Port Orleans Resort Relocating Beignets During Multi-Month Scat Cat’s Club Closures

Walt Disney World has revealed a lengthy refurbishment of both the restaurant and lounge sides of Scat Cat’s Club at Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter in late 2026 and (partly) into 2027. During these closures, the fan-favorite beignets will float along down the bayou/lobby to Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory. Here are full details, how this will (or won’t) impact your trip, and our commentary.

As basic background, this is one of two projects at the Port Orleans Resorts. The other is the second phase of hard goods room refurbishments on the Alligator Bayou sections of Riverside, which lasts until (roughly) August 2027. See Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort Room Reimagining Extended by Year-Plus to 2027 for more.

Port Orleans French Quarter and the Magnolia Bend section of Riverside were previously completed, so all of those rooms are redone and feeling fresh. Outside of these two resorts, there are countless other projects occurring, including many at the Deluxe Resorts, with more starting to be calendered for the next two years as we approach the new fiscal year. For a high-level overview of what’s currently underway, recently completed or upcoming, check our 2026-2027 Walt Disney World Hotel Construction Tracker.

One of the more noteworthy newly-scheduled projects is that Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter will close both “sides” of Scat Cat’s Club starting October 6, 2026. On that date, both Scat Cat’s Club – Café and Scat Cat’s Club – Lounge will close for refurbishment, with staggered reopenings of the café in December 2026 and lounge in January 2027.

If you have trouble remembering which is which with Scat Cat’s Club – Café and Scat Cat’s Club – Lounge, you’re not the only one. In fact, it seems like Walt Disney World swapped the names of the two at some point; I will admit that I cannot keep them straight without looking.

One suggestion I’d make for the refurbishment: give one of the two venues a new name without the words “Scat Cat’s” in it. “Berlioz’s Beignets & Bakery” has a certain ring to it, although I’m personally biased towards “Thomas O’Malley’s Place.”

Scat Cat’s Club – Lounge is the table service location open from 5 pm to midnight nightly tucked into the far corner of the lobby, near the front entrance of the resort.

The lounge took over the old Bonfamille’s Cafe space, a table service restaurant that closed on August 5, 2000, and was only open on rare seasonal occasions and during a past refurbishment of Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory.

Scat Cat’s Club – Lounge quietly reopened on October 1, 2019 and has operated (for the most part) ever since. The lounge interior is preserved (also for the most part) from its Bonfamille’s Cafe days, meaning it’s not really purpose-built to be a jazz lounge. It also has a 1990s looking interior, albeit in the best way possible.

Due to the timing of its opening right before COVID, being tucked away in a corner, and the confusingly similar name with the lobby cafe, I’ve found that Scat Cat’s Club – Lounge really flies under the radar. Even a lot of Walt Disney World fans who don’t stay at Port Orleans French Quarter don’t realize the venue reopened nearly 7 years ago!

Scat Cat’s Club – Lounge serves a mixture of drinks and small plates along with live jazz music starting at 7:30 pm on Thursdays through Sundays. We enjoy the setting, atmosphere, entertainment, and cuisine here. It’s not a fully-fledged table service restaurant, but it’s fantastic and fun. And certainly better than the venue sitting shuttered.

Meanwhile, Scat Cat’s Club – Café is beignet central. This is the lounge (poor term for distinction purposes, but it is) right across from the front desk that is roughly the equivalent of River Roost over at Riverside. It used to be the location open from 5 pm until midnight until the beignets became a smash success, necessitating an all-day venue open from 7 am until 11 pm.

Both Scat Cat’s Club – Café and Lounge are closing simultaneously on October 6, 2026. However, as noted above, the reopenings are staggered. The café is expected to reopen in December 2026, whereas the lounge is expected to reopen in January 2027.

During the closure, a temporary bar will be available near the café from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. It’s unclear whether this will just be open during the first phase of the project through December 2026, or the entirety of it.

Most importantly to many of you, beignets and coffee will be relocated to Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory, which is French Quarter’s counter service food court. The Ghoulish Delight beignets (for Halloween) will also be available there through November 1, 2026.

