Tabasco Packets Have Been Replaced With Tapatio at Walt Disney World's ABC Commissary, and New Heinz Dispensers Have Landed There Too

The condiment counter at ABC Commissary looks different this week, and not just because of the four new Heinz pumps lined up on it. The basket of hot sauce packets at the far left of that counter is full of Tapatio.

WDW News Today reported on Thursday evening that Tabasco packets are being replaced with Tapatio hot sauce packets at Walt Disney World, after finding the swap at ABC Commissary at Disney's Hollywood Studios. In the outlet's words, guests "will soon no longer be able to find Tabasco sauce packets at Walt Disney World."

The quick facts: the location confirmed by reporting is ABC Commissary at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The packets are Tapatio Salsa Picante Hot Sauce, made by Tapatio Foods, LLC of Vernon, California. We found no public comment from Disney about the change, and the report gives no date for when the last Tabasco leaves property.

What actually changed, and what we are inferring

It is worth separating the two. The reported, photographed fact is that one quick service restaurant at one park has Tapatio in the basket where Tabasco used to be, and that the basket is full rather than holding a handful of leftovers.

The broader claim, that this is happening across Walt Disney World, comes from WDWNT's headline and opening line rather than from a second location. Their story evidences ABC Commissary. We have not seen it confirmed anywhere else. The only other coverage we can find is a syndicated reprint of WDWNT's own story, and that reprint still carries a second location claim WDWNT itself deleted about two hours after publishing, so treat the property wide version as the direction of travel rather than something you can count on at your favorite counter service this weekend.

The Heinz pumps are the other half of the picture

In the same report, four Heinz pump dispensers were photographed on the ABC Commissary counter: a red Simply Tomato Ketchup, a tan Mayonnaise, a blue Ranch, and a second red Tomato Ketchup. These are new.

That traces back to something we covered in July. Disney and Kraft Heinz unveiled their long term alliance on July 21. The announcement listed ten Kraft Heinz brands, Heinz among them, and said the alliance would bring new menu offerings and guest experiences to hundreds of dining locations at Walt Disney World Resort, at Disneyland Resort, and on North American Disney Cruise Line sailings. It also promised, in its own words, "new HEINZ condiment stations and custom-designed equipment." Heinz dispensers had already turned up at Disneyland Resort and aboard Disney Cruise Line. Now they are showing up in a Walt Disney World park too.

The part that does not line up

Here is the wrinkle. Tapatio is not a Kraft Heinz brand. The packet says so itself: Tapatio Foods, LLC, 4685 District Blvd, Vernon, CA 90058. Tapatio Foods was founded in 1971. In January 2026 it sold a majority stake to Highlander Partners, a Dallas private investment firm, with the founding Saavedra family keeping a minority share. Nothing in the July Kraft Heinz announcement mentions Tapatio.

So the two changes landed on the same counter at the same time without being the same decision, at least as far as anything on the record shows. WDWNT frames the hot sauce swap as coming "as new Heinz condiment dispensers continue to appear," which is a statement about timing, not about cause. No public explanation for the hot sauce change has surfaced, and it would be easy to read a connection here that nobody has actually claimed.

Will you notice the difference?

Yes, probably. The two sauces are built differently. Tabasco Original Red Sauce leans mainly on distilled vinegar, red peppers and salt, which is where its sharp vinegar edge comes from. Tapatio's packet lists water, red peppers, salt, spices, acetic acid, garlic, xanthan gum and sodium benzoate. That is a longer list, it includes garlic, and it includes xanthan gum, a thickener. WDWNT calls the result a somewhat thicker sauce.

Whether that is an upgrade is entirely a matter of what you put it on, and it is the sort of thing park regulars have opinions about. If you are a Tabasco loyalist who relies on the packets, it is worth a look in the basket before you commit to a plate of nachos.

Sources

• WDW News Today, "Tabasco Being Removed and Replaced Across All Walt Disney World Restaurants" (September 10, 2026)
• WDW News Today, "HEINZ, Philadelphia, and Kraft Mac & Cheese Coming to Disney Parks with Custom Equipment & New Menu Items" (July 21, 2026)
• The Walt Disney Company, "The Walt Disney Company and Kraft Heinz Announce Landmark Alliance" (July 21, 2026)
• WDW News Today, "New Kraft Heinz Condiment Dispensers Debut Aboard the Disney Treasure" (August 2, 2026)
• WDW News Today, "First Heinz Condiment Dispensers Appear at Disneyland Resort After Partnership Announcement" (August 21, 2026)
• Food Dive, "Tapatio hot sauce acquired by private equity firm" (January 2026)

Image credits: all photos WDW News Today.