OK, alas, if you ask internally about Downtown Disney to those in the know, and they will tell you, Disney has been disappointed ever since it opened.
Of course, it has had its hits, especially the World of Disney, but that store hits the market base perfectly
Restaurants started off mixed, and even today is still having issues. (Look at House of Blues, and even ESPN Zone, which is a failed concept kept alive to keep something in the space that breaks even/makings a bit in profit). Rainforest Café works since it is a themed Restaurant and matches the visitors.
And the retail has also been not that great, with many concepts closing down in the Shoppertainment Center.
I think the first big issue, locals were not interested to attend, due to the traffic issues, and parking issues, plus parking limits. Most Shoppertainment malls in California do not charge for parking. It just wasn't a place locals wanted to visit, so the original stores focused on them failed.
Park Visitors tend to be tired at the end of the night, and just interested in heading back to their Hotel Room and not shopping. Plus they did a lot of it inside the theme parks all day.
And then the security checks didn't help, as it makes it a pain for those staying at the Harbor Blvd Hotels/Motels to shop/dine.
Look at the current Disney Solution, rent another location to Starbucks. Once again, not a major profit location, but it does fill the space.
So currently, Disney is operating it as the poor step-child, can't get rid of it, but no real desire to invest in it.
Remember, Disney has just announced that they are getting rid of the Downtown Disney parking area (and maybe a couple of its locations) to build the new 4th, Hotel, where they see a good money making opportunity.
Think of the Main Street Cinema, Disney knows they can't get rid of it, it doesn't cause much to run, but it does add to the total package. And that is how Downtown Disney is run today, find business that will pay the lease to cover the costs of operating the mall, make its money on the World of Disney, and keep the Hotel Guests happy as a place to walk through.
And if you look at the Anaheim GardenWalk, same issue, they found that tourists/conventioneers were looking for a nice sit down meal, so those places on Katella made money since opening, and still make money today.
But most of the shops failed due to the average visitor, many were hoping for more locals, and once again, locals had no desire to deal with the traffic, and then have to pay for parking. The quick serve restaurants basically all failed.
So what is next for DtD and the former House of Blues location, well, doubt it will be DisneyQuest
Maybe Soap Opera Bistro (former DCA eatery). Maybe they can get Wolfgang Puck or Robert Mondavi to open up a location...
But look at what has been successful in the area, and that is the Outlets of Orange. Alas, Disney isn't interested in Outlet Shopping, they want full priced items.
So you have a restaurant/entertainment location more than likely, but who would want to move in there?
Doubt Disney has a great idea, the Regional Entertainment division has closed down. So about the only motivation would be the costs of building the new facility could be used as a credit to the amount promised to the city of Anaheim in improvements.
So maybe just a placeholder for a while, until they get ready for the 4th Hotel, and start moving things around.
Or move the Movie Theaters and open that up for future parking.
