Politics Anaheim Businesses Worry About Going Under if Governor Keeps Disneyland Closed - Spectrum News

[Darkbeer1]

Anaheim Businesses Worry About Going Under if Disneyland Remains Closed

Businesses worry about going under if Disney remains closed

spectrumnews1.com

>>
For Badalian, the 95-year-old owner of Tropicana and Camelot, this is the most challenging situation he has ever faced. He and his family survived the Turkish-Armenian war in 1920. He was separated from his parents for two years during that time. He was a refugee first in Russia and then Germany before settling in America.

Through hard work, he was able to save enough money and bought a motel on Harbor Boulevard, just when Disneyland opened.

“March 15, 1959,” Badalian said with his eyes lit up above the light blue medical masks. “When I first came here, I remember there were still eucalyptus trees and a fenced gate on the street. There were no Matterhorn or monorail at Disneyland. It wasn’t built out like this. I’ve seen this place change. This is where I raised my kids.”

But this pandemic is unlike anything he has seen, Badalian said. It has “wiped everything out.”

He said he is most concerned for his employees, some of whom have been with him for more than 25 years. Under the company’s pension plan, each employee has to work 1,000 hours to qualify for this year. He is unsure if his employees will be eligible.

“That’s why we opened a couple days ago. We’ll see what happens,” he said.

But with Disneyland remaining closed, what he misses most is seeing families and visitors staying on his property. Before the pandemic, every day he would walk the grounds and greet guests and visitors and talk and shake their hands.

These days, he doesn’t go on many walks. It brings him down, Eisenman said.

“There were days when I would see him walk and then just stop and break down and cry,” Eisenman said.

Asked what’s going to happen to his business in the future if Disneyland remains closed, Badalian shrugged his shoulders.

“What’s going to happen to all of us?” he said. “Who knows? I just hope to live through this.”<<

 

[Darkbeer1]

Disneyland resort faces $2 billion revenue loss during coronavirus closure, analyst warns

The Disneyland resort has lost an estimated $2.2 billion in revenue during the 216-day closure of Disney’s Anaheim theme parks, according to MoffettNathanson founding partner Michael Nathanson.

www.ocregister.com

>>The Disneyland resort generated an estimated $3.8 billion in revenue last year, according to Nathanson. That works out to approximately $10.4 million in daily revenue generated by the Disneyland resort.

A study by Cal State Fullerton’s Woods Center for Economic Analysis and Forecasting found that the Disneyland resort added $8.5 billion annually to the Southern California economy. That means the closure of Disneyland could be costing the Southern California economy as much as $23 million a day — or $5 billion during the 216-day closure, based on estimates from the study.<<

 

[disneycp]

“There were days when I would see him walk and then just stop and break down and cry,” Eisenman said.

That sentence really got to me. So heartbreaking.

 

[DavidDL]

It's heartbreaking, I know. But I couldn't help but be impressed by this guy's drive! 95 years old and still out and about with his wits. That's awesome. Reminds me of a time working in Critter Country, we had someone who just turned 91 basically running to Splash first thing in the morning with his grandson, he was having a wonderful time and certainly didn't look like he should have been moving or talking the way he did for his age.

When asked by CMs what his secret to living so long and being so healthy for his age was, he responded with, "Riding great rides like Splash Mountain".

I guess Disney and the surrounding area do keep some people perpetually young. I hope Badalian and everything he worked so hard for makes it through this. It would be devastating for the last thing you know in this life to be that everything you've done up until that point was gone.

 

[cmwade77]

Let's get the parks reopened now, everybody said I wasn't being realistic when I said things like this would start to happen if theme parks were kept closed for too long. Mark my words, if theme parks don't reopen soon, this will expand to more businesses outside of Anaheim.

 

[TP2000]

Anaheim Businesses Worry About Going Under if Disneyland Remains Closed

Businesses worry about going under if Disney remains closed

spectrumnews1.com

>>
For Badalian, the 95-year-old owner of Tropicana and Camelot, this is the most challenging situation he has ever faced. He and his family survived the Turkish-Armenian war in 1920. He was separated from his parents for two years during that time. He was a refugee first in Russia and then Germany before settling in America.

Through hard work, he was able to save enough money and bought a motel on Harbor Boulevard, just when Disneyland opened.

“March 15, 1959,” Badalian said with his eyes lit up above the light blue medical masks. “When I first came here, I remember there were still eucalyptus trees and a fenced gate on the street. There were no Matterhorn or monorail at Disneyland. It wasn’t built out like this. I’ve seen this place change. This is where I raised my kids.”

But this pandemic is unlike anything he has seen, Badalian said. It has “wiped everything out.”

He said he is most concerned for his employees, some of whom have been with him for more than 25 years. Under the company’s pension plan, each employee has to work 1,000 hours to qualify for this year. He is unsure if his employees will be eligible.

“That’s why we opened a couple days ago. We’ll see what happens,” he said.

But with Disneyland remaining closed, what he misses most is seeing families and visitors staying on his property. Before the pandemic, every day he would walk the grounds and greet guests and visitors and talk and shake their hands.

