New Enhancements, Dining Options Coming to Disney’s BoardWalk

[JAB]

Come on, Ample Hills didn't fail because of the pricing. Please.

The company was completely mismanaged and the previous owners have lost two businesses. Quite a shame.

Exactly. You get less for the money from Salt & Straw and yet they do fine.

Yep. The Ample Hills Boardwalk location closing had nothing to do with how well it was performing. The owners tried to expand too quickly by attempting to open their own factory for mass production, and it drove the whole company into bankruptcy.

An ice cream shop in FL already starts with a much larger potential customer base than a "boutique" bakery and restaurant, and $6-$7 for ice cream - while a bit pricey - is much more reasonable than $25+ for a slice of cake.

 

[WorldExplorer]

Ample Hills was delicious; it had novelty flavors that were unique and not anything like Beaches and Cream (plus the ooey gooey toffee cake that I still miss). And it was open back when it was easy to access the boardwalk. My sister and I took nighttime drives just to get Ample Hills a lot.

Meanwhile, no one will ever be like "hey, let's go to Springs to take a bus to Boardwalk for a 21 dollar slice of cake, then need to take two forms of transportation to get back again!".

 

[UNCgolf]

I think the location also hurt Ample Hills -- there was better ice cream/gelato available at Disney Springs, so there wasn't really any reason to go to Boardwalk just to get ice cream from there.

Not that it mattered I guess, since it closed because the whole company went under, not because the Boardwalk location was really struggling.

 

[mattpeto]

I think the location also hurt Ample Hills -- there was better ice cream/gelato available at Disney Springs, so there wasn't really any reason to go to Boardwalk just to get ice cream from there.

Not that it mattered I guess, since it closed because the whole company went under, not because the Boardwalk location was really struggling.

2nd point really. The place wasn't struggling, the company was.

 

[FigmentFan82]

I still don't truly know who this restaurant is for. With the amount of dining options available in WDW this just seems like it doesn't have a true audience to capture. What am I missing about this place that will legitimately draw people to it?

 

[radiorae]

Meanwhile, no one will ever be like "hey, let's go to Springs to take a bus to Boardwalk for a 21 dollar slice of cake, then need to take two forms of transportation to get back again!".

But that’s just it, plenty of people won’t have to go to Springs and take a bus. It’s a literal 6 min walk out the back of Epcot and from the Skyliner. People make the equal trek to Beaches and Cream all the time. I’m not saying it’s worth the price and have no idea what the quality is, but I don’t think location is nearly as much of a dealbreaker as it’s being made out to be.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Exactly. You get less for the money from Salt & Straw and yet they do fine.

I liked Ample Hills, even searched out one of the locations in nyc once… but I think Salt & Straw is like 10x better. They rotate flavors more so all of the menus are not equal but when they hit nothing can beat them!

 

[UNCgolf]

But that’s just it, plenty of people won’t have to go to Springs and take a bus. It’s a literal 6 min walk out the back of Epcot and from the Skyliner. People make the equal trek to Beaches and Cream all the time. I’m not saying it’s worth the price and have no idea what the quality is, but I don’t think location is nearly as much of a dealbreaker as it’s being made out to be.

The location alone isn't the dealbreaker -- it's the combo of the location and the price. The lunch prices are crazy, and there's a better restaurant with similar pricing almost next door at the Boardwalk for dinner.

 

[UNCgolf]

I liked Ample Hills, even searched out one of the locations in nyc once… but I think Salt & Straw is like 10x better. They rotate flavors more so all of the menus are not equal but when they hit nothing can beat them!

Vivoli il Gelato at Disney Springs is a lot better than Ample Hills was anyways.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The location alone isn't the dealbreaker -- it's the combo of the location and the price. The lunch prices are crazy, and there's a better restaurant with similar pricing almost next door at the Boardwalk for dinner.

Their Carmel location sells a burger for $25 when the place next door has them starting at $16. I find it very hard to believe a $25 burger is considered reasonable in Indiana. That same location has $7 sodas, and they’re bottled so you’re not even getting a refill. I genuinely do not understand this constant shock at the prices. What did people expect?

 

[UNCgolf]

Their Carmel location sells a burger for $25 when the place next door has them starting at $16. I find it very hard to believe a $25 burger is considered reasonable in Indiana. That same location has $7 sodas, and they’re bottled so you’re not even getting a refill. I genuinely do not understand this constant shock at the prices. What did people expect?

I think you're missing the point.

It's not shock at the prices (although they are ridiculous, and ridiculous in Indiana too); it's that they aren't going to work well in this location. It's something special/different in Indiana (or at least supposed to be); it isn't at Disney.

Even beyond all of that, the Boardwalk specifically doesn't seem like a good spot for this.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I think you're missing the point.

It's not shock at the prices (although they are ridiculous, and ridiculous in Indiana too); it's that they aren't going to work well in this location. It's something special/different in Indiana (or at least supposed to be); it isn't at Disney.

Even beyond all of that, the Boardwalk specifically doesn't seem like a good spot for this.

I woulda thought rooms costing $800 to $1600 a night would never get enough customers to be profitable...

 

[UNCgolf]

I woulda though rooms costing $800 to $1600 a night would never get enough customers to be profitable...

That's why they always offer discounts!

 

[arich35]

This place will be shut down in less than 5 years

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Disney sets the experience expectation for the lessor. I doubt very much that if Hot Topic wanted to open a store at the Boardwalk, even if they paid a premium on rent, would Disney believe that it is a good fit with the environment they want to create.

Today’s Disney? Probably.

 

[LSLS]

But that’s just it, plenty of people won’t have to go to Springs and take a bus. It’s a literal 6 min walk out the back of Epcot and from the Skyliner. People make the equal trek to Beaches and Cream all the time. I’m not saying it’s worth the price and have no idea what the quality is, but I don’t think location is nearly as much of a dealbreaker as it’s being made out to be.

