If you’re planning a Walt Disney World vacation this summer, there’s one restaurant change you’ll want to know about before sitting down for your next meal.
Beginning July 1, a new Florida law will change how restaurants, including those at Walt Disney World, Disney Springs, and throughout the state, must communicate automatic gratuities and mandatory service charges to guests.
The update won’t necessarily change how much you pay, but it will change how those charges are presented, making restaurant bills more transparent for both Florida residents and vacationers.
Starting July 1, Florida Senate Bill 606 officially goes into effect.
The law updates Florida statutes to require restaurants to clearly disclose and identify any automatic gratuity, service charge, or other mandatory fee that guests are required to pay in addition to the listed price of food and beverages.
In other words, if a restaurant automatically adds a gratuity or operational charge to your bill, that fee must now be clearly communicated to the customer rather than being buried in the fine print. Government-imposed taxes are not included under the new disclosure requirement.
How This Could Affect Disney World Dining
While many Walt Disney World restaurants already disclose automatic gratuities (particularly for larger parties), this new law establishes a statewide standard for how mandatory fees must be presented.
Whether you’re dining at a table-service restaurant inside one of the Disney parks, enjoying dinner at a Disney Resort hotel, or grabbing a meal at Disney Springs, guests may begin noticing clearer language on menus, receipts, or during the ordering process whenever an automatic charge applies.
The goal isn’t to add new fees — it’s to make existing mandatory charges easier for guests to understand before they pay.
For many visitors, especially those traveling from outside Florida or from other countries, automatic gratuities and service charges can sometimes cause confusion at the end of a meal.
The new law is intended to improve transparency by ensuring guests know exactly what mandatory charges they’re paying and can better distinguish between required fees, optional tips, and taxes.
If you’re budgeting for your Walt Disney World vacation, this change should make it easier to understand your final restaurant bill without any surprises.
While this isn’t expected to significantly impact the cost of dining, it’s another reminder that policies can change throughout the year.
If you’ll be visiting Walt Disney World after July 1, keep an eye on restaurant menus, receipts, and posted notices regarding automatic gratuities and mandatory service charges so you know exactly what to expect before your meal ends.
We’ll continue bringing you the latest Walt Disney World dining news, restaurant updates, vacation planning tips, Disney Springs news, and policy changes. Be sure to check back often so you never miss an important update before your next Disney vacation.
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