More than magic pixie dust and a wave of Tinker Bell's wand are needed to transform traditional fast-food outlets and tired fine-dining eateries into hip, fast-casual restaurants. But real-world efforts at creating a fast-casual concept seem to be paying off at Walt Disney World.

The high-flying success of The Artist's Palette, the resort's newest fast-casual concept to serve made-to-order fare on disposable plates, has given Disney's food and beverage executives a reason to pay attention to the concept of upgraded fast food.

"We've just looked at [fast-casual] as what's next for fast food," says Dieter Hannig, the resort's senior vice president of food and beverage, who oversees more than 500 food locations, ranging from carts to fine dining, at the Florida vacation complex.

Hannig dreamed up the Artist's Palette, which is designed to look like an artist's loft, with high-rafter ceilings that drip with boldly colored glass lights. Guests are greeted by chef-jacket-clad servers, one of whom may be using a large wooden peel to pull a bubbling breakfast pizza out of a gas-fired brick oven.

Currently, Hannig is turning much of his attention to opening more product-driven, quick-service outlets, such as the underconstruction Sunshine Seasons at the resort's Epcot Center theme park. According to a filed building permit, Disney plans to spend nearly $5 million in construction costs alone to revamp Sunshine Seasons at Epcot's Land Pavilion.

"It is the California Grill on steroids," says Hannig, who a decade ago helped bring to life the upscale, produce-driven California Grill at Disney World's Contemporary Resort. "It's exciting," he says of the Sunshine Seasons plan. "We have never done this. It is a huge risk."

The 600-seat Sunshine Seasons, with the capacity to serve 1,000 people an hour, is scheduled to open in late March, according to Hannig. "It is a total open-stage kitchen with wood-burning grills for flat breads and an Oriental island," where Asian fare will be cooked to order in small qualities, he adds.

However, fast-casual, he warns, doesn't fit into all 10 types of Disney foodservice businesses, from catering to theme parks to hotels. Rather, fast-casual concepts best apply to hotel dining, he says. They are like "a hybrid between a pool snack bar and fine dining," says Hannig. "You have a focus on the product and freshness. It is more health-oriented and you have more variety."

"People are saying, 'We want options,'" says Karen Haynes, marketing-media representative for Walt Disney World's food and beverage department. "We've brought quick service to a new level. It's been incredibly popular." She adds that Artist's Palette was, for the resort's culinarians, like dipping their toes in the pool of fast-casual. With Sunshine Seasons, Disney is taking the plunge.

"This is a big deal for us," adds Hannig, who points out with candor and a hint of caution that "guests are coming for Mickey Mouse. Your creativity can bite you."

So why is Disney going the fast-casual route?

"The baby boomers want something better," Hannig says. "They have had their fill of burgers. They are facing an older reality. They are more educated and more in balance with themselves and forever young. But it is nothing new. It's as old as the food business. If you go to Spain, it's tapas."

New or not, fast-casual specifically is what Disney diners say they crave. "We spend a lot of time asking guests what they want. They tell us loud and clear that this is what they want," Hannig says. He explains that each day every restaurant manager is required to conduct 20 intercept interviews with customers, and every chef is asked to talk with 10 diners--especially those who look disappointed.

Inevitably, Hannig says, guests ask for higher-quality food that is served quickly.

"Fast casual is a step toward what's to come," says Franz Kranzfelder, Disney World's executive chef for resorts food and beverage. "We introduced a fresher approach to sandwiches and salads," he adds. "There is a shift in perception about quick service. We focus on getting better quality ... with signature ingredients like antibiotic-free pork. Made-to-order is going to be huge."

But Kranzfelder admits that the higher price points attached to fast-casual operations have been met with "some resistance from guests." At Artist's Palette, which serves a large number of kids, the per-person check average is $12.50, and typical diners are Disney Vacation Club timeshare owners on "extended stays," he says. Most come as families with two or more children and earn $90,000 or more per household, according to Disney's demographic findings.

Since the majority of guests stay for more than a couple of days, they can tire of a limited menu. But more culinarily trained individuals are needed in order to produce adequate variety on demand in open kitchens. The goal is to staff every fast-casual outlet with chefs rather than kitchen managers, Kranzfelder says.

One technique to help fill voids in back-of-the-house staff is the Disney requirement that all cooks and chefs who hope to climb

the culinary ladder spend time working a stint at a quick-service outlet. "If someone wants to become an executive chef," Kranzfelder says, "they have to have [that] experience under their belts."

Higher-priced labor is necessary in order to follow a food-focused formula. For example, at the 122-seat Artist's Palette all sandwich bread is baked fresh every 30 minutes, Kranzfelder says. Still, most visitors swept up in Disney World's high excitement levels want to move quickly. Therefore, made-to-order food is expected in a timely fashion. In fact, Kranzfelder says, Disney World's fast-casual outlets expect to serve customers in the same six minutes as the venue's traditional fast-food restaurants.

That is a tall order, especially considering the unique constraints of Walt Disney World. In the resort hotel locations "everyone wakes up at the same time," Hannig says. Breakfast rushes correspond with the opening time of the theme parks.

One way to combat the rush is to "train our cast members to be knowledgeable and learn if there are custom needs," he says. "If a chef is on stage and asks a guest, 'Would you like something special tomorrow?' and they have that chocolate-chip muffin the next day, they can exceed guests' expectations."

In traditional fast-food restaurants guests find such small favors unthinkable. "How many times do you feel special in a fast-food market?" Hannig asks. "In this market, when you exceed somebody's expectations those guests are much more loyal. It gives us an opportunity to touch guests."

But Disney doesn't advertise such niceties. In typical Disney World fashion, "We don't market," he adds. "We know our guests are here; they will find it. We are the biggest tourist destination in the world. We have a captive market. If we don't fill up, we're doing something wrong."

Artist's Palette seems to be doing something right. "It has done quite well from the beginning," says Bob Mervine, who is penning "Orlando Chow," a dining guide expected to be published this spring, and who covers Disney foodservice news for the Orlando Business Journal.

"The nice thing about the restaurant is that for a quick-service [place], it is quite upscale in terms of the quality of the product," Mervine states. "For what we paid and for what we got, it was good.'"

He particularly was impressed with the uncommon take-away option for family-style meals, such as meatloaf or lasagna in portions sufficient for four to six diners. The meals are $21.99 and include salads, breadsticks and desserts. Artist's Palette is the only restaurant at Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, a timeshare property with facilities that include kitchens. "What's nice about staying in those units is you usually have a large party. Eating in your own villa is a nice break from going out every night, and you don't have to cook or clean up."

He says the competition for Artist's Palette comes from nearby Downtown Disney, with its wide array of restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck Express and the Earl of Sandwich restaurant.

Mervine also applauds Artist's Palette's Saratoga Springs "themeing. I like the Saratoga water and the pink pig," a specialty candy that also comes from Saratoga Springs, N.Y. "Those little things are what Disney does so well."