Disney should open a restaurant chain!

[Baloo76]

Not a rumor, just an idea...Disney should open up restaurants nationwide that feature character meals! It would be an awesome way to get a little disney when you can't get to WDW or DL.

What do you think? Should it be buffet, familiy style or a la carte? Rotating characters by day/week/month? What theming would you want?

 

[davedmaine]

Honestly, outside of Disney I don't think there'd be all that much interest in Disney character buffets.

 

[DizCaptain]

No... I just can't see this working. It would actually spoil Disney imho. Also, aren't there enough accusations of misconduct against characters without nationalizing it in a chain? I will say however, in contribution, that a buffet would be the best way to handle it.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

Disney isn't even interested in running the restaurants they have properly anymore!

 

[lockedoutlogic]

honestly, outside of disney i don't think there'd be all that much interest in disney character buffets.

x2

 

[lockedoutlogic]

disney isn't even interested in running the restaurants they have properly anymore!

x3

 

[lockedoutlogic]

no... I just can't see this working. It would actually spoil disney imho. Also, aren't there enough accusations of misconduct against characters without nationalizing it in a chain? I will say however, in contribution, that a buffet would be the best way to handle it.

x4

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Just to add...


All star cafe, wwe restaurant, NASCAR cafe, supermodel cafe, planet Hollywood, and to a lesser extent rainforest cafe...

What do they all have in common?

You can throw the disneyquest in Chicago in that boat too

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

~Chef Mickey would be very easy to market or franchise, as a normal restaurant, definitely not a buffet. With that said, I'm not fond of the idea at all. I can see quality control issues alone as a constant headache.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

~Chef Mickey would be very easy to market or franchise, as a normal restaurant, definitely not a buffet. With that said, I'm not fond of the idea at all. I can see quality control issues alone as a constant headache.

Lots of reasons why this wouldn't fly...

But the main one is that if Disney has "destinations" and not spots next to Applebee's in Diluth...then they control a lot of the economic realities they deal with.

This has come up in recent days...Disney parks are not really "ride places"...they are well behind. Walt Disney's original idea - and he was right - was to control the environment.
If things like more retail and restaurants are built...they lose control of their environment.

And that effects money. They charge you 100 a day to enter their turnstiles, they charge you $400 for a $170 room at the Polynesian, and they charge you 2.5 times what your buffet is worth at chef mickeys.

More "neighborhood" access would eventually erode that. I'm not sure the "gains" would outweigh the losses over time.

 

[Lewisc]

Disney restaurants now feature overpriced mediocre food. We tolerate it on vacation, in part, for character interaction. I can't see it being popular. Theme restaurants aren't doing that great in generally as per a PP

I don't think it's a good idea. Should Disney decide to give it a shot the first location should be in NYC near, the theaters showing Disney plays. I might suggest the next locations would be in malls near Disney stores but I'd predict the NYC location would be a flop in 6 months. Long before any other locations came close to opening.

edited to add:
pp posted while I was composing this post. He made the same point, but better.

Some people suggested Disney open up hotels along I95 so guests driving to Disney could start their Disney experience even earlier. Same "issues". Would guests "overpay" without the theme parks.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Lots of reasons why this wouldn't fly...

But the main one is that if Disney has "destinations" and not spots next to Applebee's in Diluth...then they control a lot of the economic realities they deal with.

This has come up in recent days...Disney parks are not really "ride places"...they are well behind. Walt Disney's original idea - and he was right - was to control the environment.
If things like more retail and restaurants are built...they lose control of their environment.

And that effects money. They charge you 100 a day to enter their turnstiles, they charge you $400 for a $170 room at the Polynesian, and they charge you 2.5 times what your buffet is worth at chef mickeys.

More "neighborhood" access would eventually erode that. I'm not sure the "gains" would outweigh the losses over time.

~Hey Logic, this is great!!! I totally agree -- I don't wan't Disney to think that this kind of venture could ever fly, lol.

Disney restaurants now feature overpriced mediocre food. We tolerate it on vacation, in part, for character interaction. I can't see it being popular. Theme restaurants aren't doing that great in generally as per a PP

I don't think it's a good idea. Should Disney decide to give it a shot the first location should be in NYC near, the theaters showing Disney plays. I might suggest the next locations would be in malls near Disney stores but I'd predict the NYC location would be a flop in 6 months. Long before any other locations came close to opening.

edited to add:
pp posted while I was composing this post. He made the same point, but better.

Some people suggested Disney open up hotels along I95 so guests driving to Disney could start their Disney experience even earlier. Same "issues". Would guests "overpay" without the theme parks.

~Good post! I also agree, we're captive at Disney, even more so on the dining plan, so we tolerate it.

 

[Lewisc]

Disney isn't even interested in running the restaurants they have properly anymore!

Disney has realized they could standardize the menus, remove menu items which require expensive ingredients and/or prep time, improve restaurant turnover by discouraging many of their guests from ordering appetizers, (my imagination?) most menu offerings don't seem to require being "cooked to order" and maintain (actually increase) pricing.

Disney learned they could charge Palm pricing (OK a slight exaggeration) and offer Outback quality. The second statement is an exaggeration. Outback sometimes offers prime beef Disney never.

