At the 2019 D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, Disney made some big announcements at the Parks and Resorts Panel including a major transformation of EPCOT. During the presentation, a new restaurant was announced for World Discovery – one of the four new neigbborhoods at the reimagined EPCOT.

The new restaurant, Space 220, will be an expansion of the Mission: SPACE pavilion and also compliment the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind coaster. Operated by the Patina Restaurant Group, Space 220 will be unlike any restaurant at Walt Disney World.

According to Disney, when guests enter the restaurant, they will board a special space elevator that will “take” guests 220 miles above the earth’s surface and offer incredible celestial views. Diners will have a sweeping view of a space station, including daytime and nighttime views of Earth from 220 miles up. Guests will feel as if they are “traveling straight up into space to dock next to the Centauri Space Station suspended just beyond the orbit of Mission: SPACE.” As guests are guided to their table they will pass a grow zone, a spinning wall of produce that mimics Earth’s gravity and represents some of the fresh ingredients used by the restaurant’s culinary team.

Disney had originally planned to open Space 220 by the end of 2019, however as construction fell behind Disney announced that the restaurant would then open by winter. Then the newly hired executive chef resigned and in February 2020 Disney pushed the date back once again due to damage to a custom-made pane of glass that needed to be replaced. The new – rumored – date was April 2020. Then in March the coronavirus pandemic shut the world down – including the Walt Disney World Resort.

As EPCOT reopened in July, construction resumed at the restaurant. It is believed that Space 220 is near completion. This past Wednesday, WDWNT.com reported that additional signage was added near the Mission: SPACE queue. This is believed to be the entrance where guests will initially enter before boarding the space elevator.

It is believed the restaurant is still months away from opening due to staffing. A look at the Delaware North/Patina Group website currently does not show any open positions for Space 220. Additionally, with a new wave of COVID-19 cases spiking throughout the United States, travel still depressed, and more shutdowns eminent; hiring and training staff and reduced guest capacity could extend the restaurant’s opening date.

It has been reported by multiple blogs that March 2021 is the expected new opening date for Space 220. Another positive sign came this past week when Disney Parks released a video covering all the upcoming projects and Space 220 was included in the montage.

Feature Image: WDWNT.com