Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe

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Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe
StarlightCafe4.jpg
The entrance to Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe
Magic Kingdom
Land Tomorrowland
Opening date October 1, 1971 (as Tomorrowland Terrace)
December 9, 1994 (as Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe)
Restaurant Type Counter Service
Menu Type American
Formally Known As Tomorrowland Terrace (1971-1994)
Sponsored by Coca-Cola

Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe is a counter service restaurant located in Tomorrowland.

History

The restaurant that is today known as Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe originally opened with the rest of the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971 as the Tomorrowland Terrace [1].Sponsored by Coca-Cola, the Tomorrowland Terrace was the largest fast-food operation at Walt Disney World when it opened, and it featured a conveyor system capable of cooking 3,000 hamburgers an hour [2]. The focal point of the dining establishment at this time, was a stage that rose from below to reveal live entertainment. From 1976 [3] until the mid 1980s, the Tomorrowland Terrace was home to Michael Iceberg and the Iceberg Machine.

In 1994, the Tomorrowland Terrace was refurbished in order to tie in to the New Tomorrowland backstory. At this time, the restaurant was renamed Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe and given a new theme. Now "the first Earth restaurant franchise from outer space" [4], Cosmic Ray's is also home to alien lounge singer Sonny Eclipse, who performs a 25 minute set in the Starlight Lounge Room [5]. Sonny Eclipse did not replace the restaurant's rising stage, but actually sits on a second stage. If a live act is performing at Cosmic Ray's, Sonny's stage will rise into the ceiling to make way for the second stage [6]. Although the restaurant got new themeing, the menu and design stayed essentially the same.

In 2017, Disney began offering mobile ordering at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe [7]. In January 2017, Disney announced that Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe would be undergoing an extensive exterior expansion [8].

Current Menu

Click below to see Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe's current menu:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/magic-kingdom/cosmic-ray-starlight-cafe/menus/

Fun Facts and Trivia

  • At one time, Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe featured a talking garbage can. When guests threw their waste away, the garbage can would react in a humerus way [9].
  • Shortly after the restaurant was rethemed as Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe, the topping bar featured oddly colored condiments such as blue mayonnaise, purple ketchup and green mustard [10] [11].

References

  1. http://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/2010/10/shakedown-at-magic-kingdom.html
  2. http://kingdomofmemories.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Tomorrowland-Handbook.pdf
  3. http://savehorizons.tripod.com/aspenice.htm
  4. http://themickeywiki.com/index.php?title=Sonny_Eclipse#mediaviewer/File:Sonnyposter.jpg
  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paPZqnTJtow
  6. http://www.endorexpress.net/database/employees/sonny-eclipse/
  7. http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/mymagicplus/news/16aug2017-mobile-order-rollout-complete-with-the-final-restaurants-at-disneys-hollywood-studios.htm
  8. https://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2017/01/cosmic-rays-starlight-cafe-expanding-at.html
  9. http://www.florida-project.com/walt-disney-world-photos/magic-kingdom/tomorrowland/cosmic-rays-starlight-cafe
  10. http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?100887-Colored-condiments-from-Cosmic-Rays
  11. https://www.mouseplanet.com/guide/524/Walt-Disney-World/Magic-Kingdom/Tomorrowland/Cosmic-Rays-Starlight-Cafe