POP Century Food Court crowds

[momof3+twins]

Okay, everywhere that I look, I see that POP has a busy food court. I know that Movies food court is busy at peak times. Is it similar to that? Or is it worse?

Does anyone have tips on the better times to eat there? And times to avoid? I want to eat there for breakfast lunch and dinner ( not every day but we will eat every meal there at some point). So the best times to eat these meals would be appreciated. We tend to be early eaters as opposed to late eaters if that helps.
Thanks

[Pirate Granny]

OK...I've stayed at Pop around five times...and yes in the morning the food court can be crowded...but more so for a table, so you have to watch...I've never stood in long lines to get the food...key is one gets the table and the rest get their food...When we had late breakfasts (around 10am) the place was EMPTY...and also around 2-4 it's EMPTY...never been there between 4 and 10pm so other will have to let you know that...we've also gotten our breakfast and then found a table outside by the pool and enjoyed the warm weather while we eat.
Have a super great time.

[EpcotNut]

I agree - peak times are a bear. If you can get there early (especially in the morning) - Im talking 7 am if possible, you'll have the place to yourself. Enjoy!!

[Brainiak5]

earlier the better has been my experience- if you can have someone grab a table the food service moves fairly quickly. we've tended to have lunch & dinner outside or at one of the parks so i can't really speak to that experience. have fun

[iluvdizney2]

Breakfast at 8:15 was a little busy but the tables outside were empty. We managed to get one inside after looking for a minute, but outside was free....
Lunch at 12:15 was empty. There was NO ONE in the food court. I thought it was closed! LOL but we got food and sat down.
We tried to eat Dinner at 7:30 but it seemed that everyone was trying the same. Lots of little kids who were tired from long days and lots of bigger groups. We found if we waited until 8:30 it was quieter but still somewhat busy.
This time we decided we will not do dinner at POP unless we eat earlier than 5:30, as we were told by the CMs there after that time it is a zoo....I believe it.
We were very patient and it was really not a problem at all. I figured it was easier and kinder to the families with little ones to let them eat and go to sleep....we could wait.

[Young@Heart]

We've only eaten during the 2-4 period, but it was close to empty then.
When refilling our mugs during other times of the day, it was certainly busy, but not unbearable. I thought POFQ was just as busy.

[momof3+twins]

Sounds similar to Movies. I can handle that. We always eat an early breakfast, and dinner so we never had a problem. But, I have seen it busy late in the evening while getting drinks. So, it sounds okay! Thanks

[PirateLover]

Maybe we've just been lucky but we've always found a seat no matter what time. We've been there in May and December. The key is you have to look. There are obvious areas that people head right for, like by the windows. However the seating area is rather large, there are many large booths that give it a sort of nook and cranny feel. So just look around some corners and you should find a seat!

[Crow]

i dont eat in the food court just grab a danish & fill the mug & go back to the room or whatever. It is busy in AM. nightime Im not there right at dinner time but a little later & can be slightly busy esp when a few stations have closed but not as bad as morning.

[NJDad]

Get whoever has made their food choice first in your group to get in the line to pay is usually a good tip. Those lines get pretty long, and there seemed to be register issues every AM on our last trip.

[Just Tom]

I just got back from POP during a relatively busy week and it really isn't that bad. Never had problems with tables and there were 8 of us.

[SurferStitch]

DH and I had breakfast there on two separate trips (May and December), and never had a hard time getting food or a table around 8:00 am. Food lines weren't that long, and it only took 5-10 minutes to get our food and pay. A couple times we had to look for a minute or two for a table, but never had a problem getting one. I LOVE their breakfast pizza!

We didn't do lunch or dinner, so I can't comment there.

Have done a few later snack type meals around 8:00 - 10:00 pm, and it was dead. The ceasar salad was delicious, as was the lo mein!

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

We were there in September & it was horrible for breakfast pretty much any time we tried. You had to be a table vulture to find a spot to sit & eat & pray that your food was still hot when you were lucky enough to find a table. - Didn't have this problem at all in ASMu.

[CaptainJessicaSparrow]

From working there, I can tell you a lot of the rush depends on the park closings, so pay careful attention to the hours. If any particular park closes, expect it to get a rush about 30-45 minutes after. Usually, the night time rushes get so packed because during off seasons, all the parks close within an hour or so of each other. I'll neevr forget the chaos of the night when DHS, MK, and AK all closed at 10 and Epcot at 9.

[TheMartellFamily]

Lunch is never that busy. We only get our mugs refilled in the morning so we have not eaten breakfast there. When we do this is does seem really busy. There always seems to be open tables for everyone though what I have seen. Supper all depends what time the parks close. Some days are busy than others and it seems to depend on the weather too. I remember one time it was raining and the food court was filled and it was around 5 or 6 o'clock at night. If we do eat here we it usually lunch and I can tell you this is the least crowded at this meal.

[tarzan_rocks]

It was the strangest thing. We went for breakfast on the day we checked out of Pop Century when we last visited back in September. We don’t ordinarily eat breakfast in the food court. We usually eat in the room or in the car on the way to the park. My plan was to wait until after 9:00 to eat because all of the parks are open by then and certainly people wouldn’t waste time loitering around a food court when there are parks to do.

Boy was I wrong. When we got to the food court at 9:00, it was busy. Lines of 15-20 people in each of the sections. Cashier lines were 3-5 people each and they were all open. I couldn’t believe how crowded it was. Luckily, I immediately spotted a table being vacated by another family. The kids and I grabbed it, cleared it off and wiped it down a time or two with disinfectant wipes while my wife went to get the food.

During the thirty minutes while my wife was getting food the crowd practically doubled. All the lines exceeded their queue areas and ran together in the middle section. I don’t know how they knew who was in which line. There were people standing around waiting for tables to clear out. We even had people ask if they could sit at our table with us. It was a mess. It started to subside at 10:00 and by 10:30 it was fairly mild.

I don’t know how usual that experience was. It was during the free dining promotion last September. In fact, that’s why we were there. We had counter service credits to use up before we left.

tr

[Von-Drake]

We are all just breakfast snackers really. But the afternoon / evening crowd can get pretty busy. It seemed the hold up was every register had 2 CM's, or 1 CM and 1 CM in training. It was really backing things up, several times the trainers had to step in and take over. This went on for 2 days in the afternoons.

[joonyer]

Like most all the food courts, it will be most crowded at peak times. Go a little early or a little later for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or better yet go during a complete off time and avoid the crowds altogether.

[Rosemickey68]

Just got back from Pop a few weeks ago. We went to eat at "Everything Pop" every day for breakfast at various times 8am to 10:30am, ate lunch once around 1pm, and got a pizza around 9pm or 10pm....it was busy everytime we went...however, the lines getting your food and the checkout lines are quick. It never took long to get the food and pay. I agree with a previous post....the problem is often getting a table when it is really busy..... Have someone from your party find a seat while someone else gets the food. Of course if a table is not avail right away...one usually opens up quickly so be on the lookout. We looked at it this way...all counter service places at WDW are busy but always move quickly and efficiently.
Happy Dining!!!

[Mickey91]

Pretty much all the foodcourts are busy during the standard eating times. We have had no more trouble at the POP than at the All Stars or Mods. Even the Deluxe Resorts are crowded during peek times. So just go and enjoy and remember that the crowds come with the territory and make the most of it.