The Fireworks Factory

Today is Good Friday, when we remember the crucifixion.  But remember-  Sunday is coming!

In the days following the revelation that we would be able attend a show at The Comedy Warehouse (see The Magic Touch), I planned a group meal at a Pleasure Island establishment call The Fireworks Factory.  We would use one of our fabulous meal coupons that included non-alcoholic beverage, appetizer, entree, dessert, tax and tip, and all of us would dine together.  At the conclusion of our meal a Disney customer service rep would meet us at the entrance to the "night club" section of P.I. and escort us to comedy club.  It was going to be a great night.

The Fireworks Factory had become a favorite place for Marilyn, my parents and I, and I was excited to have the group eat there ( I was especially interested in seeing how the guys responded to the one-way window in the men's restroom.  While you stood at the urinal, you could watch people eat.  It was very odd...).  We arrived and were greeted and seated in a special area upstairs.  Our waiters and waitresses arrived quickly, and I told them we would all be using the meal coupons.  They took one to the manager and got their instructions and came back to take our drink orders.  One of the students asked (almost jokingly) if virgin frozen drinks (about $7 each) were included.  To my shock and surprise, they said yes.  So almost everyone got one...or three!  If the drinks had been alcoholic, I would have had to carry a lot of students out of there.  Next it was time to order appetizers, and our servers insisted that everyone get one.  Why not, they said, since it is included.  So everyone got their own appetizer.  That, by itself, was probably enough food to feed most of the group.  Then everyone got an entree (I am certain I had the catfish; it was my favorite dish there) of their own.  By the time we finished that part of the meal (and several more large frozen drinks!) most of us were stuffed.  But the servers were emphatic that everyone get a dessert- sharing would not be allowed!  It began to dawn on me what was going on.  These very bright waiters and waitresses had deduced that their tip was going to be 15% of the total of whatever the total cost of our meal was- and so the more they brought us, the more they made.  It was pure genius.  So everyone got dessert, even though many could not eat theirs.  Ben Moran, however, ate his and they began to gather the extra desserts and eat them as well.  I thought he was going to explode (and he did!).  I ate more than one myself.  We had an amazing night, and even though dinner took a lot longer than expected, we left ready for a great time at The Comedy Warehouse- and that is tomorrow's story.

But it is not the end of this story.  Several weeks after the trip our Walt Disney Travel Company (not associated with WDW) rep called me and inquired about a few things before asking me the following question:  "Is is possible your group drank over $500 of frozen virgin drinks at The Fireworks Factory?"  When I responded "yes," he sighed and mentioned that they should not have done that and that it was not our fault.  That now meant that the company had spent over $1600 to give us tickets to the Luau on the first night to fix their mistake, and had spent well over $500 more than expected on The Fireworks Factory meal.  Within a few months, the company no longer existed.  I have always claimed that working with Springfield Friends Meeting had finished off the Walt Disney Travel Company.  If that's true, we did it in style- it was one of the great meals of our lives.  The Fireworks Factory is also gone and I miss it.  But I will forever hold in my heart the memories of our one great night there.  I would love to hear yours.  Have a blessed Easter weekend!

Because of Jesus,