The Downtown Disney Thread

[mickEblu]

I've heard a couple of Wendy's rumors. First as a joke but now as real rumors for the ESPN Zone space

That’s what they need to do. Just put a Panda Express, Chic Fil A and In N Out in there and call it a day. Wendy’s though? Not that big in So Cal. But I guess if the options are between that or the $18 chicken sandwich…

 

[Gusey]

I appreciate that DLP's Disney Village is building a brand new McDonalds then knocking down the old one for more retail but McDonalds is no longer at any of the domestic resorts

 

[TP2000]

I've heard a couple of Wendy's rumors. First as a joke but now as real rumors for the ESPN Zone space

You know, Wendy's makes a darn good fast food burger. I think it's the way they use whole leaf iceberg instead of shredded, and their great buns (Hey now!). Plus their shakes are good, and their fries aren't bad.

They don't have a huge presence in SoCal, but they are there to an extent.

I can easily imagine a Wendy's at Downtown Disney would go like gangbusters, but putting it at the far end the furthest from the two parks doesn't make sense logistically.

The monorail would get a real workout though, for all those in the Smart Set who would commute via monorail to Wendy's instead of putting up with the bland burgers and awful canned pizza available in Tomorrowland.

 

[TP2000]

I agree with @mickEblu... Turn the ESPNZone into a food court/hall with a Wendy's, a Chick-Fil-A, a Panda Express, a Chipotle, and a Blaze Pizza and that place would be packed to the rafters. And a Yogurtland!

The other DTD restaurants would likely be furious, as they were lured into Downtown Disney in its push to be unique and hipster over the past 10 years, when suddenly the Franchise Food Hall down by the monorail station takes a lot of their business.

 

[mickEblu]

You know, Wendy's makes a darn good fast food burger. I think it's the way they use whole leaf iceberg instead of shredded, and their ability to make it a double or triple. Plus their shakes are great, and their fries aren't bad.

They don't have a huge presence in SoCal, but they are there to an extent.

I can easily imagine a Wendy's at Downtown Disney would go like gangbusters, but putting it at the far end the furthest from the two parks doesn't make sense logistically.

The monorail would get a real workout though, for all those in the Smart Set who would commute via monorail to Wendy's instead of putting up with the bland burgers or canned pizza available in Tomorrowland.

I want to like Wendy’s. Every few years I give them a shot and it’s just not very good. But it always feels like I’m at some sleepy location with no customers. Last time I had Wendy’s was by the Fort Lauderdale airport a couple years ago and that one was awful.

In general though the drive thru is the only thing keeping most of these fast food joints in business. You can get a much better quality meal for the same price or just tad more at a lot of these fast casual chains.

 

[Touchdown]

So Cal, it’s getting closer, but you have yet to be brought into the Culvers fold. The blue roof resturant from Wisconsin has been expanding like gangbusters nationally. They’re in Arizona and Nevada. They’re known for their fresh never frozen butter burgers (the buns are buttered and grilled on one side) and frozen custard (ice cream but richer.) They’re the best fast food restaurant I’ve been to, and that includes In & Out. If you ever see one try it.

 

[TP2000]

So Cal, it’s getting closer, but you have yet to be brought into the Culvers fold. The blue roof resturant from Wisconsin has been expanding like gangbusters nationally. They’re in Arizona and Nevada. They’re known for their fresh never frozen butter burgers (the buns are buttered and grilled on one side) and frozen custard (ice cream but richer.) They’re the best fast food restaurant I’ve been to, and that includes In & Out. If you ever see one try it.

I saw a bit a few years ago on America's Test Kitchen about "Wisconsin butter burgers" and I had no idea such a thing existed, but they looked ridiculously good. Then last year I heard that the couple of Culver's in and around my town were those exact same butter burgers from the great state of Wisconsin. I thought it was just an ice cream shop or something. I tried them, and they were just as good as they'd looked on TV!

I hadn't thought of getting a Culver's into Downtown Disney, or SoCal even, but you're right. That's a good option!

 

[PiratesMansion]

I liked Wendy's a lot more before it was $16 for a combo meal (I know, same could be said about a lot of other fast food places now), but eh. SoCal's certainly not missing out because you don't have as many Wendy's as Ohio does. There must be at least a few of them in the area, as I remember stopping at one for breakfast a few years ago somewhere in the LA area, lord knows why.

