Steakhouse 55 Permanently Closed?

[CaptinEO]

Here are my thoughts on these two permanent closures. Sorry if I ruffle a few feathers, as I'm finishing my summer sundown cocktail...

Steakhouse 55 - Also known as, the restaurant I loved to hate.

It had so much potential. It was designed beautifully and cleverly in that rather limiting and confined 1970's space it was given. But the management of this restaurant for at least the past decade just couldn't pull it off. It was obvious the management here had no true fine dining experience or training. They were the epitome of that Disney thing where they think giving a big cheesy smile and a semi-convincing "I'm so sorry..." line was World Class Guest Service. It wasn't.

The service was acceptable at best, patchy way too often, and unkempt and sloppy on too many occasions. The details of fine dining were left undone, the lobby bar in front branded with the restaurant's name was a complete disaster, and too many CM's had the air of former ride operators who transferred over to the hotel to make good tips even though they had no proper training and obviously poor management to guide and lead them.

That said.... the actual food could be fabulous. But the experience and spotty service and obviously sketchy management just let the place fall apart over a decade ago.

The Anaheim Resort District now has three other actual world-class steakhouses all within walking distance of each other. And Ruth's Chris and Morton's have provided top notch service and finely polished presentation for years, so it's not something that is impossible within Anaheim city limits. They just couldn't pull it off at Steakhouse 55, regardless of how cleverly the Imagineers photoshopped the cigarettes out of Walt's hands on all those fabulous 1940's portraits on the walls.

Fleming's just opened literally a block south of the Disneyland Hotel at the new Westin. It's obvious that TDA realized they just couldn't compete with real fine dining establishments, they knew they didn't want to spend the cash and the energy to make Steakhouse 55 compete with the others. So they gave up. Luckily, they get to blame Covid and the economic destruction it has wrought on Anaheim.

PCH Grill - Really? That was still a going concern? It had the interior design of a bad 1990's date nite restaurant, locked in time like it was still 1997. They missed an opportunity to have TV screens above the buffet showing news reports of President Clinton's Monica Lewinsky scandal. "I did not have sex with that woman!" could play on a loop above the omelette station.

Or, maybe not. It was a family restaurant after all. But my God, was it stuck in the 1990's. So painful.

It was a sad, dated, dreary little space with low ceilings and a view of a secondary 6 lane street. But all you can eat Jell-O!

Godspeed to you PCH Grill. Somewhere there's a Friends Fan Convention that would love to have you cater.

Love your posts and information. Any good recommendations for a steak house?

The night before our wedding at the Disneyland Hotel we were given valet parking for free and special desert at Steakhouse 55 in addition to a complimentary cake. Great meal and it kept us full the entire next day until our reception Dinner.

We meant to visit it for our first anniversary, but were too full and didnt go again until a few months later, March 7 2020. Little did we know this would be the last Saturday it operated.

I never went to the PCH grill but your description cracked me up! It's funny how if something is 30 years old you can actually play it off as retro and people can enjoy it. They could've made it "Disney's 90s Cafe".

 

[Curious Constance]

Here are my thoughts on these two permanent closures. Sorry if I ruffle a few feathers, as I'm finishing my summer sundown cocktail...

Steakhouse 55 - Also known as, the restaurant I loved to hate.

It had so much potential. It was designed beautifully and cleverly in that rather limiting and confined 1970's space it was given. But the management of this restaurant for at least the past decade just couldn't pull it off. It was obvious the management here had no true fine dining experience or training. They were the epitome of that Disney thing where they think giving a big cheesy smile and a semi-convincing "I'm so sorry..." line was World Class Guest Service. It wasn't.

The service was acceptable at best, patchy way too often, and unkempt and sloppy on too many occasions. The details of fine dining were left undone, the lobby bar in front branded with the restaurant's name was a complete disaster, and too many CM's had the air of former ride operators who transferred over to the hotel to make good tips even though they had no proper training and obviously poor management to guide and lead them.

That said.... the actual food could be fabulous. But the experience and spotty service and obviously sketchy management just let the place fall apart over a decade ago.

