Almost exactly one year ago, there was a massacre in the Magic Kingdom. It was the Sleepy Hollow Scandal of Summer ’24, and I remember it like it was yesterday. Some brainiac at Walt Disney World majorly messed up the one (and only!) Magic Kingdom counter service menu that didn’t need any changes.
Out went the waffle sandwiches, in came Mickey Mouse shaped waffles. But that wasn’t all. The Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich came with bananas, berries, and chocolate-hazelnut spread, whereas it was replaced by two separate Mickey Mouse waffles: one with the berries, and one with the don’t-call-it-Nutella and bananas. It was either-or, not both. And that was a real problem, because what’s the point of even eating fruit if it’s not slathered in spread?!
There was a lot of conjecture and speculation that the proprietor of Sleepy Hollow (Ichabod Crane, I guess?) and whether they were actually employing the infamous Disney Vault strategy. As it turns out, the answer to that question is yes. Despite fierce and immediate fan pushback, the bad waffles were allowed to exist for a full year–from June 2024 until June 2025. And then suddenly, just as the controversy has been all but forgotten (but never forgiven), the old waffles are back. Or so it seems.
What happened last summer was an unfortunate incident. Calling it a scandal isn’t an understatement, as the above-referenced post garnered 70 comments (few, if any, that were positive), plus a flurry of activity on social media. The backlash was so immediate, unanimous and fierce that I thought surely Walt Disney World would recognize what a terrible decision it was and undo the damage.
After all, it wasn’t that long ago that the ‘Ohana Noodlegate Scandal of Fall ’21 had roiled the Seven Seas Lagoon area. That bad decision was very quickly walked back, before the first guests were even subjected to a noodleless ‘Ohana. It was a big win for fans, and showcased Walt Disney World’s responsiveness and willingness to correct ill-advised decisions, at least occassionally.
Our hope was that the Sleepy Hollow Scandal of Summer ’24 would be a similar story. That it wasn’t a matter of cost-cutting or anything with nefarious motivations, but rather, poor judgment. (“Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity.”) Not a devious decision by an accountant, but an uninformed or inexperienced culinary team member who thought they were adding a bit of character to the menu by replacing the “generic” waffles with giant Mickey Mouse ones. After all, who doesn’t love Mickey Mouse waffles?!
Our hope was further reinforced when Walt Disney World overhauled the menu at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe, which was a huge win. That transformed one of the worst and most unambitious menus at Walt Disney World into one of the best–like Chipotle, but with less customization. The old menu there was so bad and such a fall from grace that it prompted us to pen “The Death of Pecos Bill.”
Given that, perhaps the Walt Disney World culinary team was simply going around Magic Kingdom, trying to find ways to fix the worst food park, and simply made a colossal–but correctable–misstep. One that would be fixed in short order. That did not happen. Instead, they reinforced the notion that there was a natural order to Magic Kingdom’s restaurant mediocrity, and for each positive change there had to be an equal and opposite negative one.
The interesting thing was that the culinary team did make incremental improvements to the bad Mickey Mouse waffles. They eventually combined the inexplicably separate berry and Nutella options, resulting in this half-measure:
Unfortunately, the real solution to this was simply hitting the “undo” button and going back to the old handheld waffle menu at Sleepy Hollow. Don’t fix what isn’t broken and all that. If Walt Disney World were really listening to guest feedback, that’s what they would’ve done, because next to no one was happy with that change.
This Mickey Waffle with Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread, Bananas, Berries, and Whipped Cream was fine. Definitely not awful or even bad. If I never had the old waffle sandwich and this Mickey Mouse Waffle were simply added to the menu at a funnel cake stand, I’d actually be excited about it.
The combination of fruit and Nutella is delicious, as-always, and adding a Mickey Waffle to the mix makes it next level. And maybe this was what Walt Disney World is counting on–first timers trying and loving this more photogenic snack. (Is it more photogenic, though?!)
However, it simply was not up to the standards of the old waffle sandwiches, which were the very rare 10/10 snack/entrees at Magic Kingdom. It wasn’t just the Mickey Mouse presentation. Something else about the waffle changed.