There was a Wendy's right across the street from my high school, and there were MANY days of staying late for extra curriculars and eating there, and as a result, I probably never need to eat Wendy's ever again. A Frosty is good now and then, but even so, it's been years and I don't feel like I'm missing out.

So Cal, it’s getting closer, but you have yet to be brought into the Culvers fold. The blue roof resturant from Wisconsin has been expanding like gangbusters nationally. They’re in Arizona and Nevada. They’re known for their fresh never frozen butter burgers (the buns are buttered and grilled on one side) and frozen custard (ice cream but richer.) They’re the best fast food restaurant I’ve been to, and that includes In & Out. If you ever see one try it.

I'm thrilled (and shocked, actually) that Culver's has made it that far west, but I don't know if I would go so far as to call them the best fast food restaurant. Their fries don't do a whole lot for me, and their frozen custard in my view is inferior to places like Freddy's or Andy's. They DO make a great burger, and I love their root beer, which is the ONLY root beer I seek out nowadays. I appreciate that they don't give out typical ketchup packets at the drive thru, but instead in containers that are actually conducive for dipping.

I like their product enough that they are my preferred burger joint if I'm on a road trip. Still, if given the choice, I prefer Portillo's.

In terms of underrated burger chains, I feel like Braum's has got to take the cake. They take vertical integration seriously and make everything at one farm in Oklahoma, and they refuse to build restaurants outside of a couple hundred mile radius as a result. Because they make everything in house and aren't beholden to suppliers, etc in the same way other restaurants are, their food is not only high quality, but cheaper than average. They also make delicious ice cream, which is not only high quality but also about the cheapest ice cream you can find now. If you haven't tried Braum's, you can certainly find them in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, or in Ozark, MO ~30 minutes away from Silver Dollar City, at the same exit as Lambert's.

 

[TP2000]

I liked Wendy's a lot more before it was $16 for a combo meal (I know, same could be said about a lot of other fast food places now), but eh. SoCal's certainly not missing out because you don't have as many Wendy's as Ohio does. There must be at least a few of them in the area, as I remember stopping at one for breakfast a few years ago somewhere in the LA area, lord knows why.

There was a Wendy's right across the street from my high school, and there were MANY days of staying late for extra curriculars and eating there, and as a result, I probably never need to eat Wendy's ever again. A Frosty is good now and then, but even so, it's been years and I don't feel like I'm missing out.

I'm thrilled (and shocked, actually) that Culver's has made it that far west, but I don't know if I would go so far as to call them the best fast food restaurant. Their fries don't do a whole lot for me, and their frozen custard in my view is inferior to places like Freddy's or Andy's. They DO make a great burger, and I love their root beer, which is the ONLY root beer I seek out nowadays. I appreciate that they don't give out typical ketchup packets at the drive thru, but instead in containers that are actually conducive for dipping.

I like their product enough that they are my preferred burger joint if I'm on a road trip. Still, if given the choice, I prefer Portillo's.

In terms of underrated burger chains, I feel like Braum's has got to take the cake. They take vertical integration seriously and make everything at one farm in Oklahoma, and they refuse to build restaurants outside of a couple hundred mile radius as a result. Because they make everything in house and aren't beholden to suppliers, etc in the same way other restaurants are, their food is not only high quality, but cheaper than average. They also make delicious ice cream, which is not only high quality but also about the cheapest ice cream you can find now. If you haven't tried Braum's, you can certainly find them in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, or in Ozark, MO ~30 minutes away from Silver Dollar City, at the same exit as Lambert's.

Yes to Braum's! I discovered them in the 1990's when work would take me to Oklahoma City often.

One of the best ice cream parlor's I've ever been to, and great food and burgers too! I forgot how much I used to enjoy them, so thanks for the memory!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

As a Wisconsinite I do agree that Culver's has good burgers and frozen custard. I do find the burger to bun ratio as just a bit to much bun for me, so I usually order a double. The pot roast sandwich is pretty good too.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I like Wendy's, especially when they have the Portobello Mushroom Melt released! Always fresh beef, never frozen, fresh cut veggies, nice juicy square patties!

I'd probably rank them:

Triple O's
A&W (Canada's version is it's own company, much different, and far better then the US variant)
Wendy's
Burger King
McDonald's

 

[TP2000]

As a Wisconsinite I do agree that Culver's has good burgers and frozen custard. I do find the burger to bun ratio as just a bit to much bun for me, so I usually order a double. The pot roast sandwich is pretty good too.

Pot roast sandwich, you say? This thread has convinced me to head down the hill tomorrow to my local Culver's for lunch.