The Anaheim Resort District now has three other actual world-class steakhouses all within walking distance of each other. And Ruth's Chris and Morton's have provided top notch service and finely polished presentation for years, so it's not something that is impossible within Anaheim city limits. They just couldn't pull it off at Steakhouse 55, regardless of how cleverly the Imagineers photoshopped the cigarettes out of Walt's hands on all those fabulous 1940's portraits on the walls.

Fleming's just opened literally a block south of the Disneyland Hotel at the new Westin. It's obvious that TDA realized they just couldn't compete with real fine dining establishments, they knew they didn't want to spend the cash and the energy to make Steakhouse 55 compete with the properly managed neighbors. So they gave up. Luckily, they get to blame Covid and the economic destruction it has wrought on Anaheim.

PCH Grill - Really? That was still a going concern? It had the interior design of a bad 1990's date nite restaurant, locked in time like it was still 1997. They missed an opportunity to have TV screens above the buffet showing news reports of President Clinton's Monica Lewinsky scandal. "I did not have sex with that woman!" could play on a loop above the omelette station.

Or, maybe not. It was a family restaurant after all. But my God, was it stuck in the 1990's. So painful.

It was a sad, dated, dreary little space with low ceilings and a view of a secondary 6 lane street. But all you can eat Jell-O!

Godspeed to you PCH Grill. Somewhere there's a Friends Fan Convention that would love to have you cater.

Consider my feathers ruffled!

 

[TP2000]

Love your posts and information. Any good recommendations for a steak house?

I never went to the PCH grill but your description cracked me up! It's funny how if something is 30 years old you can actually play it off as retro and people can enjoy it. They could've made it "Disney's 90s Cafe".

I love independent steakhouses, and when I travel I seek them out in their various cities. The Cellar in Fullerton, The Ringside in Portland, Pappas Brothers in Dallas, and Metropolitan in Seattle are all favorites. In Anaheim itself, you've got the three big chains all within a few blocks of each other. I think it's the only city in the nation setup like that.

While I seek out indepenents and family owned steakhouses, the three chains in Anaheim are top notch. I enjoy Morton's for the dry aged steaks, but Ruth's Chris wins for their skill with the sides. Both are fabulous experiences, and both have expert bartenders on hand to make your wait for a table a pleasant part of the evening.

There's also a brand new Fleming's that just opened in the Westin a block south of the Disneyland Hotel. I haven't been to that new location yet. All other Fleming's are highly rated, and I expect their new Anaheim location off the lobby of the Westin to be the same. When the convention business comes back in 2022, all three of these steakhouses will be roaring with business.

Steakhouse 55 was a noble attempt. And it was great the first few years. Then, in typical TDA fashion, it got dumbed down and all the details went missing. Like the managers there should have been working a shift at Cafe Orleans or Wine Country Trattoria instead of trying to compete with Ruth's Chris and Morton's. Bless their hearts!

 

[TP2000]

Consider my feathers ruffled!

I'm sorry, dear. But I just had to get it off my chest.

Here's some good news... the place is closed. Shut down. Sent off to Yesterland, and parked next to the Rocket Rods.

It no longer has any power to divide us or strain our friendship. It's over, and we must move on.

If it helps any, you may blame tonight's Sundowner Cocktail I was finishing as I typed that. I had a busy day, so I made it a Double.

 

[Californian Elitist]

The biggest issue for me here is not necessarily that the restaurant is going away, but that any replacement will most likely be a disappointment, based on Disney’s recent track record. It’ll probably be a Pixar or Star Wars restaurant.

 

[CaptinEO]

I love independent steakhouses, and when I travel I seek them out in their various cities. The Cellar in Fullerton, The Ringside in Portland, and the Metropolitan in Seattle are all favorites. In Anaheim itself, you've got the three big chains all within a few blocks of each other. I think it's the only city in the nation setup like that.

While I seek out indepenents and family owned steakhouses, the three chains in Anaheim are top notch. I enjoy Morton's for the dry aged steaks, but Ruth's Chris wins for their skill with the sides. Both are fabulous experiences, and both have expert bartenders on hand to make your wait for a table a pleasant part of the evening.

There's also a brand new Fleming's that just opened in the Westin a block south of the Disneyland Hotel. All other Fleming's are highly rated, and I expect their new Anaheim location off the lobby of the Westin to be the same. When the convention business comes back in 2022, all three of these steakhouses will be roaring with business.