Disney is running the restaurants "properly" if your goal is to maximize profit but not if your basis is the quality of dining experience.

 

[diamondpixienc]

Lots of reasons why this wouldn't fly...

But the main one is that if Disney has "destinations" and not spots next to Applebee's in Diluth...then they control a lot of the economic realities they deal with.

This has come up in recent days...Disney parks are not really "ride places"...they are well behind. Walt Disney's original idea - and he was right - was to control the environment.
If things like more retail and restaurants are built...they lose control of their environment.

And that effects money. They charge you 100 a day to enter their turnstiles, they charge you $400 for a $170 room at the Polynesian, and they charge you 2.5 times what your buffet is worth at chef mickeys.

More "neighborhood" access would eventually erode that. I'm not sure the "gains" would outweigh the losses over time.

This is sad but true :0( I only go to Chef's Mickey at WDW only because my kids like the characters not for the food. Poor quality just like the local Golden Corral except with Mickey and friends. So, I can honestly say that i would not want to go if we are not in WDW. BTW i've already told my kiddos only 2 character meals this time and it Chef Mickey's can not be one.

 

[DizCaptain]

Disney restaurants now feature overpriced mediocre food. We tolerate it on vacation, in part, for character interaction.

Its gotten to the point for us that we're actually going to one of the many restaurants on 192 in Kissimmee or other off-property restaurants some nights. Sadly (though not really) some of the best meals I've had in Florida in recent years were during a Disney vacation but at restaurants not owned by Disney (Blue Zoo, Bull and Bear, Parc Soleil Cafe, heck even Wolfgang Puck is pretty darned good). At least at places like these you get quality for the cash. I'm not saying all of Disney's food options are crap, but a large amount have turned that consistency, I'm happy a few places still stand with quality food).

 

[M-I-C-K-E-Y]

Back in the early 90s Disney obtained the store space to the right of their Woodfield Mall (Schaumburg, IL) store and converted it into a small Disney restaurant. I don't recall much, other than our oldest loving the baked Mickey head fries. I seem to recall that they had mostly healthy dining options (veggie burgers...) and possibly a 50s theme of sorts.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Its gotten to the point for us that we're actually going to one of the many restaurants on 192 in Kissimmee or other off-property restaurants some nights. Sadly (though not really) some of the best meals I've had in Florida in recent years were during a Disney vacation but at restaurants not owned by Disney (Blue Zoo, Bull and Bear, Parc Soleil Cafe, heck even Wolfgang Puck is pretty darned good). At least at places like these you get quality for the cash. I'm not saying all of Disney's food options are crap, but a large amount have turned that consistency, I'm happy a few places still stand with quality food).

bump

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Disney has realized they could standardize the menus, remove menu items which require expensive ingredients and/or prep time, improve restaurant turnover by discouraging many of their guests from ordering appetizers, (my imagination?) most menu offerings don't seem to require being "cooked to order" and maintain (actually increase) pricing.

Disney learned they could charge Palm pricing (OK a slight exaggeration) and offer Outback quality. The second statement is an exaggeration. Outback sometimes offers prime beef Disney never.

Disney is running the restaurants "properly" if your goal is to maximize profit but not if your basis is the quality of dining experience.

That's an interesting take on the appetizers...turnover. never had thought of that.

i assume the angle with the dining plan was:

appetizers more expensive than desserts on the whole...and people "more likely" to spend out of pocket at the beginning of the meal when they're hungry than at the end when they can skip the $9.00 cheesecake - go out in the park, and get a mickey bar manufactured by a third party food company that disney has to buy the bar from...

 

[Q-man]

No.

While Disney merchandise is available everywhere the Disney experience isn't. Not going Chuck E. Cheese, and being in every city, is a large part of the success of the parks/cruise line.

 

[Lewisc]

appetizers more expensive than desserts on the whole...and people "more likely" to spend out of pocket at the beginning of the meal when they're hungry than at the end when they can skip the $9.00 cheesecake - go out in the park, and get a mickey bar manufactured by a third party food company that disney has to buy the bar from...

A general observation regarding the cost of appetizers vs desserts is irrelevant. Disney could structure the menu so the cost of appetizers is whatever Disney wanted to offer. Salad. Soup. Fruit cocktail. Shrimp cocktail with 2 or 3 shrimps.

Offering a choice of appetizer or dessert would probably result in some of the table ordering appetizers and the rest desserts. Offering appetizers and not desserts would cause people to think less of the value of the plan. Probably the table would spring for at least one dessert. I'll speculate improving table turnover was one of the reasons appetizers were dropped. More likely to spend at the beginning of the meal. Read the threads in the dining board. Many (probably vast majority of posters) don't want to spend a single dollar. Sit down and you're starving. Ask for bread basket refills.

Restaurants which offer price fixed menus almost always offer an appetizer or at least choice of soup or salad. JMO but the DDP is now a food plan and not a dining plan.

I would have been happy if the DDP included a choice of salad/soup or an appetizer sampler platter. That would allow for fast service. People who wanted other appetizers could still order (and pay). A server would drop the platter on the table and say something like compliments of the house. or A server would come around with soup and salad and ask which you prefer.