Disney Quest in Chicago is closing

[DVC-Landbaron]

I picked this off of RADP:

It was on the news tonight that Disney Quest in Chicago is closing at the beginning of September. Thought some of you might be interested in knowing this.

Anyone hear anything about it?

 

[DisneyFanGuy]

Well it doesn't surprise me. The "highly themed" concepts seem to be having a hard time. You would think in Chicago that almost anything like that would do well, but in that area Planet Hollywood (Gone), the Errie Cafe (Gone), and DQ have all struggled. ESPN Zone seems to be doing well, though. I have heard that Rainforest Cafe will be closing soon also.

I have visited all of these once, and ended up visiting ESPN Zone several times, so I guess that I agree with the general public that ESPN is the best of the bunch.

In Chicago, if you want to compete with long established restaurants, you have to be at the top of your game.

I have always thought that DQuest was an interesting idea, but something that didn't work as a seperate admission destination. I visited the Orlando Location for a few hours when it was included in my General Admission package for DisneyWorld last year and enjoyed it. My wife and I agreed, however, that it wouldn't be worth the 20 to 30 bucks per person that they wanted in Chicago.

So maybe that's also why AK survives. I certainly wouldn't pay to get in, but as part of a park hopping package it makes an ok 1/2 day diversion.

And that's why DCA will do much better now that you can park hop between there and DL.

 

[RAD]

The Chicago Tribune has a story on the closing: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/businessnews/article/0,2669,1-0107060163,FF.html

 

[Figment2]

All I can say it's a sad day for Chicago. What next? Maybe no Disney parade during the Festival of Lights?

Cyn

 

[larworth]

That's too bad.

Everyday, about two blocks from where I work I walk by this big hole in the ground. It was suppossed to be a DQ that would have opened last summer. They had cleared the site and were just getting ready to pour some footers when the project ground to a halt. A battle over tax rebates waged and the project was eventually cancelled. Disney had gotten cold feet about the viability of the concept and played hard ball with the city on rebates.

I had visions of spending many happy lunch hours fighting pirates and riding virtual coasters.


I assumed the lack of success was simply a bad business model. People not willing to pay the high admission price for some of which they could get at their local shopping mall. I hadn't thought of it as a blow to the "themed experience" business.

If it is true that the average consumer no longer see's these themed venues as special or unique, does this have any rammifications for what Disney assumes people want in a themed attraction?

 

[Tannerman]

>> Maybe no Disney parade during the Festival of Lights?


That would be an improvement, actually. That parade stinks and has nothing to do with Chicago.

In any case, sad to see DQ go, but frankly, it wasn't all that hot compare to everything else you can do around here. And, it just didn't feel like "Disney" -- wasn't as high quality as the parts (except for maybe the Pirates ride).

 

[Figment]

Hey Figment2! I may have to sue you for copyright infringement I was first upset to see that Disney Quest was closing, since I'm only 15 minutes from it. Then I realized I never even went! It's hard to go and fork over $$$$ when you get in free every time you go to WDW. It was also in a busy location. For suburban people like me, going into the city could be a tough task.

 

[Figment2]

I know people like you who don't care for the parade. However, I disagree and so do the thousands of people who show up for it year after year. There are just as many people who make it an annual event. Maybe it doesn't have anything to do with Chicago but the parade and the fireworks afterward bring a little Disney magic to the city. And that is a good thing.

C.

 

[Moriarty]

I can't say that I'm extremely disappointed to see it go. That area of Chicago is becoming very gentrified and attractions like Disney Quest don't fit in very well.

People who visit the River North are looking for something uniquely Chicago and really don't want the giant chain establishments invading downtown although the ESPN Zone seems to be doing very well.

That said, I really did like some of the things they had in there, but it has almost the exact same attractions that its Orlando counterpart has. It didn't have anything unique and different to make people want to visit the Chicago Quest.

When Disney Quest first opened, a friend of mine said that he would probably only go once a year to see if anything new had been added. If alot of people had that mentality, a place like Disney Quest can't stay open with such little repeat business.