Steakhouse 55 was a noble attempt. And it was great the first few years. Then, in typical TDA fashion, it got dumbed down and all the details went missing. Like the managers there should have been working a shift at Cafe Orleans or Wine Country Trattoria instead of trying to compete with Ruth's Chris and Morton's.

Thank you so much for the information. Sounds like I should try Ruth Cris, Flemings, and Mortons for different reasons each. It could certainly make for some fun date nights!

Is Flemings the location you talked about as being an old school 1950s style fine dining restaurant?

It's so sad how Disney continually degrades things to the point that they no longer have their original intent.

 

[TP2000]

The biggest issue for me here is not necessarily that the restaurant is going away, but that any replacement will most likely be a disappointment, based on Disney’s recent track record. It’ll probably be a Pixar or Star Wars restaurant.

I worry about that too. Anything new must now be tied to an IP; Marvel, Star Wars, the latest Princess to hit the Target toy aisle, etc.

But it's also telling they have nothing to announce as replacements. They are simply closing these restaurants for good. Buh-bye.

 

[TP2000]

Thank you so much for the information. Sounds like I should try Ruth Cris, Flemings, and Mortons for different reasons each. It could certainly make for some fun date nights!

Is Flemings the location you talked about as being an old school 1950s style fine dining restaurant?

It's so sad how Disney continually degrades things to the point that they no longer have their original intent.

I'm not sure which place I referenced as 1950's fine dining. Ruth's Chris and Morton's are always very well managed and operated, and the Anaheim locations have never dissapointed me. I generally hit the Irvine Ruth's Chris and the South Coast Plaza Morton's, as I'm retired and not in the convention world any longer. And Anaheim is not the first place to come to mind when I'm on Opentable.com trolling around for a reservation.

The South Coast Plaza location of The Capital Grille is also fabulous. I'll crash into the bar there after a few hours of shopping a few times a year, and my usual table in the bar is right underneath the gorgeous oil painting of John Wayne. Unlike Steakhouse 55, the designers at The Capital Grille aren't weighed down by corporate guilt and kept the lit cigarette visible in The Duke's hand in his portrait. The east facing dining room of that same Capital Grille also has a wonderful oil painting of Walt Disney on the wall. The Kona Coffee rubbed steak there is my favorite.

El Gaucho is the only major national swanky steakhouse chain that Anaheim doesn't have. Although El Gaucho isn't as big of a presence here in SoCal as it is in the cities of the Pacific Northwest or Mountain West, probably because SoCal has lots of competition already.

Flemings is brand new. In the new Westin. I've been very busy socially the past few weeks and feel out of the loop a bit here, so I'm unsure if the new Westin Hotel on Katella has even opened for guests. But I remember @George Lucas on a Bench mentioning the restaurant was going to open back in June, before the hotel itself opened.

I do want to try this new Fleming's. I have tentative plans to buzz over there later in July with a friend for a proper meal.

 

[jmuboy]

There are 300 DVC units coming …. The Steakhouse 55 will become something. But I’m scared it will be some bland quick service cafe / marketplace like they do in the Dvc resorts at Disney. Ale and Compass comes to mind.

 

[Curious Constance]

I'm sorry, dear. But I just had to get it off my chest.

Here's some good news... the place is closed. Shut down. Sent off to Yesterland, and parked next to the Rocket Rods.

It no longer has any power to divide us or strain our friendship. It's over, and we must move on.

If it helps any, you may blame tonight's Sundowner Cocktail I was finishing as I typed that. I had a busy day, so I made it a Double.

I’m just joking. Never ate at Steakhouse 55 and all I can think of when I think of the PCH Grill is my little 4 year old daughter giggling when Stitch pretended to eat her pancakes and my 8 month old son’s baby chub face looking at the camera like when Lilo stood next to him. You can’t compete with that.

 

[TP2000]

There are 300 DVC units coming …. The Steakhouse 55 will become something. But I’m scared it will be some bland quick service cafe / marketplace like they do in the Dvc resorts at Disney. Ale and Compass comes to mind.

