Orlando Becoming East Coast Headquarters for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Again, seriously don't mean to knock what Central Florida has to offer, but a big part of what current residents of LA, NYC, Seattle, the Bay Area, Chicago, etc. really love is their food scene. Honestly, it applies pretty much everywhere - I grew to love Philly's food while spending four years there, and whenever I visit a new city, trying the food is a big part of getting the feel for it (e.g. New Orleans).

Orlando's not quite there yet, but it has some gems⁠—just not as much choice in any given 15-20 minute radius.

 

[Lilofan]

Again, seriously don't mean to knock what Central Florida has to offer, but a big part of what current residents of LA, NYC, Seattle, the Bay Area, Chicago, etc. really love is their food scene. Honestly, it applies pretty much everywhere - I grew to love Philly's food while spending four years there, and whenever I visit a new city, trying the food is a big part of getting the feel for it (e.g. New Orleans).

Orlando's not quite there yet, but it has some gems⁠—just not as much choice in any given 15-20 minute radius.

Orlando does have a gritty roach coach food scene. In some parts there are trailer trucks in parking lots lined up serving up Latin cuisine from 4pm-6am Thu-Sat and attracts a diverse crowd of all walks of life and that's mildly speaking. The highlight is when the illegal drag races tear up the roadways, wake up the residents in their homes, apts , while drunken and other types of people under other substances cheer them on near the roach coaches and no it is not in Lake Nona, yet.. Nothing though compares to the incredible car culture of CA .

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Orlando does have a gritty roach coach food scene. In some parts there are trailer trucks in parking lots lined up serving up Latin cuisine from 4pm-6am Thu-Sat and attracts a diverse crowd of all walks of life and that's mildly speaking. The highlight is when the illegal drag races tear up the roadways, wake up the residents in their homes, apts , while drunken and other types of people under other substances cheer them on near the roach coaches and no it is not in Lake Nona, yet.. Nothing though compares to the incredible car culture of CA .

Sometimes the gritty part of the food scene is a real highlight - I'm sure many in California's big metro areas and NYC feel that way. Definitely doesn't have to be high-end to be interesting and quality.

 

[Lilofan]

Sometimes the gritty part of the food scene is a real highlight - I'm sure many in California's big metro areas and NYC feel that way. Definitely doesn't have to be high-end to be interesting and quality.

The food is good even though a little pricey, the characters that show up add to the experience!

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

As for the middle class: Looks out window of house bought recently. Gorgeous clear blue sky, temps in the 60s, will hit low 80s later, humidity at 30%. Kids are riding bikes, heading for the nearby park’s bike trail. Neighbors are out drinking coffee on their porches. Probably go to the beach later on, after we finish planning our next weekend car getaway to Lake Tahoe. Will pick up food from the farmer’s market or we might hit the El Salvadoran supermarket, maybe get takeout from some of the best Indian restaurants in the country, or perhaps dim sum from a Taiwanese chain. If we want to hit a museum or see live theater or attend the opera or classical music, world renowned institutions are in our backyard (and offer low or free admission on various occasions). Two of the world’s most highly ranked universities are nearby; might sign up for an extension class or attend one of the free lectures offered by their faculty.

Yeah, life really sucks here. Constant struggle.

The irony being that everything you said is true but people are still moving away.

California has every natural element working in its favor: beautiful weather, beautiful beaches, beautiful scenery, beautiful mountains… it’s a natural paradise and its still experiencing population loss. That‘s purely down to how the state is ran, pretty sad when you think about it.

I live in Las Vegas and I’d guess 95% of the homes with a “sold“ sign have a car with a CA license plate in the driveway. We dont have any of the natural benefits of CA but cant build homes fast enough to accommodate all the former Californians moving here, unfortunately we are just becoming a cheaper version of CA, traffic is getting worse, prices are rising, crime is rising… I wish CA would sort out their issues so people would stay there and just visit us rather than moving here, I don’t want to live in a huge metro area with all the associated problems that come with a huge population.

 

[UNCgolf]

The irony being that everything you said is true but people are still moving away.

