Credit: Disney Parks BlogOvernight, Walt Disney World Resort made an unexpected change to the Morocco World Showcase Pavilion at EPCOT. The update comes five years after a major closure impacted the Disney Park area.
On Thursday, September 9, WDWNT reported that the Restaurant Marrakesh sign had been removed from a walkway near the former restaurant entrance in the Morocco World Showcase Pavilion at EPCOT. The hanging golden circular sign remains in place, with visible holes and sun-fading from the shiny “Restaurant Marrakesh” letters that used to be attached to it. The red restaurant logo has also been removed.
It might not seem surprising that Walt Disney World Resort would remove a sign for a closed restaurant. But the question is: why now? Restaurant Marrakesh has been closed for over five years; it never reopened after Walt Disney World Resort shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020.
Like many EPCOT World Showcase dining locations, Restaurant Marrakesh was not operated by Walt Disney World Resort. The restaurant was operated by Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant, LLC, a third-party company that filed for a PPP loan in June 2020. Disney took over operations in October 2020 after filing a legal complaint against Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant, LLC.
Even though Disney regained control over the Morocco World Showcase Pavilion dining location, Restaurant Marrakesh never reopened at EPCOT. Walt Disney World Resort’s website still lists the restaurant as “temporarily unavailable.” However, Disney removed the menu stand from outside the shuttered Table Service dining location in 2021.
The Restaurant Marrakesh space has been used for temporary offerings, including an Annual Passholder lounge, a Florida Blue lounge, and an indoor, air-conditioned seating area for tired EPCOT guests. The space is currently not accessible to Disney Park guests.
Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t made any public statements about ongoing changes to the Morocco World Showcase Pavilion at EPCOT. Follow Inside the Magic for updates on this and other projects around Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park!
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