Handwich

TheHandwichwas acone-shapedsandwichwith afilling, invented byThe Walt Disney Companyand served at theTomorrowland,Epcot, andAdventurelandtheme parkatWalt Disney Worldfrom the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. Marketed as a futuristic advancement of the sandwich and thewrap, the Handwich was specifically designed to be held and eaten with one hand. Though poorly received at the time and occasionally deemed anunnecessary reinventionin retrospectives, the Handwich has since been considerednostalgic, and products similar to it have continued to be sold at Walt Disney World andDisneylandover the years, though the "Handwich" branding has rarely been used since its initial discontinuation.
A Handwich consists of a soft, hollow, hand-sized bread cone with a filling, in a manner similar to anice cream coneor abread bowl. The fillings varied and were said to have changed over the years, though four basic fillings are often cited:ham and cheese,pulledbarbecue chicken,roast beefandcheddarmelt, andtuna salad.Turkey, spicytacoground beef,chicken salad, and a vegetable filling withItalian dressingwere also offered. Uncommon varieties—possiblyseasonal itemsor tests—includedseafood salad,vegetarianversions, and a sweetambrosia saladfilling.
The Handwich was designed to be simpler to hold and eat than a regular sandwich, only requiring the use of one hand instead of two; its conical shape also ensured the filling would not fall out. Though it was presented as a mere convenience, this design was also suggested to have encouraged customers to move around Walt Disney World instead of stopping to eat, promoting furtherconsumption.
The Handwich was invented in the late 1980s. Then-CEOMichael Eisneris often credited with the Handwich's invention, as part of his corporate reorganization andDisney Parksexpansions.Eisner promptedWalt Disney Imagineeringto create concepts for "fun food", based on his culinary experiences at the1964 New York World's Fair; the Handwich, then called the "Castle Cone" and featuringmoo shushrimpand mixedberryfillings, was selected from the resulting concepts, though it was renamed to the "Handwich" and had its initial concept fillings replaced with simpler ones that were more consumer- and operations-friendly.
The Handwich was first sold in either 1986or 1988.Advertising materials described it as "the sandwich of the future", "revolutionary", and "Disneylicious", and presented it as a futuristic advancement of the sandwich and the wrap.To fit its futuristic marketing, the Handwich was only sold in future-themed sections of Walt Disney World, namely theWEDwaySpace Bar inTomorrowland, the Farmer's Marketfood courtinThe LandpavilionofEpcot, and (occasionally) at various restaurants inAdventureland.A uniqueCobb saladversion was made available atDisney-MGM Studiosafter it opened in 1989.The Handwich was eventually discontinued at an unspecified date in the mid-1990s.
Since the Handwich's discontinuation, several similar conical sandwiches have been introduced at other Disney-operated restaurants at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
Its first reintroduction was in 2012, when the Crazy Cone Motel restaurant inCars LandatDisney California Adventureintroduced a "conewich", sold at the restaurant's Chili "Cone" Queso stand.The conewich originally had one filling ofchili con carnewithshredded cheeseandcorn chips. Two other fillings—one with chicken andsalsa verde, and a breakfast filling withscrambled eggsandbacon—were also known to have been available.By 2022, amacaroni and cheesewithbaconfilling had replaced the chicken and breakfast fillings.
The following year, in 2013, Marketplace Snacks inDowntown Disney Orlandointroduced cone sandwiches on their menu. There were two fillings: chili, cheese, and corn chips (the same conewich from the Crazy Cone Motel), and turkeymeatballwithmarinara sauceandprovolone.By 2016, however, the cone sandwiches were removed from Marketplace Snacks's menu.
The same year, cone sandwiches were also offered at Min and Bill's Dockside Diner in Disney's Hollywood Studios. It had three fillings:sausagewith marinara sauce andmozzarella;Cajunshrimp salad; and chicken, bacon, andavocadosalad.However, they were not well-received and were removed from the menu shortly after.
In 2014, cone sandwiches were made available at theHollywood Hills AmphitheaterinDisney's Hollywood Studios. Fillings included macaroni and cheese with bacon, and chili with cheese andjalapeñoslices.
In 2017, to commemorate the 35th anniversary of Epcot's opening, theEpcot International Food & Wine Festivalprepared several food items from Walt Disney World's past, including the Handwich, marking the first time it was sold with the "Handwich" name since its initial discontinuation. The festival's Handwich, sold at the Craft Beers stand, had a unique filling ofcheeseburgerand macaroni and cheese.
In 2022, Handwiches were served at RetroMagic, a Walt Disney World history convention organized by Disney Parks history organization RetroWDW.
The Handwich was poorly received in the years it was available, and its attempt at succeeding traditional sandwiches did not catch on with parkgoers or the public. It was noted that restaurants serving Handwiches sold far more of their other dishes instead.In 1990, theOrlando Sentinelstated: "[I]t's well-intentioned and the name is clever. The last we checked, however, the Handwich had not exactly gripped the imagination of a hungry America, let alone Orlando. Let alone anyone but Michael Eisner."
Disney fansiteParkeology, in a 2010 retrospective, remarked that the conical design meant "[t]he first several bites would yield nothing but filling, and the last few were nothing but bread". They also noted the Handwich was commonly served with a fork—thus requiring both hands to eat—"rendering the whole point moot".However, not all reception was negative; in the same article,Parkeologycommented on its charm as "something fun and new", and stated the Handwich was fondly remembered by those who had one when it was available.
The Handwich was the subject of theDefunctlandminisode "The Handwich: Disney's Failed Sandwich of the Future", uploaded on YouTube on June 17, 2021. The minisode also includes a modern reproduction of the Handwich.
Also in 2021, the Handwich—specifically a modified "Handwich 3.0"—was one of the recipes included inDelicious Disney, acookbookcontaining recipes for dishes sold at Walt Disney World. The book also includes a section dedicated to the Handwich's history.