California has every natural element working in its favor: beautiful weather, beautiful beaches, beautiful scenery, beautiful mountains… it’s a natural paradise and its still experiencing population loss. That‘s purely down to how the state is ran, pretty sad when you think about it.

I live in Las Vegas and I’d guess 95% of the homes with a “sold“ sign have a car with a CA license plate in the driveway. We dont have any of the natural benefits of CA but cant build homes fast enough to accommodate all the former Californians moving here, unfortunately we are just becoming a cheaper version of CA, traffic is getting worse, prices are rising, crime is rising… I wish CA would sort out their issues so people would stay there and just visit us rather than moving here, I don’t want to live in a huge metro area with all the associated problems that come with a huge population.

California is such a huge state that I'm not sure it's that useful to just say people are coming or going overall. I'm almost positive San Diego is still experiencing a steady population increase, and Los Angeles is comparable with NYC in that there are slight yearly increases/decreases with the overall population staying roughly the same. San Francisco is probably declining, but there's also basically nowhere else for people to go in San Francisco. It's essentially maxed out without demolition and construction of new high rise condos/apartments. I don't know if the decline would exist if you expanded to include the whole Bay area.

Those areas are certainly not experiencing the massive population growth of cities like Raleigh, Houston, Charlotte, Dallas, etc. though.

 

[Dutch Inn '76]

My brother works in Burbank in the television industry. He would be OVERJOYED if his job forced him to move to Florida. He'd make $4-500,000 from the relocation with his house alone.

 

[MorphinePrince]

I live in Las Vegas

Now there is a city that I could never live in. With all the Cirque shows and my faves having residencies out there, I'd never have any money

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Now there is a city that I could never live in. With all the Cirque shows and my faves having residencies out there, I'd never have any money

Definitely one of the pros (and cons) to living in Vegas, I was chuckling reading the foodie discussion because we have every restaurant and chef imaginable here but I’ve never been to 90% of them, it’s nice to have access but it‘s just not realistic to eat at them regularly because most are $50-100+ a plate, not something I can afford nightly. (Not with my Disney habit anyway).

 

[TalkingHead]

Nobody in their right mind would say Orlando's food scene is equal to what's in bigger cities. But if you know where to look, there's plenty of good non-chain places in the Milk District, Maitland, etc. I'm not sure how well represented Cuban and Caribbean cuisine is in LA, but Central Florida, especially Tampa, has some fantastic places.

I will say if I were moving from LA, Lake Nona would be a tough sell. But LA transplants will be accustomed to traffic and long commutes, so maybe they'll mostly choose to reside in more interesting parts of town.

 

[Dutch Inn '76]

I'm not one who's particularly invested in the fast food debate - I don't think I've ever had the fries at any of these places (maybe once at In-N-Out?), and I haven't ordered a burger on a bun from them in 12+ years (burger on lettuce is where it's at). So my perspective is also through the lens of "tastes great, but make it healthier."

For me, Habit Burger is the clear winner there, which ultimately comes down to the meat, lettuce wrap, toppings, etc. Other places like Burger Lounge are also very good, but they're at an even higher pricing tier so I'm excluding from the competitive set. I know not everyone rates their burgers on lettuce wraps, but that's been my guiding light for years, and both In-N-Out and Five Guys fall flat there.

It sounds like In-N-Out's fries are also widely considered to be losers, so fair enough. I think the burgers are well-liked for being quick and cheap.

I think that Shake Shack baaaaaarely edges out Five Guys. ...but SS is hard to find, really.

 

[cranbiz]

I lived in the Santa Clara area for awhile and now in North Carolina so I have experienced both restaurants.

IMHO, 5 Guys is far superior to In-N-Out. In-N-Out is over rated. Burgers are OK, fries are not. I like the burgers a lot at 5 Guys and the fries are some of the best fast food fries out there.

In the strictest definition, 5 Guys is not fast food, more like Quick Service while In-N-Out is fast food.

