Disney Looking To Re-Open Some Clubs at PI For the Holiday Season?

[Thelazer]

The way they word those surveys, I put little stock in them. They can make the outcome of them be whatever they want.

Had they just just kept 8-Trax, Ad Club and Mannequins open, closed the others and turned them into 3rd party's, I think most people would have been happy with the outcome. That would have given us the best of both worlds, old and new.

 

[CaptainMichael]

The way they word those surveys, I put little stock in them. They can make the outcome of them be whatever they want.

Had they just just kept 8-Trax, Ad Club and Mannequins open, closed the others and turned them into 3rd party's, I think most people would have been happy with the outcome. That would have given us the best of both worlds, old and new.

Heck, if they just kept AC and Mannquins there'd be little if any backlash. I'll always have my memories, and Disney can't take those away.

 

[Thurp]

Last night I was told that Mannequin's will be converted into a Cheesecake Factory. However, this person is not directly related to the project, so I'm not sure of who the original source may be.

What a fantastic addition to property. Now people will feel right at home, as if they had never left.

 

[markc]

Last night I was told that Mannequin's will be converted into a Cheesecake Factory. However, this person is not directly related to the project, so I'm not sure of who the original source may be.

What a fantastic addition to property. Now people will feel right at home, as if they had never left.

Mannequins is not the home to the new Cheesecake Factory - it's actually the Rock And Roll Beach Club, however those plans stalled in February after they had closed it down already (which was the reason for it's early closure), and it looks like it may never come to fruition.

 

[Captain Hank]

Very, very disappointing. Unfortunately, though, not surprising or unexpected.

Let's just hope that the huge outpouring of support for the Adventurers Club made some of the brass think about a new location for an AC experience for some time in the future.

 

[DMC-12]

I for one would welcome a Cheesecake Factory in the site formally know as PI. :slurp::slurp::king:

Bummer if we never get it.

 

[Thurp]

Mannequins is not the home to the new Cheesecake Factory - it's actually the Rock And Roll Beach Club, however those plans stalled in February after they had closed it down already (which was the reason for it's early closure), and it looks like it may never come to fruition.

Thanks for the correction, I was doubtful of my friend's source and this confirmed it.

I'd like to see restaurants that cannot be found elsewhere in the country (ie. not chains) but it makes no difference to me as I will not spend a dime at any of those locations.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

Beach Club closed because of the condition of the roof - it'll have to be torn down before anything will be put in it's place.

 

[markc]

Beach Club closed because of the condition of the roof - it'll have to be torn down before anything will be put in it's place.

You've been told a tall tale then - the roof is not in such condition that the place would have to be torn down. There are currently building plans floating around TD-O which show it being used as a Cheesecake Factory.

 

[GymLeaderPhil]

Yeah, they've used the Beach Club for events and meetings since closure. If the roof was in danger they would not have let anyone set foot into it.

 

[sknydave]

All of the roofs are in perfect condition, but the beach club would magically need an entire re-do? lol

Where do people come up with this stuff?

 

[Thelazer]

The beach club roof leaks like a block of swiss cheese.
Not saying it can't be fixed, but.

The inside of the building needs some major work to.

 

[71jason]

Sad news, but inevitable--the best hope for the AC since they announced the closing is that it would be part of a new adult district elsewhere, it never had the capacity to exist on its own in its current form.

This may sound like a rhetorical question, but it's not, really--how many full-service restaurants do the suits think DTD can support? As of earlier this year, I counted 7. T-Rex just opened, it is huge. The E-brands Central American restaurant ("Salt Rim" or whatever) opens this Spring, not looking small. Can't imagine Cheesecake Factory would be small either. Speculation is that restaurants would also take over Mannequins (rumor said a Harley Cafe at one point), Motion and the space left by a demolished AC/BET. There are also persistent rumors that DisneyQuest will be transformed into something more closely resembling a restaurant (be it an ESPN Zone or a Dave & Busters)--this would also just absorb crowds of guests.

That's almost doubling the restaurant count in a few years. And without any nightlife at PI, a chunk of the DTD customer base is lost. Won't these new places just start cannabalizing each other's customers? (As T-Rex seems to be doing to RFC). And if so, how Raglan, PH, et al react?

 

[markc]

Cannabilzation of the current restaurants is exactly what is going to happen. Disney employs the use of a strategy/demand solver software which models out guest patterns, estimated traffic, etc based on current economic and historical data. The issue with this (part of the reason why they are constantly changing and updating their forecast) is that it did not account for the current economic conditions. When the decision to remodel PI came about, the assumptions it made were a consistant increase in the amount of guests through 2015 similar to the patterns seen from the five year pattern of 2002-2007. Clearly the economic situation is different, and with a decrease of guests and with guests still arriving to WDW with much more limited budgets, costly meals will be in far less demand. They've also failed to realize the error in surveys. What people tell you versus what they do are two different things. I'd love to see more high end restaurants in the area where I live - but will I really go out and dine at them a lot? Probably not. It's kind of like American Idol. How many people voted for Rueben Studdard, Fantasia, and that gray haired dude, and yet never went out to buy their CD's (hence their failure)...and yet the runners up ended up selling better. The PI situation is the same deal - a ton of families will ask for more dining, but when it all comes down to it, the "small" minority of club seeking people will probably spend more money and help disney's bottom line better. Even during an economic downturn, the "sin" products (Alcohol, tobacco, or just bars in general) typically aren't affected as much as food and general consumer goods are simply due to their nature.

