Hi Laura,
Welcome to planDisney! How exciting to be planning such a big adventure during
Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary celebration. I am happy to help you with your question about quick service dining with a large group.
I love your idea about having all individuals place their order and then one adult oversees and pays for it. I haven't had quite that large of a group, but I have been quite close and have some tips for you! My recommendation is for all group members to first take a look at the menu and decide what items they would like. Then the whole group should enter your
Quick Service Dining Location at Magic Kingdom. The adult responsible for paying should be at the front of your group followed by the rest of the group members. The adult can explain to the cashier that there will be many orders and they will stay while everyone is ordering to oversee and pay. Each participant will simply follow the queue and order their food until the orders are complete. Then the adult can pay and the group can retrieve their orders from the counter service window when the food is prepared. Personally, after everyone has ordered I like to send several people to "scout around" for tables while the food is being prepared. In a group like this, I recommend breaking into groups of 4. In your case, a group of 5 people going to secure 4 tables would be enough to ensure everyone has a place to sit once the order is completed.
Some good quick service dining locations that can accommodate large groups of people at Magic Kingdom are
Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe, Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe, and
Columbia Harbour House.
Have a Magical vacation with your group, Laura! Please come back and visit us again with all of your Disney vacation planning questions. We are always happy to help you plan your next Magical adventure!
See Ya Real Soon,
Brenda