The sandwiches were far more durable, and had a chewy quality (in a good way–it reminded me of ube minus the flavor) perfectly befitting of a handheld snack. The Mickey Mouse Waffles have no springiness–they also got soggy and collapse quickly. It wasn’t awful–and “not awful” is basically a win by Magic Kingdom food standards–but it wasn’t a winner like the waffle sandwiches.
Well, my friends, it appears that good has finally triumphed over evil (doesn’t feel quite right to refer to Mickey Mouse as “evil” but just roll with it) and the old waffle sandwiches have seemingly returned. Here’s a look at Mobile Order for Sleepy Hollow as of June 12, 2025:
Before we prematurely hang the ‘Mission Accomplished’ banner, I want to be careful to underscore the above, which is that the Mickey Mouse shape was not the only issue with the previous waffles.
Those were also not sandwich-grade waffles, so if the ingredients of the batter or preparation techniques haven’t changed and only the shape has, we’re right back where we were last week. I’d also point out that Mobile Order is not describing or depicting these as “sandwiches.”
However, I’ve received one reader report and heard a couple of others on social media that these are, in fact, the old “good version” of the Sleepy Hollow waffle sandwiches. It will require lengthy taste-testing of my own to corroborate, but for now, I’m feeling pretty good about this.
One thing I would point out to whoever is listening, is that the Sweet-and-Spicy Maple Chicken Waffle should be served with Broccoli Slaw. That texture is a big part of what “made” that waffle sandwich, enhancing the flavor profile and mouthfeel while also (I can only assume) making it a health food thanks to have “broccoli” in the name.
Or they can dig back even deeper into the archive and bring back the original recipe with arugula! The real OG version of this sandwich from ~2012 is pictured above. It changed in a lot of small and subtle ways over the years, but was still fantastic until last summer’s scandal struck Sleepy Hollow.
While we’re making random requests, I’d also love to see Walt Disney World bring back the Ham & Cheese Omelet Breakfast Sandwich as well as the Ham, Swiss, and Prosciutto Waffle Sandwich (I loved that herbed mayo).
Those were both fairly short-lived and have now been gone for years, but with the resurgent popularity that Sleepy Hollow has seen, I’d imagine both would be big winners. Perhaps that’s part of the problem, though–that Sleepy Hollow is relatively low capacity and the more complex menu creates issues with that.
Until we’re able to taste-test the new (old?) waffles, I’ll point out that Sleepy Hollow serves a Foot-Long Corn Dog, which is unlike other corn dogs at Walt Disney World in terms of its (higher) quality.
This is freshly-battered and was the best corn dog I’ve had at Magic Kingdom. We’re talking quality approaching Little Red Wagon at Disneyland here. It’s still not as good as the OG waffle sandwiches, but it’s definitely superior to the Mickey Mouse incarnation.
I would even argue that this corn dog is better, cheaper, and bigger than the options served over at the “viral” Blue Ribbon Corn Dog. Those last two points aren’t even up for debate. It is cheaper and it is bigger. Only question is whether it’s better–and I say it is. And in any case, if you’re in Magic Kingdom craving a corn dog, an option all the way over at BoardWalk isn’t going to do you much good.
Ultimately, while execution and overall quality remains to be seen, this sounds like a waffle win for Sleepy Hollow Inn. I’m really excited to revisit my old haunt and try out these snacks. Hopefully, they’re as good as what we lost back during the Sleepy Hollow Scandalous Summer of ’24.
Can you imagine if Magic Kingdom gets both a great nighttime parade with Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away and spectacular waffle sandwiches all in the same summer? It’ll be like the halcyon days of the 2010s all over again! Are Walt Disney World fans even mentally and physically prepared for that?!
Personally, I cannot wait to grab both of these little beauties and stake out a spot nearby along the parade route. Nothing quite like a waffle sandwich in each hand on a crisp summer evening with a view of Cinderella Castle and the warm glow of a brilliant night parade approaching as the music swells. Here’s hoping that’s exactly what we’re getting, because if it is, we are so back.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about the menu updates at Sleepy Hollow in Magic Kingdom? Are you excited for these changes and additions? Thoughts on any of the new or modified dishes discussed here? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