Beaches and Cream is SIGNIFICANTLY smaller than this place (at least from the outside). I'm far from convinced enough people will leave the parks to go get a $32 hamburger and $25 slice of cake.

 

[Bocabear]

It works great if you are staying either on Crescent Lake or at a skyliner resort... I am sure that is part of why Gwendolyn wanted to have that location......
The biggest issue is the style and price point of this restaurant... This location needs a great big casual dining spot...and the WDW resort needs some late night dining....Multiple locations, but this could have been a great location to service a lot of resorts... Perhaps using the usually closed Atlantic Dance Hall and expanding it into a fantastic Jersey Shore Boardwalk themed casual eatery with a late dining component....

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

It works great if you are staying either on Crescent Lake or at a skyliner resort... I am sure that is part of why Gwendolyn wanted to have that location......
The biggest issue is the style and price point of this restaurant... This location needs a great big casual dining spot...and the WDW resort needs some late night dining....Multiple locations, but this could have been a great location to service a lot of resorts... Perhaps using the usually closed Atlantic Dance Hall and expanding it into a fantastic Jersey Shore Boardwalk themed casual eatery with a late dining component....

What is your definition/thought on late night dining? I just don't see where the big target market would be for one.

First, your going to be really isolated geographically. If your looking for after park/late night dining, it means you're not going to have internal Disney Transportation available. How many people are going to want to be taking ubers late night just for some casual dining based on the boardwalk? So any real late night dining is likely going to be limited to the walkable resorts in the area. Now the boardwalk has a bunch available, but I don't see you drawing from the entire WDW resort crowd base. How many people are going to want to close down epcott, then walk over to the boardwalk for something to eat, and then have to figure out how to get back to their resorts?

Second you have to deal with an age problem. For anyone with very young kids, or even kids slightly older that are getting to the parks early....late night dining is not for you. Same for your older guests.

Third, I don't know how much time you have ever spent on a Jersey Shore boardwalk late night, be it point pleasant, wild wood, seaside heights.....none of those places are the type of location or environments that WDW is going to look to recreate, nor would you want them anywhere near a deluxe level resort where people are trying to sleep. You have a ton of mid/older teens running around generally unsupervised, and a large and loud bar scene, and not really the low key type bars that you would see at Disney Springs.

 

[Bocabear]

first off, i grew up at the Jersey Shore... I know the area and the boardwalks... and secondly, they already did try to recreate a 1940s era boardwalk environment which is the resort itself... I am not talking about a present day boardwalk...lol but the same sort of vision that the resort was based on... This would not literally be Wildwood boardwalk dropped into WDW.... any more than the current hotel is not literally Atlantic City... There would be no hoards of unsupervised teens...no hoodlums and organized crime... It is a restaurant allowing people to eat after the parks close.....
There are 6 resorts directly in the Crescent Lake area... that is 4,868 guest accommodations including hotel rooms and villas... I think that is enough people to serve not including the guests that would be traveling through on the Skyliner during operating hours...from the Riviera , CBR and AOA resorts...which is an additional 5,836 rooms... The restaurant could theoretically be serving 10,804 guest rooms.
By late night I am thinking of the hours between 9pm and midnight... There are tons of people that stay for the fioreworks and are not ready to go directly to bed...that would appreciate a place to get a little food or drinks... It has happened many times to us that we get caught up in doing too much, stay for the fireworks and then realize we missed dinner and there is no place to get anything to eat without getting the car and driving off property... There is a reason the lines for the McDonalds near the All Star Resorts and at The Crossroads was always ridiculous late night...
There is a need... And the Boardwalk/ Crescent Lake is one area that would address the largest amount of resort guests from one location...

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

first off, i grew up at the Jersey Shore... I know the area and the boardwalks... and secondly, they already did try to recreate a 1940s era boardwalk environment which is the resort itself... I am not talking about a present day boardwalk...lol but the same sort of vision that the resort was based on... This would not literally be Wildwood boardwalk dropped into WDW.... any more than the current hotel is not literally Atlantic City... There would be no hoards of unsupervised teens...no hoodlums and organized crime... It is a restaurant allowing people to eat after the parks close.....
There are 6 resorts directly in the Crescent Lake area... that is 4,868 guest accommodations including hotel rooms and villas... I think that is enough people to serve not including the guests that would be traveling through on the Skyliner during operating hours...from the Riviera , CBR and AOA resorts...which is an additional 5,836 rooms... The restaurant could theoretically be serving 10,804 guest rooms.
By late night I am thinking of the hours between 9pm and midnight... There are tons of people that stay for the fioreworks and are not ready to go directly to bed...that would appreciate a place to get a little food or drinks... It has happened many times to us that we get caught up in doing too much, stay for the fireworks and then realize we missed dinner and there is no place to get anything to eat without getting the car and driving off property... There is a reason the lines for the McDonalds near the All Star Resorts and at The Crossroads was always ridiculous late night...
There is a need... And the Boardwalk/ Crescent Lake is one area that would address the largest amount of resort guests from one location...

If all your talking about is a restaurant open late, you again still have to deal with the after hours transporation being an issue, and not being all that nessisary for a major portion of your customer base...familes with young kids.

Also most of the hotels in the area already have offerings that are open later. For example the Fountain in Swan...or maybe Dolphin, I will be honest I get them mixed up, is open until 11. The reserve also has a later night meal offering an they all have bars that are open late night. Granted a small sample size but other than convention weeks when those bars can be packed, i have never experienced the restaurants that are open late being all that crowed, nor have the bars been full to such a capacity that you would think you really have such a demand that needs expanding.