Former Disney Employee Pleads Guilty to Menu Hack and Altering Allergen Information

Michael Scheuer, who previously worked as a menu production manager at Disney World, has admitted to committing serious offenses by manipulating allergen details on restaurant menus and adding offensive symbols. Charged by federal authorities, Scheuer confessed to these acts as part of a plea deal, which could result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years, with a minimum of two years mandatory.

The plea agreement, submitted in a federal court in Florida, outlines that Scheuer changed allergen information to inaccurately indicate that certain menu items were safe for individuals with allergies, potentially leading to deadly consequences. He also modified the origins of various wines on the menus to reference locations of tragic mass shootings.

In addition, Scheuer added images, including a swastika, to the menus. He altered QR codes on Disney menus that were intended to link to a digital version, redirecting them instead to a site that advocated a boycott of Israel. Fortunately, some affected menus with the manipulated QR codes were not disseminated before the changes were discovered.

By the conclusion of his hacking activities, Scheuer had impacted nearly every menu in Disney's system, necessitating a complete reversion to previous versions and extensive manual updates. Scheuer’s attorney noted that he is ready to take responsibility for his actions, attributing some of his behavior to mental health challenges that worsened after his dismissal from Disney, following his return from paternity leave. Disney has not publicly commented on the plea agreement, although they faced past scrutiny regarding food allergens after a related wrongful-death lawsuit emerged in 2024.