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Guest Reportedly Experiences Racial Discrimination While Dining at EPCOT Restaurant

Between Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT, Walt Disney World Resort truly has something for everyone.

Each Disney Park is totally unique, with experiences that can only be found in that theme park. When it comes to Disney’s EPCOT, one of the best experiences the Disney Park offers is its comprehensive food and drink selection.

EPCOT at Night

Credit: Disney

READ MORE: Disney Guest Determined to Find Her “Missed Connection” While Visiting EPCOT

EPCOT is the best place for Guests who love to eat, as the World Showcase is home to many exciting restaurants. From the France Pavilion to the Japan Pavilion to the Germany Pavilion, EPCOT restaurants are half the reason for visiting.

It’s no secret that Walt Disney World Resort’s customer service is unlike any other. So it stands to reason that Disney customer service combined with EPCOT restaurants creates the ultimate dining experience. However, one Guest’s experience may disprove this theory…

@itsteddybearosito

@Disney Parks tutto italia needs to do better! #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #epcot #disneyworld #tuttoitalia #italianpavillon

♬ original sound – Teddy Moutinho 🖤

READ MORE: Is This the Best Disney Park For an ‘Encanto’ Land? Spoiler Alert, It’s Not EPCOT!

One Guest of Italian descent recently brought her family to EPCOT’s Tutto Italia Ristorante in the Italy Pavilion to celebrate her father’s birthday.

In one video, she states that the waiters in the Italy Pavilion restaurant refused to sing her father ‘Happy Birthday’ but sang for two other families.

In the following video, she goes more in-depth on the situation:

@itsteddybearosito

Replying to @JpMc so sad they ruined his birthday at tutto italia epcot #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #epcot #disneyworld #tuttoitalia

♬ original sound – Teddy Moutinho 🖤

READ MORE: New Information About EPCOT’s Upcoming Attraction Has Been Revealed Thanks to Unique Photos

In the comments below this video, she writes, “it was obviously a race issue. both birthdays were white families.”

At the end of the video, the manager assures her family that singing ‘Happy Birthday’ will become a “standardized procedure” in the restaurant.

Spaceship Earth at EPCOT

Credit: Disney

READ MORE: PHOTOS: Fan Captures Bird’s Eye View of EPCOT’s Newest Attraction, Showing the Hidden Progress

This story is not indicative of how Disney Dining feels, nor is it representative of all Walt Disney World experiences. 

About Isabella Reimer

Isabella Reimer grew up visiting Walt Disney World and relocated to Central Florida to be even closer to The Most Magical Place on Earth. She earned her Bachelor’s from Florida State University, where she studied Creative Writing and Women’s Studies. Her biggest hobby is bonding with the ikran at Avatar Flight of Passage, and her retirement plan includes becoming the 1,000 Happy Haunt of the Haunted Mansion.