Ooh... good point on the DVC units. I would hope they could keep the uninspired fast food/marketplace/grab-n-go pablum to that new timeshare tower entirely.

But... maybe they think they can use the Steakhouse 55 space instead.

Can we just pause for a moment to remember how pathetic the lobby bar was at Steakhouse 55? It was always staffed by one, lone, checked-out bartender who appeared to have been on auto pilot since about 2004. If you were tenacious enough to get his attention to order a drink, the cocktails were sad and formulaic. And he'd plop the drink down on the bar, and you were expected to reach over and peel off your own cocktail napkin from the stack, you fool. He couldn't be bothered. They would have been better off just putting in a horrible robot drink machine and saving a few bucks on labor.

So many details and so much polish has gone missing all over the Disneyland Resort in the last 20 years. It's sad, really.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I'm sure they let you have a smoke outside at Fleming's or any of those other steakhouses, so they all win.

 

[SuddenStorm]

So many details and so much polish has gone missing all over the Disneyland Resort in the last 20 years. It's sad, really.

Isn't that the truth.

Disney executives used to write books on the craft of customer service (Lee Cockrell being one of the more noteworthy). There's dozens of books written both by Disney and about Disney and their quality of service and design. Disney used to advertise the Disney Difference, which referred to the quality of service provided as well as the attention to detail, both for grooming/costuming and the designs of their parks.

Most of this is forgotten now- modern TDA and WDI are almost incapable of crafting an experience that could be at all considered 'luxury'. Heck, they don't even follow their own 'four key's- Safety, courtesy, show, efficiency (in order of importance). Now, show is placed above courtesy, with cast members instructed not to answer simple questions about entertainment times or where an attraction is located if they're inside Galaxy's Edge.

The park is coasting on the reputation it earned in its first 45 years. I'm curious to see how the place reinvents itself in the next five years at it recovers and rebuilds from Covid- but I'm guessing more of what got Disneyland its reputation will go away.

 

[Too Many Hats]

It’s increasingly clear that Chapek’s tenure will be the worst era for the Disney theme parks. The experience is cynically and systematically being cheapened and dumbed-down — and that’s the way Chapek wants it. I have no problem with things being replaced, but we all know this will be replaced with something childish, lazy, and uninspired, just like virtually everything else in recent memory. It’s getting depressing.

 

[PiratesMansion]

I did really enjoy my one experience at Steakhouse 55. Both the steak and the 22 layer cake were fantastic, and I enjoyed the atmosphere too.

That said, they already lost me when they removed the cake from the menu.

I would love to believe that it will receive a suitable, dignified replacement, but I know better.

As for the PP restaurant...I'm just not sure what they can put there that will make people want to eat in that space. There is literally nothing about that hotel that is attractive and appealing! If even a character buffet didn't perform well enough than I'm not sure what the answer is.

 

[NobodyElse]

I'm not sure which place I referenced as 1950's fine dining. Ruth's Chris and Morton's are always very well managed and operated, and the Anaheim locations have never dissapointed me. I generally hit the Irvine Ruth's Chris and the South Coast Plaza Morton's, as I'm retired and not in the convention world any longer. And Anaheim is not the first place to come to mind when I'm on Opentable.com trolling around for a reservation.

The South Coast Plaza location of The Capital Grille is also fabulous. I'll crash into the bar there after a few hours of shopping a few times a year, and my usual table in the bar is right underneath the gorgeous oil painting of John Wayne. Unlike Steakhouse 55, the designers at The Capital Grille aren't weighed down by corporate guilt and kept the lit cigarette visible in The Duke's hand in his portrait. The east facing dining room of that same Capital Grille also has a wonderful oil painting of Walt Disney on the wall. The Kona Coffee rubbed steak there is my favorite.

El Gaucho is the only major national swanky steakhouse chain that Anaheim doesn't have. Although El Gaucho isn't as big of a presence here in SoCal as it is in the cities of the Pacific Northwest or Mountain West, probably because SoCal has lots of competition already.

Flemings is brand new. In the new Westin. I've been very busy socially the past few weeks and feel out of the loop a bit here, so I'm unsure if the new Westin Hotel on Katella has even opened for guests. But I remember @George Lucas on a Bench mentioning the restaurant was going to open back in June, before the hotel itself opened.

