The Downtown Disney Thread

[PiratesMansion]

What Downtown Disney needs are some normal restaurants. I don't care at all for Applebee's, but an Applebee's at Downtown Disney would actually get people to go there. Having a bunch of high end, overpriced restaurants that nobody has ever heard of isn't going to cut it. CityWalk understands this. Why doesn't Downtown Disney have a Claim Jumper for instance? It would be a perfect match with the Grand Californian right there.

Counterpoint: a lot of people would rather get something that they can't get in their hometown. Something that is, or at least appears to be, distinctive or novel.

While there will always be some people unwilling to stray from their old reliable chain restaurants for whatever reason, I think a lot of people over the age of twelve have finally realized that it's dumb to travel somewhere only to eat at the exact same restaurants they could at home. As more and more businesses/restaurants/aesthetic trends neutralize and become indistinguishable from each other, many are being drawn to the new, novel, or distinctive, especially when on vacation.

Why travel all the way to a place that's ostensibly trying to be a worldwide tourist destination just to go to Applebee's? Or Cracker Barrel or Bdubs or Wingstop or whatever? Wouldn't you want to experience a new place that is ostensibly trying to serve more interesting/unique/high quality cuisine?

Even at CityWalk, there are some known quantity fast food restaurants (Burger King and so on), but none of the sitdown places are places that have tons and tons of locations. CityWalk also doesn't have Harbor right there with McDonald's, Starbucks, Panera, and lots of other middlebrow chains competing for business; arguably the need for such restaurants is filled by the ones on Harbor.

 

[DLR92]

I would expect Garden Walk to gain more casual eateries. I had always head there to eat there over Disney.

 

[TP2000]

Never went to the Monrovia of City of Industry locations even though they were the closest locations to us for quite a few years. The OG location and first one I went to was the one off the 15 freeway in Ontario. We had some family friends that lived out there. I remember the San Bernardino location being pretty good too but that was many years ago.

About 20 years ago I used to go to the Claim Jumper at South Coast Plaza after shopping. It was very good back then. The California company that once owned it then sold it off to Landry's in the 00's, and it went downhill fast under Landry's.

Landry's has practically run it into the ground now, and the name is no longer worth anything except nostalgia.

With the crashing commercial real estate market in SoCal, I don't envy the property managers for either Downtown Disney or GardenWalk. It's going to be harder and harder to command top rents for merchandise stores very soon, if not already, and there will be plenty of options for non-Disney businesses.

Dining and restaurants are about the only saving grace for retail developments like GardenWalk and Downtown Disney.

Of course it doesn't help that GardenWalk is also saddled with incompetent current owners, fluorescent llamas notwithstanding.

 

[Consumer]

About 20 years ago I used to go to the Claim Jumper at South Coast Plaza after shopping. It was very good back then. The California company that once owned it then sold it off to Landry's in the 00's, and it went downhill fast under Landry's.

Landry's has practically run it into the ground now, and the name is no longer worth anything except nostalgia.

With the crashing commercial real estate market in SoCal, I don't envy the property managers for either Downtown Disney or GardenWalk. It's going to be harder and harder to command top rents for merchandise stores very soon, if not already, and there will be plenty of options for non-Disney businesses.

Dining and restaurants are about the only saving grace for retail developments like GardenWalk and Downtown Disney.

Of course it doesn't help that GardenWalk is also saddled with incompetent current owners, fluorescent llamas notwithstanding.

While looking up what restaurants are under the Landry's umbrella, I was surprised to learn the Yak and Yeti at DAK is operated by them.

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

About 20 years ago I used to go to the Claim Jumper at South Coast Plaza after shopping.

My local one shut down years back. I used to go to the Rainforest Cafe in South Coast. Call it hokey but I am a complete sucker for anything animatronic

 

[TP2000]

My local one shut down years back. I used to go to the Rainforest Cafe in South Coast. Call it hokey but I am a complete sucker for anything animatronic

I'd forgotten about that one! It was just east of Nordstrom, wasn't it?

