Inflation has cooled after an extended period of running hot, reaching a four-decade high. Food prices are up even more, increasing by 28% in the last 5 years. Walt Disney World prices are higher still, far outpacing inflation thanks to higher prices on tickets, hotels, along with add-ons like Lightning Lanes.
You probably don’t need further explanation for any of this. If you’ve spent any time at a grocery store or pricing out a Walt Disney World vacation in the last few years, this is all very obvious. Everything is more expensive, everywhere you go. Despite this, there are a couple of surprises when it comes to food and Walt Disney World.
The first is that menu price increases at Walt Disney World in the last 5 years are below inflation. As we’ve mentioned previously, it’s to the point that Disney counter service restaurants don’t strike us as any worse than real world fast casual locales. It’s a somewhat similar story for table service restaurants, and our strong suspicion is that Disney already pushed prices as far as possible pre-closure. The second surprise is that one specific great dining deal at Walt Disney World we first found over 5 years ago still exists in 2025…
Disney Springs has emerged as the culinary epicenter of Walt Disney World. Restaurants like Boathouse, Homecomin’, Morimoto Asia, and a variety of other table service restaurants by celebrity chefs have impressed, and offered a better value proposition than in-park alternatives. This is largely because Disney Springs caters largely to locals, so its restaurants need to be competitive with real world options in Central Florida.
Despite this, one challenge has been finding an affordable and delicious lunch. The top-tier counter service restaurants at Disney Springs are not cheap, leaving something of a “value void” that’s really only filled by Blaze Pizza, Earl of Sandwich, and a variety of food trucks.
Nothing against any of those, but they’re not exactly exciting. The good news is that the embarrassment of dining riches at Disney Springs has driven competition, especially among table service restaurants before dinner. This has led to some great lunch and happy hour specials, and the champion here might surprise you.
It’s STK Orlando.
That’s right–the same restaurant that has a steak menu with prices ranging from $50 to $160. The first time I saw the sign outside advertising this burger, I did a double-take, as all of the sides at STK are more expensive than this delectable lunch!
Regular readers of the blog might be surprised to learn that STK has become our go-to lunch spot at Disney Springs, especially after some blistering criticism of this restaurant bringing a Las Vegas vibe to Walt Disney World and (initially) refusing to read the room and adapt for a radically different demographic in Central Florida.
Despite those early missteps, STK has emerged as one of the top dining options at Disney Springs.
While other Walt Disney World restaurants make a good first impressions and gradually erode once their positive reputation is baked-in, STK seems to be taking the opposite path. It is now fighting an uphill battle, and doing so with an assortment of promos and deals.
The best of these, and what has become our go-to lunch at Disney Springs, is the Wagyu Burger at STK. (Previously the Linz Angus Burger.)
The Wagyu Burger at STK is available as part of the Weekday Lunch menu, available from 11 am to 3 pm.
Although not as prominent, the burger is actually also on the weekend brunch menu (Wagyu Burger BKFT: 7oz beef patty – american cheese – bacon – fried egg – lettuce – tomato – onion – special sauce – fries), which is likewise offered from 11 am to 3 pm. That burger is an even better deal, as it includes the bacon and fried egg, which are upcharges during the lunch special.
The STK Wagyu Burger & Fries is $9.99 during these timeframes.
January 12, 2025 Update: While recently walking through Disney Springs, I was blown away to see that this deal was still available. Or rather, available again. We first spotted this deal back in 2018, before food costs rose by 28% or Walt Disney World vacation prices shot up%.
Against all odds, the STK burger deal is still around 5+ years later. Admittedly, we don’t spend as much time at Disney Springs as we used to when we were locals–and STK was part of our regular restaurant rotation–but I just assumed inflation or everything else had killed this deal.
Nope. Instead, the deal has gotten better over the last couple of years. At some point, the deal increased in price for $12.99 (if I recall correctly) and then I’m pretty sure it was unavailable for a period of time–possibly during peak pent-up demand. Regardless, it’s back now, and once again $9.99.
