50’s Prime Time Cafe
Located at the Disney-Hollywood Studios
Lunch Review
We had managed a priority seating for 12:00 noon at one of the more
popular theme park lunch spots at Walt Disney World and we were
feeling pretty good about it. After checking in at a small desk
located just inside we had a seat in the waiting area that is set up
to look like a living room of the 1950’s. We sat on furniture that
might be familiar to those of us that grew up in the “Leave it to
Beaver” and “Father Knows Best” era, and even included a vintage TV
playing reruns from the 1950’s.
The whole dining experience is meant to draw you into a tongue n'
cheek retrospective of an era where families sat down at the kitchen
table and Mom served them some good old fashioned wholesome food.
It was only about a 15 minute wait before the hostess called out
that “Mom” was now seating the Evans kids. We were escorted to our table
which is located in one of the many smaller rooms that make up this
restaurant’s dining room. Each of these rooms follows the theme and
is designed to resemble a kitchen of the 1950’s complete with
children’s artwork displayed on the refrigerator. There were already
several families seated at the 2 or 3 other tables scattered around
“our kitchen” each in various stages of their meal. Our server who
identified herself as “Sis” informed us that she would let “Mom”
know what we wanted to eat, but that we were going to have to set
the table ourselves and we better not let “Mom” see us wearing our
hats in the kitchen during lunch.
With “Sis” gone to retrieve our drink orders we took some time to
review the menu.
If you are not ready for a complete meal and would prefer a sandwich
and salad “Mom” was far sighted enough to pick up some at the
grocery store just for you. There were maybe 10 or so complete meals
found in the Mom's Family Recipes section of the menu and about a
half a dozen sandwiches or salads offered.
Feeling like we needed or wanted a little pampering from “Mom” we
both settled on the Golden Fried Chicken - served with mashed
potatoes, chicken gravy and house vegetables.
As “Sis” served our lunch she was quick to tell us that if we didn’t
take our elbows off the table she would tell “Mom”. With our food
now in front of us I began to enjoy the Fried Chicken Dinner that
had been set down in front of me. I know “Mom” had not prepared my
Fried Chicken, but the kitchen staff and servers had obviously put
some effort, if not TLC in the preparation, because the chicken was
tender and moist and the mashed potatoes were hot and tasty. The
vegetables were surprisingly well prepared and not over done the way
my mom used to make them.
A lot of the fun that the cast members who work at 50’s Prime Time
Café have with their guests will depend on how receptive the guests
are. We have eaten here on several occasions and enjoy the
interaction and will even encourage it by calling our server “Sis”
and asking why “Mom” is taking so long getting our food ready. This
type of dining experience may not be for everyone but for these two
Disney Guests who were about to depart for a world where lunch is
often served without even a smile it was a fitting way to say good
bye to Walt Disney World where even lunch can be fun.
