umbrella replacement looks like a hospital cafeteria and honestly, I agree.
Connections Café & Eatery is set to officially open next week at EPCOT. This will be the new quick service dining location near Spaceship Earth. It will also be the new location for Starbucks. But it is very bland in appearance. I think they were trying to go neutral and modern but as some point out, it looks like Ikea.
This is a video posted by AllEars showing the location during soft opening:
This is not a drill! 🚨 Connections Café is NOW OPEN‼️ pic.twitter.com/K6Y4DIevYl
— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) April 21, 2022
Here is what people are saying:
This reminds me of a cafeteria in a musuem where half the patrons are school children
— 🙌 (@GaspICantEven) April 21, 2022
Wow! The details! The tile! The railing! The flatness! The soul and spirit of a HOSPITAL CAFETERIA. #ConnectionsHospital pic.twitter.com/dKQA3QEsOd
— 🇺🇦PersimmonFalls (@PersimmonFalls) April 21, 2022
Wow! Q: Now pick which one is NOT a HOSPITAL CAFETERIA! (A: they all are!) pic.twitter.com/x5AGUZRT5N
— 🇺🇦PersimmonFalls (@PersimmonFalls) April 21, 2022
So they got rid of electric umbrella for this?
— Simon Copeland (@SCambient) April 21, 2022
It’s a great big coffee ad. That’s great, Center of EPCOT is now a big Starbucks! Way to go bold and Reimagine @disneyparks @WaltDisneyWorld #theming
— GuyGadwa (@proj_tomorrow) April 21, 2022
Nothing exciting here. Looks dull and boring. Not magical
— DairyFreeGina (@DairyFreeGina) April 22, 2022
Just a glorified cafeteria
— Keys To The Kingdom (@keystothekingd3) April 21, 2022
— CHRIS (@HrznsRsrrctd) April 21, 2022
IKEA cafeteria?
— JinxEverywhere (@JinxEverywhere) April 22, 2022
I don’t hate it, but it does give me heavy IKEA Cafe vibes. I better have the option for Lingonberry!
— Synth Magnetic | he/him (@synthomagnetic) April 21, 2022
Oh that’s just great. I’m sure you can get a small order of french fries for $25
— Richie S (@rs747948) April 22, 2022
Now it did soft open yesterday and some people did say the food was quite good, so there is that.
The mural feels more like it belongs in The Land to me, but it’s that whole “Global Neighborhoods” thing they are now using.
EPCOT was always about science, creativity and looking forward and now it just feels like they are making it current year. So just any other park then. I hate to think of how they would have changed Spaceship Earth for “Our shared story.”
IP everywhere I’m sure.
But I digress.
Some people do like the design. I get the thought process behind it, but I think it translated a little too sterile for many. When you have amazingly themed restaurants in other parks it does come across as a bit hospital food court. Although the mural does help to give it some life.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
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