Levy to Take Over Dining Options at Walt Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex This Summer

Levy currently operates two dining locations at Disney Springs at Walt Disney World, among hundreds of other sports and entertainment venues.
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Announced back in April but set to take effect this summer, Levy will become the new food and beverage operator at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

What’s Happening:

  • Originally Announced back in April, Levy will become the new food and beverage operator at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort beginning this summer, kicking off with refreshed menus crafted by Levy chefs across the 220-acre complex.
  • Levy will also be bringing a new dining concept and freshly-prepared grab-and-go offerings to the flagship ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill later in the year.

  • ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is the premier destination for youth and amateur sports competitions, from the Youth Flag Football World Championships and Cheerleading Worlds to Disney Soccer events and college basketball tournaments, among many others, including major sports events like the Special Olympics USA Games, the NFL Pro Bowl Week activities, the Invictus Games and the Department of Defense Warrior Games.
  • Levy, a leading hospitality brand in sports and entertainment, serves guests at over 300 venues, including major stadiums, arenas, ballparks, college sports venues, and music and live entertainment venues. Fans know Levy from events like Kentucky Derby, Super Bowls, All-Star Games, the US Open Tennis Championships, and the College World Series, as well as music festivals like Coachella and Stagecoach.
  • Levy also runs award-winning restaurants, including two located in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort – Paddlefish and Terralina Crafted Italian.

What They’re Saying:

  • Andy Lansing, CEO of Levy: “ESPN Wide World of Sports is an iconic venue, one that so many have grown up either visiting or having seen on TV. We’re excited to play a role in the next chapter of this special place as we build on our longstanding relationship with Disney Experiences to create a winning experience for all guests – competitors, coaches and spectators."

Wide World of Food:

  • Walt Disney World fans of a certain age may remember the early days of the Wide World of Sports Complex, when most marketing materials, including the popular VHS vacation planning videos, highly marketed the official All-Star Cafe at the complex.
  • The Official All Star Cafe was a chain of sports themed restaurants developed by Planet Hollywood, who recruited Wayne Gretzky, Joe Montana, Shaquille O'Neal, Ken Griffey Jr., Andre Agassi, and Monica Seles to invest in the concept.
  • The restaurants featured "stadium cuisine" and sales of professional sports merchandise and souvenirs.
  • The official All-Star Cafe was one of three things heavily marketed to get people to the complex, long before the ESPN branding kicked in.
  • Fans may also recall all the marketing heavily pushing the complex as the spring training home of the Atlanta Braves, a contract that lasted 20 years after the original development, as well as the home of the Harlem Globetrotters early on in the complex’s life, playing in the 5,000 seat Field House.

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Tony Betti
Originally from California where he studied a dying artform (hand-drawn animation), Tony has spent most of his adult life in the theme parks of Orlando. When he’s not writing for LP, he’s usually watching and studying something animated or arguing about “the good ole’ days” at the parks.
View all articles by Tony Betti