The End Of An Era - Captain Kidd's Buffet Closed Permanently

[TP2000]

Click on the link, It is for the Villa Park location, In English! @DunkinVillaParkCA

Dunkin'

America’s favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee, espresso, breakfast sandwiches and donuts.... 17771 Santiago Blvd, Villa Park, CA 92861

www.facebook.com

But Google Street View shows they have the old signs.

Thank you. I'll go down there tomorrow and check. I'm positive it still says Dunkin' Donuts on the side of the building, even though it was recently remodeled.

 

[SSG]

Isn't Renton where they build the 727's and 737's? At the south end of the lake? My Seattle geography is hazy this time of night.

You may be too young to remember this place, but in the early and mid 70's there was a popular pizza place in Seattle called Pizza & Pipes. It was a giant pizza parlor, there were a few of them around town as I remember, but we always went to the one just east of what is now Bellevue Square.

Pizza & Pipes had a bunch of pinball machines and penny arcade games (this was pre-PacMan), but the real star of the show was a two-story tall pipe organ at the front of the big vaulted dining room. They had an organist who would sit there in a fancy pastel colored tuxedo (it was the Gerald Ford era, remember) and play songs on this giant pipe organ. You could go up and make song requests by writing down your song on a slip of paper and putting it in a fishbowl that sat prominently and ceremoniously at the side of the organ, within reach of the pastel-colored organist. As if that wasn't enough, every 30 minutes, a big movie screen would descend from the ceiling, the lights would dim and a mirrored disco ball would spin from the rafters, and they would play an old-timey black and white silent movie featurette. The organist would go into Full Liberace mode and really work himself into a frenzy at the organ as he accompanied the movie, and for no apparent reason there was a bubble machine that would waft giant waves of bubbles out over the entire dining room during the featurette. Many of the bubbles would land on your table and pop on your pizza. No one seemed to care.

In the 1970's this type of dinner entertainment was high drama and terribly exciting, and obviously made an impact as I remember it almost 50 years later.

I don't suppose Pizza & Pipes is still there, is it?

It seems Pizza and Pipes is long gone, and there isn't even much evidence it existed. But I found this snippet from a pipe organ society.

PSTOS - Pizza & Pipes Restaurant, Seattle Washington

A bit before my time but it looks like it would have been fun!

And yes, spinning a wrench for Boeing is the only reason to travel to Renton.

 

[Darkbeer1]

San Diego had this....

 

[Communicora]

San Diego had this....

If you ever find yourself in Milwaukee, this place is a lot of fun

 

[Figments Friend]

All this talk about coffee and donuts and pizza has me feeling hungry.
Guess they better hurry up and reopen that former buffet building with a new offering.....and quick!

So lets play a fun guessing game as we wait -

How long do you think it will take before something else opens in that coveted spot?
A year?
Two years?
Six months?
Next week...?

Let's hear some guesses.
Closet answer gets sent a Dunkin Donuts gift card!


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[TP2000]

All this talk about coffee and donuts and pizza has me feeling hungry.
Guess they better hurry up and reopen that former buffet building with a new offering.....and quick!

So lets play a fun guessing game as we wait -

How long do you think it will take before something else opens in that coveted spot?
A year?
Two years?
Six months?
Next week...?

Let's hear some guesses.
Closet answer gets sent a Dunkin Donuts gift card!


-

My guess is six months. Roughly late spring, 2022.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Four months.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

How do I- Say goodbye to what we had? The good times that made us laugh, out weighed the bad! I'd thought we'd get to see Forever...but Forever's gone awaaaay! It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday-aaaaay!!

 

[PiratesMansion]

I'd say there's a 95% chance it's going to be replaced by a Dunkin or a Starbucks.

 

[SoCalDisneyLover]

Which opens first? This location or It’s A Small World?

 

[donaldtoo]

In the 1980's there was nothing better than Shakey's Pizza. I remember there used to be one north of Disneyland a few blocks. Their pizza was fantastic, and it seemed like every table in the restaurant had a big plastic pitcher of cold Budweiser.

I really do wonder what becomes of the Captain Kidd's space? It's next to the International House of Pancakes, which is a longtime franchise owned by the family that has also owned/operated the Park Vue Inn since the early 1960's. On the other side is the Tropicana Motel, which is owned by the Badalian family who has been there since the late 1950's.