I swung thru South Coast Plaza this past weekend because my favorite salesman at that Nordstrom had pulled together a few things for me before I drove back home. It was great to see that mall so busy and with every storefront filled with a top-shelf name or brand. Bustling with shoppers on a weekday at Noon.

I read an article recently about how all the West Coast's downtown cores are emptying out due to crime and homeless zombies, and many mid-range malls in the suburbs are dying fast. But there's a few high-end suburban malls on the West Coast, like South Coast Plaza, that are thriving in this new retail environment. I do Amazon Prime as much as the next American, but there's some things you just have to go to the store for and have a proper salesman or saleslady fit you and sell to you. The Nordstrom at South Coast Plaza is like that.

But malls like GardenWalk??? Yikes, just shoot it and put it out of its misery.

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

I'd forgotten about that one! It was just east of Nordstrom, wasn't it?

I swung thru South Coast Plaza this past weekend because my favorite salesman at that Nordstrom had pulled together a few things for me before I drove back home. It was great to see that mall so busy and with every storefront filled with a top-shelf name or brand. Bustling with shoppers on a weekday at Noon.

I read an article recently about how all the West Coast's downtown cores are emptying out due to crime and homeless zombies, and many mid-range malls in the suburbs are dying fast. But there's a few high-end suburban malls on the West Coast, like South Coast Plaza, that are thriving in this new retail environment. I do Amazon Prime as much as the next American, but there's some things you just have to go to the store for and have a proper salesman or saleslady fit you and sell to you. The Nordstrom at South Coast Plaza is like that.

But malls like GardenWalk??? Yikes, just shoot it and put it out of its misery.

I can’t remember myself but I’ll take your word for it! It’s a shame the only location left is the Ontario Mills one when imo that was always the weakest one in all of CA. South Coast was at least within a more exciting space (although I’m not sure I’d call most modern day shopping malls “exciting” but I digress)

Some photos I took there in 09, only a few years before it went away

 

[mickEblu]

I can’t remember myself but I’ll take your word for it! It’s a shame the only location left is the Ontario Mills one when imo that was always the weakest one in all of CA. South Coast was at least within a more exciting space (although I’m not sure I’d call most modern day shopping malls “exciting” but I digress)
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Some photos I took there in 09, only a few years before it went away

Wow interesting that the one only one I ate at way back in 2000 is the only one still open. Went on a date with a girl and her younger sister chaperone. Do people still do that? That mall was never great but its claim to fame was its sheer size. It was also one of the first malls to get one of those gigantic movie theaters as opposed to the more modest sized theaters I grew up with as a kid. But then again a lot of these bigger movie theater complexes went up in the mid 90s to early 2000’s.

 

[mickEblu]

About 20 years ago I used to go to the Claim Jumper at South Coast Plaza after shopping. It was very good back then. The California company that once owned it then sold it off to Landry's in the 00's, and it went downhill fast under Landry's.

Landry's has practically run it into the ground now, and the name is no longer worth anything except nostalgia.

With the crashing commercial real estate market in SoCal, I don't envy the property managers for either Downtown Disney or GardenWalk. It's going to be harder and harder to command top rents for merchandise stores very soon, if not already, and there will be plenty of options for non-Disney businesses.

Dining and restaurants are about the only saving grace for retail developments like GardenWalk and Downtown Disney.

Of course it doesn't help that GardenWalk is also saddled with incompetent current owners, fluorescent llamas notwithstanding.

Sad that they went so downhill. Thanks for filling in the gaps. Sometimes you don’t know if the quality was as good as you remember it being or you were just a kid.

 

[PiratesMansion]

There were two YouTubers that a year or two ago did a road trip to every remaining Rainforest Cafe in the US, each filming their own video showing different perspectives. One of them was drinking the Rainforest Cafe kool-aid and one very much not.

Many of them appear to be on the sadder side now, including the one left in SoCal, but that was NOT the worst one they experienced.