To attract any high end chains, disney will either have to offer strong incentives and/or reduce their 10% cut they take from all revenue from these 3rd party restaurant operations. I've heard that Sosa has already started complaining to Disney about an extreme decrease in sales since PI's closure , and its only a matter of time before Harley/Curl/Raglan start to do the same.

What it all comes down to is poor timing and execution of the demise of PI. I have a feeling a year from now, Mr. Lansbury will either no longer be with Disney or in a different position based on this failure.

 

[CaptainMichael]

That's almost doubling the restaurant count in a few years. And without any nightlife at PI, a chunk of the DTD customer base is lost. Won't these new places just start cannabalizing each other's customers? (As T-Rex seems to be doing to RFC). And if so, how Raglan, PH, et al react?

Not according to the biased, skewed surveys that Disney sought after. I would never go out of way to DTD just to eat, but that's just me. Now there is no other reason to go there.

 

[WDW1974]

What it all comes down to is poor timing and execution of the demise of PI. I have a feeling a year from now, Mr. Lansbury will either no longer be with Disney or in a different position based on this failure.

First of all, the decision to close PI had NOTHING to do with the VP of the moment at DD.

This has been in the plans for at least five years.

Second, if you know anything about Disney you'd know they don't ever fire execs unless they're caught with playing 'my sleeping bag or yours?' with Boy Scouts or in a crack den with prostitutes.

They simply recycle them and move them into other positions ... over and over and over again.

 

[hardcard]

New news from the PI/AC front... The entryway now has chains across the railing-way to discourage guests from going up to the doors/building..
No more confused guests or disappointed loyals tugging on the doors... Looks like Disney is watching this thread

 

[Thelazer]

First of all, the decision to close PI had NOTHING to do with the VP of the moment at DD.

This has been in the plans for at least five years.

Second, if you know anything about Disney you'd know they don't ever fire execs unless they're caught with playing 'my sleeping bag or yours?' with Boy Scouts or in a crack den with prostitutes.

They simply recycle them and move them into other positions ... over and over and over again.

Gee.. Mr Harris anyone????

This was all in place before Kevin.. but I think he will turn out to be "The Fall Guy." Maybe he can get out in time, seemed like a nice guy who got handed a raw deal.

BTW- I've said for a LONG time the surveys are to easy to skew. Just by asking a question in a way that allows for a guest to only give one answer (the one they want to hear.) God knows how awful the modeling software is if it's given the wrong data. We are about to find out and it's not going to be a pretty sight...

All the shops at DTD (Curl, Sosa, etc) are seeing a drop-off in guests. Why do you think PI Live was put back in place so quick?
Now once the new Ebrands concept opens that should help a bit.

BUT!!

I suspect they won't make the numbers and will close down within a year or two.
BTW- Look for Kevin to gracefully bow out right after it opens, if he does you will know the fate of DTD isn't looking good.

 

[markc]

First of all, the decision to close PI had NOTHING to do with the VP of the moment at DD.

Doesn't matter. Anybody who has had any experience at Disney or any other company knows that it's up to the current VP to handle the situation regardless of who made the decision prior. If they mis-manage it and let it go to hell, they ultimately are the ones at fault. It's Mr.Lansbury's team who made the plans to shut down PI in the way that it did (one big swoop, rather than waiting for 3rd party contracts to be signed), and when it fails miserably, he will blamed.

This has been in the plans for at least five years. [/quotes]

Talks about shutting/changing PI have been going on for five years, but serious discussions did not start until 2006, with the final decision coming in late 2007.

Second, if you know anything about Disney you'd know they don't ever fire execs unless they're caught with playing 'my sleeping bag or yours?' with Boy Scouts or in a crack den with prostitutes.

Not entirely true - I've seen many execs in Burbank "leave to pursue other career opportunities" many times for failed projects or lack of results. Some are well protected and end up moving to other departments though, versus others who end taking the brunt of it.

 

[kshark]

Actually, the Atlantic Dance Hall is becoming a good option now that the PI dance clubs are closed. It's only about a 5 minute drive from PI and has free self-parking. The DJ appears to be very cooperative and will play what you want to hear most of the time. The club boast a large dance floor and a huge video screen. The crowds are getting bigger and bigger every subsequent weekend. My only complaint is that they should hire more bartenders and open up the bars along the sides to meet the demand.

Anybody have any thoughts on the Atlantic Dance Hall? I was debating going there for New Years... :shrug: