Disney Restaurant's

[frank2271]

I want to know why Disney hasn't tried to expand their restaurants across the country. My wife and I would love to go to a local "Spoodles" for dinner, or possibly to a "California Grill" that's just around the corner. It would only take a minimal investment from Disney and the payoff would be HUGE. I don't think that Disney should label the restaurants "Disney's Spoodles" or "Disney's California Grill", I think people would get sick of the name getting crammed down thier throat. (the regular people I mean, not us Disney nuts).

My personal opinion is that the Disney eateries are a resource that haven't come close to realising their potential. If there is a Disney Suit out there reading this, be my guest and bring it up to someone out there that can get this idea rolling, (all I ask is a complimentary dinner for my payment, LOL!!!)

Any of you out there have any other ideas of Disney restaurants that should be expanded?:slurp: :slurp:

 

[disneydudette]

WDW restuarants (sp??) are a big part of the Diseny experience...and hold a high level of excellance....well they try to at least....

givin its a major money deal! but what if that restaurant fails.....and gets a bad reputation in LA or Boston? would u then go to the one in WDW??? I wouldn't.....

But I must say.....I wouldn't mind a SciFI cafe by my house.... :slurp: ...like that will eva happen

 

[Nala59]

Frank, I totally agree with you. I would love to see Disney do some restaurants around the country. My family & I all love Spoodles too, and the kids remember when they were young putting together their own pizza! ...after all... they do have Disney Stores in the local malls!

 

[jmarc63]

Originally posted by frank2271
I want to know why Disney hasn't tried to expand their restaurants across the country. My wife and I would love to go to a local "Spoodles" for dinner, or possibly to a "California Grill" that's just around the corner. It would only take a minimal investment from Disney and the payoff would be HUGE. I don't think that Disney should label the restaurants "Disney's Spoodles" or "Disney's California Grill", I think people would get sick of the name getting crammed down thier throat. (the regular people I mean, not us Disney nuts).

My personal opinion is that the Disney eateries are a resource that haven't come close to realising their potential. If there is a Disney Suit out there reading this, be my guest and bring it up to someone out there that can get this idea rolling, (all I ask is a complimentary dinner for my payment, LOL!!!)

Any of you out there have any other ideas of Disney restaurants that should be expanded?:slurp: :slurp:

They probably wont ever do it for several reasons,

My first suspicion is that the resturant bussiness is a very volitale and finikey bussiness they have a 75% failure rate compared to other types of business. Take a look at how often some of the resturants in WDW are changed. I here that the fireworks factory by the levy organization is no longer there at pleasure island and it was packed when I was there in '93, most of the resorst resturants have been replaced many times since 71. and at least a dozen times for the contempoary resort.

The second reason I suspect is because with the failure of Disneyquest they aren't lickley to spend the money outside of the resorts even if the food is great, sometimes reaturants are a "here today gone tommrow" proposition and won't spread them selves out to other areas unless there is a draw to them with a theam like the ESPN Zone.

 

[2much2do]

Re: Re: Disney Restaurant's

Originally posted by jmarc63

The second reason I suspect is because with the failure of Disneyquest they aren't lickley to spend the money outside of the resorts even if the food is great, sometimes reaturants are a "here today gone tommrow" proposition and won't spread them selves out to other areas unless there is a draw to them with a theam like the ESPN Zone.

The failure of Disney Quest???? They are always so crowded when I've gone........

 

[dznynut]

DisneyQuest Crowded?

DisneyQuest is one of our favorite stops during our WDW vacation. We have always gone on Sunday mornings around 10:00 am. NOT CROWDED.... As a matter of fact we are usually the only ones there at that time of the day. Just a tip......

 

[jmarc63]

Re: Re: Re: Disney Restaurant's

Originally posted by 2much2do


The failure of Disney Quest???? They are always so crowded when I've gone........

YES......... they closed the one in Chicago almost two years ago, they say that they closed it due to lack of people comming to it. I think they were looking for more people to go there in the winter months and also more people durring the daytime like at the resorts

 

[Erika]

Yep, DQ sure didn't last long up here! If you blinked, you missed it.

 

[jmarc63]

Originally posted by Erika
Yep, DQ sure didn't last long up here! If you blinked, you missed it.

I was supposed to be going with a friend from out of town the day it closed and I was ed because i didn't know it was closing

 

[Erika]

I went twice-- the first time, things were good but still being worked out. The second time, everything was run down and falling apart. This was about 6 months later. I was so disappointed. I felt like, This is what Chicago does to Disney. Blech.

I would love to see some of the Disney restaurants in other areas but I would be really worried about quality control after what I saw with DQ. The Disney stores seem OK though.
*shrug*

 

[DisneyFreak721]

I think that they wouldn't start putting restaurants across the country because they want more of a reason for people to come across the country to WDW, Exclusive restaurants would be up there on that list.

Honestly, would you go eat at a place like 50's prime time cafe at the studios when you've got one in the city nearest you? I wouldn't. I would say "No, forget that idea. I can do that when I'm at home." And that's one reason i like WDW, they have stuff that I can't do at home.

 

[Talsonic]

Disney Turkey Legs!

Sorry, but WDW has never been known for its "fine" food. The food they serve is basically cafeteria fare, even in their "finest" establishments (no names...please). Now, if you want to get a Mickey Bar, hot dog & Coke, popcorn or a GIANT TURKEY LEG then WDW is the place. They have great junk food. Fine dining, no.

 

[2much2do]

Re: Disney Turkey Legs!

Originally posted by Talsonic
Sorry, but WDW has never been known for its "fine" food. The food they serve is basically cafeteria fare, even in their "finest" establishments (no names...please). Now, if you want to get a Mickey Bar, hot dog & Coke, popcorn or a GIANT TURKEY LEG then WDW is the place. They have great junk food. Fine dining, no.

Why are you so negative and argumentative about everything?

Many people really like the restaurants at WDW. At least four people on this thread alone have said good things about a WDW restaurant. Have you eaten in a sit down WDW restaurant recently even??? They have much improved recently. This topic isn't even about whether or not WDW food is "fine" or not. It's about "wouldn't it be cool to have a WDW restaurant near home". Let's stick to the topic.

 

[DisneyCP2000]

Although Disney Quest closed, Disney still has a successful "restuarant" over here. The ESPN zone is two doors down and i believe that it's still going strong. As for DQ, I don't think that place was really supposed to be know for it's food. A lot of the food that they served wasn't really thiers. They had the Cheesecake factory up there and I think that where the majority of the food that was served. They may of had thier own but it was really cheesey stuff. Dare I say Chuck E cheese. :hurl:

 

[Talsonic]

Keen Sense.

Originally posted by 2much2do


Why are you so negative and argumentative about everything?

Many people really like the restaurants at WDW. At least four people on this thread alone have said good things about a WDW restaurant. Have you eaten in a sit down WDW restaurant recently even??? They have much improved recently. This topic isn't even about whether or not WDW food is "fine" or not. It's about "wouldn't it be cool to have a WDW restaurant near home". Let's stick to the topic.

Hi 2much2do! The "California Grill" menu is better known so I won't go there. The "Spoodles" menu is listed below:


Sauteed Chile Garlic Shrimp - $7.99

Crispy Fried Calamari - With pepperoncini relish - $7.29

Sesame Caesar Salad - With baby Romaine lettuce - $5.99

Roasted Peppers - With Mozzarella cheese and basil - $4.99

Chicken and Ham Croquettes - $5.29

Grilled Lamb Skewer - With Puttanesca sauce - $6.99

Mussels - With olives, ham, and tomatoes - $6.99

Soup of the Day - $4.99

Arugula Salad - With apples, Gorgonzola cheese, spiced walnuts, and warm smokey bacon vinaigrette - $6.59

Spoodles Sampler Platter - With roasted peppers and Manchego cheese, lamb cigars, Spoodles chorizo and Tapa of the Day - $19.99

Mediterranean Dips - Hitipi, chermoula, and baba ghanoush - $4.99

Oak-Fired Flatbreads

Roasted Garlic and Four Cheese - $6.99

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil - $6.99

Chicken, Roasted Garlic, Roasted Peppers, Manchego Cheese, and Chives - $6.99

Main Courses

Gratin of Scallops - With Potato puree, sauteed mushrooms, and Parmesan breadcrumbs - $22.99

Spoodles Grilled Chicken - With seasonal vegetables, four grain almond pilaf, and a spicy tomato and onion relish - $15.99

Grilled Salmon - With sweet onion risotto, red wine sauce, and crispy onions - $17.99

Medallions of Filet Mignon - With Pancetta mashed potatoes, chive creme, and sundried tomato jam - $24.99

Rigatoni Pasta - With Italian sausage, tomatoes, and Portobello mushrooms - $13.99

Spaghettini - With chicken, spinach, and roasted peppers - $13.99

Moroccan Spiced Tuna - With braised greens and roasted red pepper couscous - $21.99

