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Photo by Chris Bales, 2005 |
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You’re hungry and you’re near the center of Future World. You might appreciate a restaurant with a choice of indoor or outdoor seating, a menu of American favorites, and neon — plenty of neon. |
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Welcome to the Electric Umbrella. As you peer in through the giant windows, you’ll see colorful umbrella-shaped electric lights attached to the ceiling. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 Neon on the outside |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2009 Neon on the inside |
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Take a look at the menu. It might be different than the last time you were here. Although there are always burgers of some sort, they like to change out the items. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2006 Thinking about what to order |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2019 Not only hamburgers |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 Kids’ Meals |
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If you’re a kid, you can choose from such popular favorites as Macaroni & Cheese or a Cheeseburger. If you’re an adult, you can have both as a single item — with bacon and french fries too! Electric Umbrella doesn’t even require a permission note from your cardiologist. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 How about a Macaroni & Cheese Burger? |
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As is typical with Disney counter service, you’ll place your order at a station in front of the counter where you’ll then pick up your tray. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2019 Instant service at slow times |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 Busy at meal times |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 Behind the counter |
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Now all that’s left is picking a table and enjoying your meal. On a nice day, head outside. But if it’s an especially nice day and it’s mealtime, good luck finding a table. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2019 Sometimes plenty of tables outside |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 Other times, not |
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If it’s raining outside, you’ll want to to find a table inside. There are plenty. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2019 Where else can you dine indoors under an umbrella? |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 Sections separated by partial walls |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2009 Keeping tables clean and condiments stocked |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2007 To upper floor seating |
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The second floor is a good place to take your tray if you plan to stay a while. If you’re a local annual passholder, you can even use it the way other people use their local Starbucks. Bring your laptop computer. You could spend hours. |
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Photo by Steve Tanner, 2019 Talking trash can |
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When it’s time to discard your lunch waste, look for the trash that has a crowd around it. When you push its flap, voices from within comment. Girl’s voice: “Cool! Thank you” followed by giggling; French accent (the n is silent): “Hon, hon, hon. This is my lucky day… french fries.” High voices: “It’s mine!’ “It’s mine!” “It’s mine!” followed by a lower, slower voice: “It’s mine!” Sarcastic voice: “Hey dude, like your trash is totally awesome!” followed by a chorus of “Not!” Cool guy voice: “Ouch. Hey, watch it dude. Like your trash just knocked off my shades.” Cartoonish voice: “Hold on. What are you doing? Stop that. I had a pastrami last time. Is that salami?” Who says Spaceship Earth is the only attraction in this part of Future World? |
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Electric Umbrella was the second counter-service restaurant in that location. When EPCOT Center opened October 1, 1982, the space was Stargate, a part of Communicore, the central core of Future World. Stargate served breakfast, hamburgers, and pizza. It closed April 10, 1994, as part of the transformation of Communicore into Innoventions. Electric Umbrella opened on June 24, 1994, in Future World at Epcot ’94 (as the park was called that year). In August 2019, The Walt Disney Company announced big plans for Epcot. Future World would be divided into three lands. Future World East would become World Discovery, with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Play! Pavilion joining Test Track and Mission: Space. Future World West would become World Nature, with Journey of Water joining the three existing pavilions on that side. The middle third of Future World would become World Celebration, with a lush natural environment and a dramatic multi-level event pavilion replacing the starkness of Innoventions Plaza. The entire west structure would be demolished. Although the east structure in which Electric Umbrella and MouseGear were located would be reused, World Celebration would get new food and retail facilities, not keep remnants of the 1990s. After almost 26 years of operation, Electric Umbrella had its final day on February 15, 2020. A month later, the parks of Walt Disney World closed to guests because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most construction work stopped. After being closed for four months, the parks cautiously reopened at intentionally reduced levels of guest attendance. During the closure, The Walt Disney Company had reevaluated its ambitious plans for Future World. With so much already demolished or gutted, it was much too late to cancel them. Plans for the Play! Pavilion quietly disappeared, but work on the replacements for Electric Umbrella and MouseGear continued. |
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Artist concept only © 2021 Disney Rendering of Connections Café and Eatery at EPCOT |
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At the Destination D23 event on November 20, 2021, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro announced that the new quick-service restaurant replacing Electric Umbrella would be called Connections Café and Eatery. Artwork showed a dining room with a large mural. Connections Café and Connections Eatery turned out to be two spacious restaurants under one roof. They officially opened April 27, 2022. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2024 Connections Café for baked goods and Starbucks beverages |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2024 Connections Café, busy at breakfast time |
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Connections Café is the new high-capacity Starbucks at EPCOT. It’s much larger than the old Fountain View Starbucks, which closed permanently in September 2019. The interior of Connections Café is stylish, but generic, with a vibe like the lobbies of recently built Hilton and Marriott convention hotels — or maybe like a recently renovated airport terminal. The show bakery is a nice touch. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2024 Connections Eatery for burgers, pizzas, and salads |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2024 Connections Eatery order stations |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2024 Portion of the dining room mural at Connections Eatery |
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The hand-painted 160-foot “Global Gathering” mural at Connections Eatery gives the space a distinctive Disney atmosphere. The pizza is made from scratch, so it’s better than the frozen pizzas served in some of the other other Walt Disney World pizza restaurants. Some people miss Electric Umbrella. Others think that Connections Café and Connections Eatery are a big improvement. It might depend on how someone feels about purple neon. |
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© 2025 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated January 3, 2025 |
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