Who dares take on the Captain Kidd's property I wonder?

We used to eat at Shakey’s Pizza often when we lived in No Cal from ‘68-‘76. I had a Little League baseball coach one year that my Pop nicknamed “Pizza Gates”, as win or lose, coach Gates sprung for Shakey’s Pizza for us after every game that season…anchovies all the way…!!!!!

 

[donaldtoo]

Their bacon, egg, and gouda sandwich is very very tasty, have not had a bad experience ordering that. Also for lunch their grilled cheese is so good I know it's just bread and cheese but I'm addicted I love it so much.

Krispy Kreme would be insanely good to go there, but I am curious if they have enough space for all the machinery they have in Krispy Kremes. I don't know the size of Captain Kidds so it might be spacious enough, but yeah some fresh glazed Krispy Kreme donuts in the morning would be an amazing way to start a day at Disneyland.

Our local Round Rock Donuts needs to be there…puts Krispy Kreme to shame…!!!!!!!

 

[BillyGr]

I'm going to have to go look at the sign on the Dunkin' Donuts here in my little town. I know for a fact they still serve donuts. I just had one there yesterday!

But in New England especially, Dunkin' Donuts is HUGE. It's like a cross between Starbucks and In-N-Out there; ubiquitous yet culturally defining.

Yes, they all still serve donuts, they simply dropped the Donuts part from their (official) name. Probably all the people that complained that they were out of them at certain times (given that Fred isn't in the back making them in each store any longer).

I suspect the signs will change over time as places move or get something else done to them - not a huge reason to spend money to replace them just to take out one word.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

Oh my Mickey! First Sambo’s, then Tiffy’s, and now Capt. Kidd. I’m telling you, the resort district has been going downhill ever since they took out the giant Chevron man and Stovall’s space age decor.

 

[NobodyElse]

We've all been through a lot over the past 18 months. It's been an emotional roller coaster for everyone, and things still aren't looking too bright right now as we look toward 2022; inflation, gas prices, supply chain woes, Britney's post-conservatorship career, etc.

So it is with a heavy heart I give our community here another emotional setback. Captain Kidd's Buffet has closed permanently.

The whimsical cannons on the roof have been removed, the signage is gone, the ship's rigging and sails are gone. The fake barrels and wooden crates that meant "Themeing!" have been removed.

Even it's 1.8 Star rating on Yelp has been removed.

But that 1.8 Star rating will live on in our hearts! Never forget.

I don't even think a pair of fluorescent llamas could save that place.

 

[NobodyElse]

Oh, that takes me back! There used to be numerous Shakey's in the Seattle area. My family would go on All-You-Can Eat nights. Pizza, salad bar, greasy fried chicken. Perfect for me and my starving brothers.

Now, there's just one in the area, but I seldom get to lovely, bucolic Renton

And sadly, you can't even cleanse your palate on the Spirit of Washington wine train anymore.

 

[NobodyElse]

I'm going to have to go look at the sign on the Dunkin' Donuts here in my little town. I know for a fact they still serve donuts. I just had one there yesterday!

They may serve donuts there, but it's unlikely they make them there.

Next time you're heading down to La Jolla, you should stop by VG Donut & Bakery in Cardiff because they're, you know, Very Good.

 

[PiratesMansion]

It's no surprise to me why Dunkin' is de-emphasizing the donuts. Obviously their primary source of revenue has changed and, if we're being honest, the donuts have never been that great, at least to my memory. Maybe they cared 40 years ago but they certainly haven't in my lifetime.

 

[Sailor310]

Seems like I do alot of, 'that reminds me of,' but that reminds me of one time I was staying in Cocoa Beach. I had to be on console for a satellite launch around 2:00AM. I thought surely some fast food will be open for breakfast. There was nothing open but....Dunkin' Donuts. I had a big, greasy apple fritter and a cup of tea. The grease in the fritter caught up with me at an inopportune time in the launch. Good ole Dunkin' Donuts.

 

[Figments Friend]

Never, ever eat an entire Dunkin' Donuts apple fritter in one sitting.
Ever.

They are yummy, but so sugary and oily that one must cut it in half and enjoy at different times.

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