One of the highlights of visiting Walt Disney World Resort is the incredible array of dining options available. With nearly 400 locations to choose from, guests can savor a delicious meal tailored to nearly any budget, from snack stands selling pretzels to quick-service eateries offering cheeseburgers, pizza, and more. For those looking to indulge a bit more, table-service restaurants present unique dining experiences, some featuring character visits at each table!
Related: Fan-Favorite Animal Kingdom Restaurant Now Offering Breakfast!
Disney not only caters to a variety of tastes but also accommodates numerous dietary restrictions. There are fantastic dining choices for vegetarians, vegans, and those with allergies, including options for individuals allergic to peanuts. Plus, there’s a wide selection of gluten-free dishes for those with Celiac disease. Disney chefs go above and beyond to ensure that all guests feel welcome and can enjoy a fantastic meal.
When guests consider what to eat while in the parks, they turn to Disney’s menus for the latest information on available dishes and their ingredients. Disney even provides special menu sections highlighting allergy-friendly options.
Related: Controversial Disney World Restaurant Overhauls Menu
Most guests would never suspect that the information on the menus could be inaccurate, nor could they imagine that the allergen information might have been deliberately altered, putting their safety at risk.
However, a recent FBI investigation revealed that this is exactly what a former cast member did.
On October 23, Michael Scheuer was arrested in connection with an FBI investigation into alleged cybercrimes involving the unauthorized manipulation of restaurant menus at Walt Disney World.
The charges against him detail Mr. Scheuer’s hacking into Disney’s menu creation system, which allowed him to alter critical allergy information. This cybersecurity breach has raised significant concerns about the safety of patrons relying on accurate menu descriptions while dining at Disney outlets.
The federal complaint, filed in the Middle District of Florida, accuses Mr. Scheuer of multiple infringements that could have potentially harmed guests, particularly those with severe food allergies. The allegations state that he deliberately changed menu items to falsely state that they did not contain peanuts, even though they did.
This put many innocent guests at risk of having an allergy attack or even going into anaphylaxis.
Related: Popular Disney Restaurant Makes Big Changes After Guest’s Shocking Death
According to a report from The Orlando Sentinel:
In addition to altering allergen information, the complaint said he changed prices, added profanity and replaced fonts in the menu software with one that depicted symbols known as wingdings. He also altered QR codes on menus to direct patrons to a website listing names of Israeli companies and those with significant activities there for boycotting purposes.
The complaint said it’s believed the altered menus were isolated before they could be shipped out to restaurants, but Disney was still working to identify all of them. Scheuer’s alleged actions are estimated to have caused at least $150,000 in damages.
Scheuer also locked about 14 Disney employees — including ones involved in his firing and former coworkers — out of their accounts with denial-of-service attacks, the complaint said. The accounts would lock after too many failed login attempts and he used a script to make automated attempts totaling over 100,000.
Scheuer was terminated from Disney on June 13, 2024, for misconduct. The circumstances surrounding his dismissal remain contentious, with indications that he had been facing internal challenges before his firing.
Scheuer’s attorney, David Haas, has raised claims that his client was impacted by mental health issues, asserting that these challenges influenced his conduct during his employment and subsequent actions. Haas contends that Disney failed to accommodate Scheuer’s needs, thereby creating a toxic environment that culminated in misconduct.
In a statement to USA TODAY, Haas said:
“The criminal allegations acknowledge that no one was injured or harmed by any menu alterations. Mr. Scheuer has a disability that impacted his employment at Disney.”
“[Mr. Scheuer had a] medical event that resulted in him being suspended. Disney then failed to respond to his inquiries about why he was suspended, and his suspension was inexplicably changed to termination,” Haas said.
“Disney refused to provide a response as to why he was fired and made no accommodations for him. He subsequently filed an EEOC complaint. I look forward to vigorously presenting my client’s side of the story.”
Following the discovery of the menu alterations, Disney quickly initiated an internal investigation, which subsequently led to the involvement of the FBI. Disney, while not officially named in the complaint, corroborated the allegations by cooperating with law enforcement to ensure a thorough inquiry. The company expressed its commitment to maintaining high safety standards alongside its dining services.
Michael Scheuer is currently awaiting a bond hearing set for November 5, 2024.
Do you think Mr. Scheuer should go to jail for what he did? What can Disney do to prevent this from happening again? Let us know in the comments!