I'm still relatively new to Utah, and Culver's is still relatively new to Utah too, so I'm way behind the curve on this whole Wisconsin cuisine craze. I'm going to really buckle down and try and catch up, I promise!

Oh, and Go Badgers!

.

 

[truecoat]

You know, Wendy's makes a darn good fast food burger. I think it's the way they use whole leaf iceberg instead of shredded, and their great buns (Hey now!). Plus their shakes are good, and their fries aren't bad.

They don't have a huge presence in SoCal, but they are there to an extent.

I can easily imagine a Wendy's at Downtown Disney would go like gangbusters, but putting it at the far end the furthest from the two parks doesn't make sense logistically.

The monorail would get a real workout though, for all those in the Smart Set who would commute via monorail to Wendy's instead of putting up with the bland burgers and awful canned pizza available in Tomorrowland.

I went to Wendy's for the first time in years, and their chicken sandwiches are the victim of shrinkflation. They used to have chicken breast on these sandwiches, and now they are compressed chicken patties. That price didn't change, though.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I appreciate that DLP's Disney Village is building a brand new McDonalds then knocking down the old one for more retail but McDonalds is no longer at any of the domestic resorts

We’ve vacationed at DLP 3 times and that McDs is always packed like sardines, they must make a fortune.

I think Disney Village was smart to put the more expensive dining options near the park entrance and the cheaper options further away, you can get cheap food, you just need to pass a half dozen restaurants on the way, which probably encourages a lot of people to stop and give them a try. If they did convert ESPN to fast food, along with the new Earls location, I think you’d still get plenty of people stopping at the sit down restaurants along the way.

Not sure I’ll ever forgive Disney for getting rid of King Ludwig’s, by far our favorite restaurant in all of DLP.

 

[mickEblu]

Lululemon, vegan bath soaps and Boba? That’s what’s going into the old ESPN zone?

Sorry, wouldn’t a giant sports bar with huge screens, burgers and buffalo wings be better?

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Lululemon, vegan bath soaps and Boba? That’s what’s going into the old ESPN zone?

Sorry, wouldn’t a giant sports bar with huge screens, burgers and buffalo wings be better?

It is a weird decision, ESPN always seemed busy when we went, we’d often eat and drink there just to watch games. I get that ESPN zone technically isn’t a thing anymore but how hard would it be to hire an outside management firm to run that one spot as a one off? Should have been reopened years ago exactly as it was.

 

[mickEblu]

It is a weird decision, ESPN always seemed busy when we went, we’d often eat and drink there just to watch games. I get that ESPN zone technically isn’t a thing anymore but how hard would it be to hire an outside management firm to run that one spot as a one off? Should have been reopened years ago exactly as it was.

I mean really the Dodgers are out here winning the World Series and starting 8-0. The Lakers got Luka. LA has two football teams now. World Cup is here next year. Olympics here in 3 years. And we turned a giant sports bar into Lululemon, boba and bath soaps?

It was always slammed. The only reason they shut it down was for the hotel they were planning that got cancelled IIRC.

 

[TP2000]

I mean really the Dodgers are out here winning the World Series and starting 8-0. The Lakers got Luka. LA has two football teams now. World Cup is here next year. Olympics here in 3 years. And we turned a giant sports bar into Lululemon, boba and bath soaps?

It was always slammed. The only reason they shut it down was for the hotel they were planning that got cancelled IIRC.

The only time I went there for sports was for the US Open or maybe Wimbledon, usually when my nephews were younger and got bit by the family tennis bug. (We aren't a very talented family on the courts, but darnit if we don't look great while doing it!)

But your point is valid, regardless of which sport a person is into.

ESPNZone also served as a respite and getaway spot for many Dads who were often spending a fortune on their Disneyland vacation and needed to take a short break from the endless Princess Parades, $12 Mary Poppins cupcakes, and soaring Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boutique bills.

That they couldn't just get a restaurateur, any restauranteur, to refurbish it a bit out of its 1990's look and reopen it as a massive sports pub seems like a huge mistake on their part. I bet there's a story there.

 

[BalooChicago]

We’ve vacationed at DLP 3 times and that McDs is always packed like sardines, they must make a fortune.

We had to stop so we could order a royal with cheese.

 

[Stitchon]

Downtown Disney's specialty shop selection has always been pretty mediocre. lululemon and Nectar are interesting choices, but they beat more unremarkable Disney-owned shops. Nectar in particular is interesting given how Basin didn't last.