Fettuccini - With Proscuitto, peas, and Parmesan cream sauce - $14.29

Grilled Lamb Chops - With lamb stew and roasted red pepper couscous - $24.99

Desserts

Fresh Fruit Tart - $5.99

Walt's Favorite Lemon Meringue Pie - $6.99

Triple Chocolate and Macadamia Biscotti - $1.99

Chocolate Velvet Cake - $6.99

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake - With caramel sauce, Bailey's whipped cream, and hazelnut praline - $6.99

Tiramisu Ice Cream - $5.99

I don't think too many people would eat these dishes (at these prices) except on vacation. I liked the grilled salmon. I do a
variation of it at home on my grill with lemon, dill and butter sauce. Salmon grilled on a cedar plank is great! So, that's why Disney doesn't expand their food service outside of the parks. They have a captive audience.

 

[jmarc63]

Originally posted by DisneyFreak721
I think that they wouldn't start putting restaurants across the country because they want more of a reason for people to come across the country to WDW,......

Disneyfreek...

Boy-o-Boy You dont know a thing about resturants or disney.

Not openning resturants around the country so people go to WDW has nothing to do with it.

Disney is not in the resturant Bussiness they are in the the resort and entertainment Bussiness and while being in the resort Bussiness you have to provide resturants of various catagories to accomodate diffrent budgets and tastes, If I recall correctly most of there resturants not the food coutrt or fast food(counter service) are accually staffed by head chefs that are more aware of the day to day operations of running the picticular resturant in most cases, The accountants look at the dollars comming in and if they dont see the numbers then Disney says let's change it to pick up the Dollars or if the concept is tired like what has happened at the Contempoary.

When the Contempoary opened all the resturants in the hotel except for the game room and the pool were traditional sitdown eateries, some times in the 80s they started to change that to more cafateria type of service ( less staff is needed) and Theming of the new eateries. Personally I was less that happy about what was there in '93 and prefered a traditional sitdown resturant.

The grand concorse south of the elavator core in the middle of was one large coffee shop style dinning room with Waiter/waitress taking your order and serving you with the personal touch. On the west side of the Grand concource there under the monorail station was a fine dinning resturant more like a Five diamond hotel would have and I think thats gone too.

I use the contempoary senario because I stayed there on six visits from 71 to 76. But they did it every where on property as well.

The change I was the most upset with was when they changed the resturant at the Empress lilly at what was then part of the Buena Vista Shopping Village now part of Pleasure Island/Downtown Disney.

 

[jmarc63]

Re: Disney Turkey Legs!

Originally posted by Talsonic
Sorry, but WDW has never been known for its "fine" food. The food they serve is basically cafeteria fare, even in their "finest" establishments (no names...please). Now, if you want to get a Mickey Bar, hot dog & Coke, popcorn or a GIANT TURKEY LEG then WDW is the place. They have great junk food. Fine dining, no.

Just so you know it wasn't always that way, I would blame Eisner for this. Even the food in the parks was better in the 70s than it is now. It's all about the bottom line now and not so much on the quality

 

[Jimmy]

Re: Disney Turkey Legs!

Originally posted by Talsonic
Sorry, but WDW has never been known for its "fine" food. The food they serve is basically cafeteria fare, even in their "finest" establishments (no names...please). Now, if you want to get a Mickey Bar, hot dog & Coke, popcorn or a GIANT TURKEY LEG then WDW is the place. They have great junk food. Fine dining, no.

You are crazy. Some of my favorite resturants are at WDW. Personally, I would love my own private O'Hana.

 

[disneydudette]

Don't get me wrong...I Love Disney restuarants....but honestly the highlights of our vacations are not going to eat at the restaurants....given they may produce cute memories....

I was always statsified with they disney food......given...u get what u pay for....Le Cellier(sp?) Steak house was def not cafiteria stye.....may have been overpriced....but what in Disney isn't.....

That brings another point....if they do go nation wide with there Dining....how much would it be.....because in the realworld who would honestly pay 12$ for a cheeseburger and fries.....

besides I enjoy the disney dining down there.....its somtin that keeps we coming back....I enjoy the afternoons at the SciFi cafe or theater?!?!.....and Breakfast at chef mickey's.....The dinning is a part of Disney.....

 

[Erika]

Originally posted by DisneyCP2000
Although Disney Quest closed, Disney still has a successful "restuarant" over here. The ESPN zone is two doors down and i believe that it's still going strong.

Oh, good point! I didn't even think of that!

And no, I don't believe anyone went to DQ for the food :lol: especially when the real thing (Cheesecake Factory- actual restaurant) was so close by!