 

[Lilofan]

Nobody in their right mind would say Orlando's food scene is equal to what's in bigger cities. But if you know where to look, there's plenty of good non-chain places in the Milk District, Maitland, etc. I'm not sure how well represented Cuban and Caribbean cuisine is in LA, but Central Florida, especially Tampa, has some fantastic places.

I will say if I were moving from LA, Lake Nona would be a tough sell. But LA transplants will be accustomed to traffic and long commutes, so maybe they'll mostly choose to reside in more interesting parts of town.

Budget dollar bills and coins or use a transponder for daily driving . The major roadway by Lake Nona is the not cheap 417 Greenway Toll Road.

 

[skypilot2922]

The irony being that everything you said is true but people are still moving away.

California has every natural element working in its favor: beautiful weather, beautiful beaches, beautiful scenery, beautiful mountains… it’s a natural paradise and its still experiencing population loss. That‘s purely down to how the state is ran, pretty sad when you think about it.

I live in Las Vegas and I’d guess 95% of the homes with a “sold“ sign have a car with a CA license plate in the driveway. We dont have any of the natural benefits of CA but cant build homes fast enough to accommodate all the former Californians moving here, unfortunately we are just becoming a cheaper version of CA, traffic is getting worse, prices are rising, crime is rising… I wish CA would sort out their issues so people would stay there and just visit us rather than moving here, I don’t want to live in a huge metro area with all the associated problems that come with a huge population.

Now if the Red Witch could lift Sacremento and toss it into a alternate universe California might have a chance, But I would feel bad for whoever ended up with Sacremento.

 

[TimeTrip]

Interesting - didn't know Habit Burger had made it east but that's something, albeit not really the same as having it in your metro area.

Habit burger was in the Orlando area. The 3 locations closed in Summer of 2019.

 

[JoeCamel]

I lived in the Santa Clara area for awhile and now in North Carolina so I have experienced both restaurants.

IMHO, 5 Guys is far superior to In-N-Out. In-N-Out is over rated. Burgers are OK, fries are not. I like the burgers a lot at 5 Guys and the fries are some of the best fast food fries out there.

In the strictest definition, 5 Guys is not fast food, more like Quick Service while In-N-Out is fast food.

Fries are what built micky dees. Get the fries right and the rest can be garbage and is

 

[Lilofan]

Fries are what built micky dees. Get the fries right and the rest can be garbage and is

Freshest fries is when you ask for an order with no salt. The staff member has to fry you a fresh batch. Then while paying for your hot fresh fries, ask for a few salt packets.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

Freshest fries is when you ask for an order with no salt. The staff member has to fry you a fresh batch. Then while paying for your hot fresh fries, ask for a few salt packets.

I always order a QP with cheese, no onions. So they have to make me one fresh.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I'm so out of the loop with this conversation about fries and fast food; for me fast casual has completely taken over since bursting onto the scene. It really started with Chipotle, but now you have the "Chipotle" of everything, as well as places more built around composed plates: Sweetgreen, Shake Shack, Blaze, MOD, Cava, Tender Greens, Lemonade, Urban Plates, Curry Up Now, etc.

Most metro areas also have their own unique takes on this model, and I love it - only a few bucks more than McDonald's at this stage, but much higher quality. Polite Pig and D-Luxe Burger in Disney Springs are also solid examples, and it's typically easier to make healthy substitutions at these venues.

I think fast casual is going to be the great equalizer of accessing quality food regardless of where you live. It already says something that places like Sweetgreen are sprouting up in Miami, Colorado, and Texas - they're following the transplants from the East and West Coasts who are seeking out that quality. Maybe Orlando will be next?

This trend should help mitigate the 'loss' any foodies feel heading from LA to Central Florida - it's a lot easier to eat well than it was 10 years ago.

 

[Lilofan]

Habit burger was in the Orlando area. The 3 locations closed in Summer of 2019.

That's unfortunate. Some don't appreciate a good product. Whattaburger tried opening up in Central Florida and closed up the location a year later. But the USA's largest stand alone McDonalds is at the intersection of Sand Lake/I Drive a few minutes from Universal. .