Given this, I’m not really expecting any measurable impact to stays at Port Orleans French Quarter between October and December 2026. Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory has the capacity to satisfy demand for beignets (they’ve done it before), and there’s ample seating in the food court.

If I had a stay booked at POFQ during this project, I wouldn’t even consider switching resorts. For one thing, it’s a high occupancy stretch and options elsewhere are already limited. For another, the work is confined to one small corner of the lobby (nowhere near guest rooms) and the alternatives seem satisfactory.

Walt Disney World has not indicated what, if any, guest-facing changes will occur during the lengthy refurbishment. It could be entirely back of the house, with a kitchen reconfiguration to accommodate the unrelenting demand for beignets. That wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

It could also be an interior refresh, similar to the one recently completed at Turf Club Lounge, which remains ongoing at Turf Club Bar & Grill. As noted above, Scat Cat’s Club – Lounge didn’t get much in the way of a (visible) refurbishment prior to reopening. It was basically Bonfamille’s, brought back to life.

My suspicion at the time was that an ambitious manager willed it into existence without much budget, probably out of necessity due to the growing popularity of the beignets at the Scat Cat’s lobby location. I assumed it was a test, and (wrongly) expected it would close again after that Christmas once things slowed down. (Technically correct, but due to COVID.) Perhaps this location is finally going to receive an interior refresh and a bit more permanency to the venue.

Maybe I’m dating myself, but back in my day (a little over a decade ago), the beignets were served at Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory from the dessert counter. Scat Cat’s Club (no need for a distinction, there was only one) was only moderately popular, and Bonfamille’s was still shuttered.

The exceptional Elliot Dyson was the house musician at the lounge, before departing for reasons unknown and being replaced by Jason Thomas and Billy Varnes. While the ‘club’ was popular in the evenings, it wasn’t even open during the day. I remember falling asleep here waiting for Disney’s Magical Express once, and another after taking a redeye when our room wasn’t ready. Good times.

I also remember when Walt Disney World literally gave away free orders of beignets to Disney Vacation Club members and Annual Passholders. That wasn’t even that long ago–late 2019 into early 2020! Nevertheless, I cannot imagine such a thing happening today, especially after Walt Disney World added friction to make it difficult for APs and off-site guests to visit Port Orleans French Quarter. All of this really underscores how much has changed in the last 6-7 years. But I digress.

This stroll down memory lane might sound like lamenting what was lost, and in a way, it is. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that the Port Orleans French Quarter of today is better than the one of 2019 (probably earlier than that since the beignets starting gaining popularity a couple of years before that).

Part of what I miss is the quieter and cozier nature of the resort, but there was a reason it was less busy then, just as there’s a reason it’s more popular now!

As a result of more Walt Disney World fans and guests “discovering” Port Orleans French Quarter and Scat Cat’s, the hotel has been able to justify reopening a restaurant that was shuttered for nearly two decades. That’s a good thing! The lobby lounge/cafe/whatever is now open all day. That’s a good thing! The rooms have been tastefully redone, and the pool bar improved. All good things!

Honestly, it is rather remarkable that Port Orleans French Quarter isn’t just treading water, but is enjoying greater popularity than it did a decade ago. With the debut of the Skyliner at Caribbean Beach and Gran Destino at Coronado Springs, the Port Orleans Resorts are the odd Moderates out with no ‘modern’ amenities of their own.

And yet, it doesn’t matter. While POFQ is not my personal favorite in the tier, I do appreciate its charm and compact layout, and probably hear more positive (and certainly less negative) feedback for it than any other Moderate Resort at Walt Disney World. There’s definitely something to be said for that!

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Your Thoughts

Thoughts on the upcoming refurbishments of Scat Cat’s Club Cafe & Lounge at Port Orleans French Quarter? Do you anticipate this impacting your trip? Hope the interior of the old Bonfamille’s receives some TLC? Any other changes you’d like to see? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Share any questions, tips, or additional thoughts you have in the comments!