Not just this deal, but there’s now also a 6oz Filet Mignon offered with select sides for $5 each. Now I haven’t had a chance to try that (yet!), but it’s on my shortlist next time we’re back at Disney Springs. For research. On the dinner menu, the filet is $59!
Suffice to say, the STK Burger is fantastic. A thick and juicy patty that’s a tad fatty and incredibly filling. I normally order burgers medium-rare, but think this one is better medium.
This is a “Wagyu” Burger with air quotes in the sense that it’s the (increasingly common) marketing use of the term rather than a signal of high-quality and a costly product. It’s wagyu in the same sense that dishes at food booths in EPCOT are wagyu. Still, the quality is there.
At this price, this burger is actually a couple dollars cheaper than specialty items at D-Luxe Burger, and the STK Burger comes with fries and is higher quality beef.
To put this deal into perspective, if you were to order these Snake River Farms Wagyu Patties yourself, you’d be paying $6.00 each for them. That’s not including the bun, toppings, labor, overhead, or anything else.
While I’d assume STK isn’t paying quite that much, it’s still a pricey burger for them. Honestly, I feel a bit bad about going and only ordering this without alcohol or anything else, as I know it’s a loss leader for STK.
Because of this, we always like to order something else to go along with it. Once at brunch, we also ordered the Cinnamon Monkey Bread with cream cheese icing.
This is also fairly inexpensive, and it’s a decadent and delicious way to start your meal.
They also accept Annual Passholder discounts for lunch (and every meal). That really sweetens the deal on this.
I’ve been told I don’t need to lecture readers about this, but we’d encourage you to tip above 20% on this meal if you’re only doing the burgers. This is an expensive steakhouse with high-dollar drinks.
It’s been a while since we’ve done it, but the afternoon happy hour is also fantastic, with a ton of deals. Just take a look at the happy hour menu–several items in the $5 to $7 range.
You can easily make a meal out of just a couple of things, or split 5 items between two people.
Since the burger deal runs from 11 am until 3 pm and happy hour starts at 3 pm, you can time your meal here so that you take advantage of both!
Rounding out the deals, you might consider signing up for their email list. Once you get past the cringey “friends with benefits” name, you’ll receive a variety of special offers, including $50 birthday gift cards, free items, and more.
STK frequently offers discounted gift cards around the holidays, meaning that you can further sweeten the deal on this burger or happy hour. Frankly, I’m not sure how STK is still in business given all of this. (And since it’s an odd fit for Walt Disney World.)
The name of that email list should serve as a reminder that STK has a bit of edge to it, even if that has been toned down at the Disney Springs location. Lunch and happy hour are generally pretty chill, with the scene bumpin’ a bit more upstairs at dinner. (That’s the closest I get to hip language.)
Our favorite experience at STK, and one about which we still laugh, was last Christmas when someone was having fun with the playlist. It started out innocuously enough, with some 90s hip hop Christmas songs that you’d never hear in the parks but that are still perfectly tame.
Things continued to escalate with an uncensored version of Lonely Island’s “gift-giving” song, before going off the rails–and having the song quickly changed. It was actually a bit unfortunate, as you could look around and see people lifting their heads with a, “do I hear what I think I hear?” look, but no one seemed upset or offended. Ah, good times.
Overall, STK is still an acquired taste in terms of atmosphere, but the food is unquestionably good. It wouldn’t be a place I’d take kids after about 6 p.m., but the brunch, lunch, and happy hour experience is friendly to all ages. Perhaps more importantly, the price-points are friendly to all budgets. If you order that $9.99 Wagyu Burger & Fries, you’re getting the best value meal in all of Walt Disney World; something that likely wouldn’t even be that cheap at a “real world” restaurant in Orlando or elsewhere.
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 of STK? Have you tried the $9.99 Burger & Fries or any other deals on the brunch, lunch, or happy hour menus? Do you agree or disagree with our take on STK? 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!
