The cherry pickers parked in the Morocco Pavilion at EPCOT have been moved to the back of the site, revealing the standing menu sign for Tangierine Café: Flavors of the Medina.
Morocco Pavilion Refurbishment
The boom lift boxes that were utilized for the cherry pickers are still present, though they’re both covered in green scrim and surrounded by small potted plants.
The relocation of the rolling planters and cherry picker only further implies that the refurbishment of the Morocco Pavilion is nearing or fully complete.
This green scrim box is also still present on one of the planters outside the restaurant, presumably while guest-related damage is still being repaired. The box has covered this part of the planter since late May.
The front of Tangierine Cafe is now no longer blocked from guest view, as the rolling planters have been removed.
The sign for the restaurant is also visible once again.
Heading toward the back of the pavilion near the Nejjarine fountain replica, rolling planters are still present. However, there’s still no real sign of construction back here.
The cherry picker has been parked behind them.
You can catch a small glimpse of it through the planters.
The original Nejjarine Fountain is located in Fez, a city in Morocco, as part of the Funduq al-Najjarin, a traditional rest house built in the 18th century as part of the city’s Medina old town. Having been in constant use since its construction, it’s designated as a landmark in Morocco. The Funduq al-Najjarin has since been transformed into the Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts & Crafts, welcoming visitors to Fez and introducing the history of traditional carpentry in Morocco.
This is what the fountain normally looks like.
This box is also still present, though its use is unclear. It is possible that it could also be related to the operation of the cherry picker.
Morocco Pavilion Takeover
Back in 2020, Disney took over ownership of the Morocco Pavilion following a legal dispute with the pavilion’s operators, who ran the food and merchandise outlets including Restaurant Marrakesh.
In April 2020, Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant, LLC. filed for a PPP loan of $1-2 million in order to retain 260 jobs through the funds acquired. In September of that year, Walt Disney World filed a UCC Financing Statement, or a type of lien with the state, claiming collateral against “All goods, inventory, the Furnishings, and all other items of personal property belonging to Debtor which are or may be put into the Facilities and all proceeds of the foregoing.” With Walt Disney World poised to take over the pavilion in case of a default or bankruptcy, things seemed to be going downhill internally.
Finally, the company took operation of the pavilion entirely, which until then was one of the few independently operated World Showcase pavilions. The Moroccan Embassy and Morocco Tourism Board have continued their involvement with the pavilion as cultural consultants.
Restaurant Marrakesh has been closed ever since, likely related to both the COVID-19 pandemic and Disney’s takeover. We last saw inside the restaurant when it was used as a seating area in the summer of 2021. Disney filed a permit for construction work at the restaurant in January 2022.
Are you excited to see the refurbishment of the Morocco Pavilion finally come to an end? Have you noticed any changes happening in the pavilion? Let us know in the comments.
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