I did go to the one in Galveston-not to eat, but to experience the only Rainforest Cafe ride: imagine a slow-moving GRR where you didn't get wet and went through a RC-quality jungle and that's about what it is.

 

[mickEblu]

There were two YouTubers that a year or two ago did a road trip to every remaining Rainforest Cafe in the US, each filming their own video showing different perspectives. One of them was drinking the Rainforest Cafe kool-aid and one very much not.

Many of them appear to be on the sadder side now, including the one left in SoCal, but that was NOT the worst one they experienced.

I did go to the one in Galveston-not to eat, but to experience the only Rainforest Cafe ride: imagine a slow-moving GRR where you didn't get wet and went through a RC-quality jungle and that's about what it is.

I mean, it’s better than about 15 of the rides at DCA.

But wow who knew there was a Rainforest Cafe ride. Haha

 

[Nirya]

There were two YouTubers that a year or two ago did a road trip to every remaining Rainforest Cafe in the US, each filming their own video showing different perspectives. One of them was drinking the Rainforest Cafe kool-aid and one very much not.

Many of them appear to be on the sadder side now, including the one left in SoCal, but that was NOT the worst one they experienced.

I did go to the one in Galveston-not to eat, but to experience the only Rainforest Cafe ride: imagine a slow-moving GRR where you didn't get wet and went through a RC-quality jungle and that's about what it is.

Yeah, that was Ted Nivison and Eddy Burback, and their videos are fantastic to watch back-to-back.





(Hilariously enough, they followed this up last summer by going to every Margaritaville in the country, including the resorts).

 

[PiratesMansion]

Yeah, that was Ted Nivison and Eddy Burback, and their videos are fantastic to watch back-to-back.





(Hilariously enough, they followed this up last summer by going to every Margaritaville in the country, including the resorts).

100%, and interesting how their opinions essentially reversed in the Margaritaville excursion. Agree that watching both videos adds even more to the experience.

 

[mickEblu]

So Micechat is reporting that Porto’s might not be moving into DTD after all. Apparently they’ve been hearing rumors from Earl and Porto’s employees.

 

[Nirya]

The end of the Margaritaville episodes from Burback is so good when he reveals the surprise stop in Vegas.

 

[mickEblu]

Is the Rainforest Cafe in Cancun still there? I forgot I went to that location too. Also in 2000. Wow 2000 was a big year for me with Rain Forest Cafe. Must not have left a great impression considering I walked right past the DTD location over a hundred times.

 

[Consumer]

I remember going to the Rainforest Cafe in roughly 2003. We didn't eat anything there, I just remember seeing the snake above the entrance. We were at the Disneyland Resort because one of my parents' friends was getting married at the Disneyland Hotel. I also remember seeing the old Neverland pools. My stronger memories come from the Rainforest Cafe at the Woodfield Mall in Chicago. Again, we never ate there, but I remember the crocodile outside the entrance.

So Micechat is reporting that Porto’s might not be moving into DTD after all. Apparently they’ve been hearing rumors from Earl and Porto’s employees.

The best thing to happen to Downtown Disney and it doesn't even happen. Disney is in shambles.

 

[J4546]

I kinda think they should relocate the Rainforest Cafe in AK to the conservation station area or somewhere else, it just doesnt fit the area its in right now imo.

 

[KeithVH]

I think Rainforest had an unsustainable business model. Too many variations on a theme that could not be accommodated. Not that they were all bad. I remember they had a program at the Mall of America store back in the late 90s. My one daughter spent a whole day with their bird caretakers (behavioral stuff, showing the birds to customers, etc). For a pre-teen, great stuff. Nowadays, as has been said, you get microwaved meals.

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

Is the Rainforest Cafe in Cancun still there? I forgot I went to that location too. Also in 2000. Wow 2000 was a big year for me with Rain Forest Cafe. Must not have left a great impression considering I walked right past the DTD location over a hundred times.

Cancun closed in 2010