At last week's IAAPA Expo Europe in London, Mack Group unveiled its new 'eatX' concept, which combines a dark ride with a dining experience.
The first operator of eatX will be Karls Erlebnis-Dorf in Elstal, Germany, with its new Strawberry Dining Journey set to open in summer 2027.
"With eatX and our patented FlowDiner vehicle, we bring together decades of expertise in world-class engineering, gastronomy and storytelling," said Thomas Mack, managing director of Europa-Park.
"By merging these disciplines together, we've created an entirely new genre of dining attraction."
The experience at Karls will offer a three-course menu across five immersive worlds, inspired by "the true story of the garden strawberry's discovery in 1714".
At the core of eatX is the FlowDiner – a patented, autonomously moving table by Mack One and Mack Rides that took two years to develop.
“I’m over the moon," said Robert Dahl, founder of Karls, at IAAPA Expo Europe.
"The ambition was never to create a restaurant with an experience attached, or an attraction with a meal attached," Dahl said. "We wanted to make both inseparable – each equally essential.
"For that hour, the outside world should disappear and you should even forget that you are in Elstal."
The new Strawberry Dining Journey is set to open in summer 2027 at Karls Erlebnis-Dorf Karls
Mack Group's new eatX concept follows the launch of Europa-Park's Eatrenalin – a media-based, multi-sensory restaurant where guests are seated on dark ride vehicles for an eight-course fine-dining meal.
A world-first in luxury experiential dining, Eatrenalin was created by Thomas Mack and gastronomy expert Oliver Altherr, CEO of Marché International.
Earlier this year, Eatrenalin was awarded its first Michelin star.
