During the early development of EPCOT Center, one of the major attractions of creating a Germany pavilion, was that it presented Imagineers with the opportunity to create an Oktoberfest dining experience [1]. Sure enough, when the pavilion opened with the rest of EPCOT Center on October 1, 1982, Germany featured Biergarten, a table service restaurant set in perpetual Oktoberfest [2]. The restaurant was designed by Imagineers to give guests the feeling that they were in a 16th century town in Rothenburg. The building's interior is themed to look as if guests are dining outside, as an Oktoberfest celebration roars around them. Richard Beard's book Walt Disney's Epcot Center' describes Biergarten as:
Since Biergarten opened, the restaurant has not seen any major changes, although its entertainment has changed over the years.