MACK One has introduced eatX, a dark ride dining attraction that it describes as the first format to combine a moving ride and a full meal in the same experience. The concept is patented and presented as commercially deployable, with MACK Rides supplying the vehicle technology and MACK One providing experience design.
At the centre is the FlowDiner, an autonomously moving, battery-powered dining vehicle developed over two years. It carries up to four adults and two young children, travels at up to 0.5 metres per second and runs on an onboard electric drive as part of a trackless ride system. Because the route is not fixed to a track, MACK says the layout and narrative journey can be configured for different operators and intellectual properties.
One footprint, two revenue streams
The company positions eatX between ride engineering, immersive storytelling and system gastronomy, rather than inside an existing attraction or restaurant category. Its commercial argument rests on space: the same square metre serves as attraction space and dining space, addressing limited footprints, demand for high-value experiences and the need to increase revenue per square metre.
During the journey, projections, set design, lighting, soundscapes and food advance the story together. MACK One stresses that neither element is subordinate: the cuisine is not treated as ride decoration, and the ride is not merely packaging for a meal. The format is designed as a white-label platform, so operators can apply their own brand, story and destination context while eatX provides the engineering and format.
First named installation
The first named installation is planned for Karls Erlebnis-Dorf in Elstal, near Berlin, in summer 2027. Called 'Strawberry Dining Journey', it is designed around five themed worlds and a three-course menu, with a narrative built on the documented discovery of the garden strawberry in 1714. MACK says the story draws on the operator's family, farming and authenticity themes and will use projection, set construction, lighting and choreographed cuisine. Every guest follows the same narrative, but each table experiences it as a distinct memory.
The project is presented as building on operational experience rather than a studio-only concept. MACK Group developed Eatrenalin, a Michelin-starred immersive fine-dining restaurant at Europa-Park Resort, as a prototype for combining dining and storytelling. MACK Rides adds a century of engineering experience, while MACK One serves as the group's innovation and experience-design engine. According to MACK, this gives eatX technical credibility and evidence of guest appetite before the first commercial unit is built.
Targeting parks, resorts and venues
MACK sees potential in several venue types. For theme parks, eatX could turn underused or legacy spaces into higher-value destinations. For resorts, it could make transitional dining part of the central story. For malls, family entertainment centres and stadiums, it is pitched as an anchor concept that can increase dwell time, per-capita spending and social sharing from a compact footprint.
The company describes the format as scalable, brand-agnostic and operationally lean. System gastronomy is intended to provide precision, throughput and quality without weakening the guest experience, while the trackless vehicle system allows site-specific layouts. Under the white-label model, the operator retains the IP, story and brand identity; eatX supplies the engineering and the format.
For now, the 2027 installation is expected to be the first commercial test of how the promised integration of ride, narrative and meal works in operation.