I do want to try this new Fleming's. I have tentative plans to buzz over there later in July with a friend for a proper meal.

And if one doesn't mind a quick drive down Ball Rd., The Ranch was very good last time I dined there.

 

[SSG]

Here are my thoughts on these two permanent closures. Sorry if I ruffle a few feathers, as I'm finishing my summer sundown cocktail...

Steakhouse 55 - Also known as, the restaurant I loved to hate.

It had so much potential. It was designed beautifully and cleverly in that rather limiting and confined 1970's space it was given. But the management of this restaurant for at least the past decade just couldn't pull it off. It was obvious the management here had no true fine dining experience or training. They were the epitome of that Disney thing where they think giving a big cheesy smile and a semi-convincing "I'm so sorry..." line was World Class Guest Service. It wasn't.

The service was acceptable at best, patchy way too often, and unkempt and sloppy on too many occasions. The details of fine dining were left undone, the lobby bar in front branded with the restaurant's name was a complete disaster, and too many CM's had the air of former ride operators who transferred over to the hotel to make good tips even though they had no proper training and obviously poor management to guide and lead them.

That said.... the actual food could be fabulous. But the experience and spotty service and obviously sketchy management just let the place fall apart over a decade ago.

The Anaheim Resort District now has three other actual world-class steakhouses all within walking distance of each other. And Ruth's Chris and Morton's have provided top notch service and finely polished presentation for years, so it's not something that is impossible within Anaheim city limits. They just couldn't pull it off at Steakhouse 55, regardless of how cleverly the Imagineers photoshopped the cigarettes out of Walt's hands on all those fabulous 1940's portraits on the walls.

Fleming's just opened literally a block south of the Disneyland Hotel at the new Westin. It's obvious that TDA realized they just couldn't compete with real fine dining establishments, they knew they didn't want to spend the cash and the energy to make Steakhouse 55 compete with the properly managed neighbors. So they gave up. Luckily, they get to blame Covid and the economic destruction it has wrought on Anaheim.

PCH Grill - Really? That was still a going concern? It had the interior design of a bad 1990's date nite restaurant, locked in time like it was still 1997. They missed an opportunity to have TV screens above the buffet showing news reports of President Clinton's Monica Lewinsky scandal. "I did not have sex with that woman!" could play on a loop above the omelette station.

Or, maybe not. It was a family restaurant after all. But my God, was it stuck in the 1990's. So painful.

It was a sad, dated, dreary little space with low ceilings and a view of a secondary 6 lane street. But all you can eat Jell-O!

Godspeed to you PCH Grill. Somewhere there's a Friends Fan Convention that would love to have you cater.

This is very in line with my experience at SH55. I always thought the food was very good but the service swung pretty wildly between decent and indifferent in my 3-4 visits. And I so wanted to love the place because of the old Hollywood atmosphere. I am sorry it's gone though. Me and the Mrs spent part of our honeymoon at the resort and we ate at SH55 one evening. When the staff found out it was our honeymoon they made a major fuss over my wife and brought out a special dessert (on the house). I was looking forward to trying it again (like I said, I really wanted to love the place). Oh well....

 

[MarvelCharacterNerd]

Well I'm sure Gamora's Grill will be better.

I'm totally down for that if periodically Star-Lord boogies through the place twirling a napkin! And at least I'd know the location would have a great soundtrack during the meal!

But seriously, if I could pick, I'd put in a version of Ohana's. Or if they really didn't want to do much of a change - the Brown Derby like they have in DHS. At least then I could get a really nice Cobb salad on property.

Storyteller's Cafe used to have a fabulous salad at lunch - I want to say a Lobster Cobb? But sadly it disappeared a few years back.

 

[CaptinEO]

Let me guess, its closed because the restaurant was "problematic" and will be overlayed with a louisana themed restaurant?

It's problematic because people want to be in their graphic T Shirts and Disney can charge them 100 dollars for a ham and cheese sandwhich instead of 2 steaks. Higher profit margin.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

It's problematic because people want to be in their graphic T Shirts and Disney can charge them 100 dollars for a ham and cheese sandwhich instead of 2 steaks. Higher profit margin.

must be some sammich.