Disney should open a restaurant chain!

[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]

Originally Posted by DizCaptain

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]

Originally Posted by Lewisc

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]

Originally Posted by lockedoutlogic

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.

[Baloo76]

Wow, I guess I'm in the extreme minority then. The reason I asked the original questions was because I was thinking of doing a trip to Orlando at some point to do Universal, Sea World and a day or two of just relaxing. However I can't see going down there without getting my disney fix and will plan to go to DTD while I'm there, as well as some disney restaurants that I love such as O'Hana or Whispering Canyon.

Then I thought...I wish I could get my disney fix more often rather than once every 2 yrs or so...what if I could go to Chef Mickey's a few times a year? Or some other character meal? For that short period of time I'll feel like I'm in disney. Sort of like walking through the disney store and thinking I'm walking through a store in the parks. Obviously it doesn't seem people would be in favor of that.

[Tink10]

Originally Posted by 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.

I ate there a few times as a kid and while it was really cool...the food was not good. I think they learned their lesson back then.

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

Originally Posted by Tink10

I ate there a few times as a kid and while it was really cool...the food was not good. I think they learned their lesson back then.

If they went the healthy food route today, it might stand a chance. However, 20 years ago it sunk like an anchor.

[SpacePlace]

Buffet, changing characters from week to week. That would be great! Really good idea!

[sgtdisney]

Originally Posted by 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.

Yes, I remember it. It had somewhat of a "diner" theme. It was called Mickey's Kitchen and it was sort of test for Disney to try the restaurant business. The logo looked vaguely like the original Chef Mickey's logo. They had one somewhere in L.A. too. I remember going to the Disney store at Woodfield when the restaurant was open, and they connected the two spaces so you could walk into "Mickey's Kitchen" from the Disney Store. Never got a chance to eat there. I guess the concept flopped, big time, and Disney pulled out. Years later they have since moved the Disney Store itself from that location to a smaller location closer to Sears with the new "decor". I miss the old style Disney Stores. Guess I am digressing from the subject.

So it's been tried, albeit without character interaction, and it didn't work out for Disney.