These days, he doesn’t go on many walks. It brings him down, Eisenman said.

“There were days when I would see him walk and then just stop and break down and cry,” Eisenman said.

Asked what’s going to happen to his business in the future if Disneyland remains closed, Badalian shrugged his shoulders.

“What’s going to happen to all of us?” he said. “Who knows? I just hope to live through this.”<<

This is absolutely heartbreaking. I want to give Mr. Badalian a hearty handshake, and a hug, and book a dozen rooms at the Tropicana for the next month!

My goodness. The media stories from the collapsing Anaheim Resort are coming fast and furious now, and if that doesn't change Governor Newsom's mind I don't know what will.

I just worry that all of this information and outrage is too little, too late to save Anaheim and Disneyland.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

At this point, the question should be, what ISN'T going to go out of business in the Disneyland area?

 

[TP2000]

Let's get the parks reopened now, everybody said I wasn't being realistic when I said things like this would start to happen if theme parks were kept closed for too long. Mark my words, if theme parks don't reopen soon, this will expand to more businesses outside of Anaheim.

Agreed.

I mentioned a few months ago that friends intimately involved in OC's commercial real estate industry have been saying since June that the warning bells were ringing louder and louder about the failing Anaheim Resort District. The small businesses there are collapsing and disappearing. Families that have owned these businesses for generations are being financially and emotionally stressed past the breaking point, and their employees are in even worse shape.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I'm praying for the Alpine Inn.

 

[TP2000]

At this point, the question should be, what ISN'T going to go out of business in the Disneyland area?

That is a good question. I would say if Disneyland stays closed for another six months, and then reopens in March, 2021 at 25% capacity the following businesses would still be able to remain in business;

The Disneyland Resort (but in a severely reduced format)
Some Hilton properties
Some Marriott properties
Harbor Blvd. McDonald's
Starbucks on Harbor & Katella
Katella Ave. CVS
Katella Ave. Walgreens
Katella Ave. 7-11 (both of them)

I'm not so sure about Panera Bread or Mimi's Cafe on Harbor. All other small businesses, family run businesses, or minor corporate properties like the Holiday Inn, etc. are higly unlikely to reopen after a full year of Disneyland closure. The hotels and restaurants further down Harbor, like all the stuff around the Hyatt and the Great Wolf Lodge are in similar shape. Some key corporate players may make it, some won't.

 

[cmwade77]

That is a good question. I would say if Disneyland stays closed for another six months, and then reopens in March, 2021 at 25% capacity the following businesses would still be able to remain in business;

The Disneyland Resort (but in a severely reduced format)
Some Hilton properties
Some Marriott properties
Harbor Blvd. McDonald's
Starbucks on Harbor & Katella
Katella Ave. CVS
Katella Ave. Walgreens
Katella Ave. 7-11 (both of them)

I'm not so sure about Panera Bread or Mimi's Cafe on Harbor. All other small businesses, family run businesses, or minor corporate properties like the Holiday Inn, etc. are higly unlikely to reopen after a full year of Disneyland closure. The hotels and restaurants further down Harbor, like all the stuff around the Hyatt and the Great Wolf Lodge are in similar shape. Some key corporate players may make it, some won't.

Well, let's hope it doesn't last that long, there will be major ripple effects from that.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Even the MacDonald's across from Tomorrowland is still closed with an aged "Reopening Soon" banner tattering as cars fly by.

 

[TP2000]

Even the MacDonald's across from Tomorrowland is still closed with an aged "Reopening Soon" banner tattering as cars fly by.

That's a family owned franchise at that location. The family that owns it also owns a couple other McDonald's locations in central OC, which is why I think they should be able to reopen in 2021.

They just did a huge remodel on that property too in 2019, and brought it up to the latest corporate standard.

 

[cmwade77]

That's a family owned franchise at that location. The family that owns it also owns a couple other McDonald's locations in central OC, which is why I think they should be able to reopen in 2021.

They just did a huge remodel on that property too in 2019, and brought it up to the latest corporate standard.

Honestly, if ALL McDonald's shut down, the only sad thing would be the job losses.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I'm Vegan but I don't want to see MacDoland's close down, especially one across the street from Disneyland USA.

 

[TP2000]

Honestly, if ALL McDonald's shut down, the only sad thing would be the job losses.

I know everyone thinks the 60th Anniversary was such a fabulous time with Paint The Night and everything, but I think the best addition to the Anaheim Resort Experience for the 60th was when that new In-N-Out opened in 2015 on Ball Road that was directly on my way home from Disneyland.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Mimi's seems to have some curbside dining when I wander by. Maybe I'll stop by.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Mimi's seems to have some curbside dining when I wander by. Maybe I'll stop by.

Mimi's is open until 8 PM every day now. Patio and indoor dining options.

 

[TP2000]

Mimi's seems to have some curbside dining when I wander by. Maybe I'll stop by.

They could desperately use the business. I'm not sure what their vegan options are, but ask and report back if you do.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I'd buy a pot of coffee if nothing else.