 

[Figment]

I agree Fig2, the parade is a very nice, and is good for a once a year thing. In Schaumburg (20 miles west of Chicago) they have a GameWorks, which is similar to Disney Quest, and run by a Spielberg Co I believe??? They are always packed, and I wonder if Disney had put quest out there, if it would have had some more success?

 

[Figment2]

Good point Figment. It may have done better in the suburbs. A lot of suburban folk don't like to venture downtown which is a shame because there is so much to do and see down here.

DQ is a great place for those people who cannot afford to go to DL or WDW all the time. The elevator ride is worth the price of admission as far as I'm concerned. It's a fun place to go for adults and kids.

C.

 

[MrKlixx]

I think one of the main problems is that Disney Quest is supposed to be a child friendly environment, and I don't think downtown Chicago is the ideal child friendly environment. Not to be an overt slam to Chicago, I don't think any major metropolitan downtown is a child friendly environment. I mean people have no problem sending their kids to Disney Quest at Disney World for a few hours while they go shopping or go back to the resort to rest, etc. But I daresay that most parents would feel uncomfortable (and rightly so) dropping their children off in downtown Chicago.


MrKlixx


(virtual reality clipart)

 

[gary]

Do you think the Orlando DQ is successful enough for them to consider saving the equipment and opening a DQ in Disneyland's Downtown Disney? (DDD?) Or will they just be mothballed and scavenged for spare parts at the WDW DQ?

Gary

 

[Quentin Disney]

I'm rather bummed at this news. Having visited that location on a trip a few years back, I enjoyed the way it was presented, but (at the time) it kind of felt like a rip-off. At the start, they had this sort of credit card system. You simply pay-to-play just like any other arcade. I really didn't like that. I ended up walking on Michigan Ave later that day to FAO because of it.

Of course now, they no longer have the stupid cards at both locations, but even with that people hog the arcade machines. DQ had some potential. Maybe if they added a little more of that "magic", it would have been sucessful.

About the comment of people not going to it since its in an urban atmosphere. I guess its like that too in Time Square. Yeah, everyone says its all cleaned up, but there is very little for young kids to do there but the themed shops. Looks like I'm going off topic again!

I wonder why did DQ fail in Chi-town and next door, ESPNZone is doing well. Disney regional entertainment seems not to work well as Club Disney and now DQ have failed with the public.

 

[babar]

ESPN Zone does better because it's a restaurant/bar!! The after work crowd (or lunch if you are lucky ) isn't going to go to DisneyQuest to unwind!! And it's cheaper, and it's for people who like to watch sports, which is pretty big here in Chicago!

 

[sgtdisney]

DQ would have been infinately more successful if they had located it in one of the suburbs of Chicago. It could have maybe been Rosemont, or Oakbrook or even Schaumburg. The location where DQ was located was not one of the easiest places to get to if you were travelling by car as anyone in the suburbs would be doing. I was down there, not at DQ, but at a near by restaurant about a year ago and parking was a complete hassle and almost as expensive as going into DQ itself. I am sure Disney was hoping to get a lot of the tourist trade, but with so much to compete with in Downtown Chicago, at substantially lower prices like the museums and the aquarium they needed to have local visitors. Most suburanites, me included, venture into the city very rarely due to the long rides, heavy traffic and difficulty in parking. As much as I love Disney I never went to DQ, and I don't really regret it. If it had been in Schaumburg or Oakbrook, I am certain I would have been a repeat visitor.

 

[YoHo]

I'm actually really surpirsed by this, DQ is ALWAYS packed on the weekends. ALWAYS!
To those who think people in that area want something uniquly chicago, well you better tell the realestate guys, because I can't think of much in that area that is unique to chicago. As I recall, the Rainforest Cafe replaced the Al Capone Dinner theater. I suppose Ed Debevics, but that isn't all that unique, Oh, Wait I know, Hooters. Wait no no not that.

Also, Aparently some people don't know what Gentrification means. That area is not Gentrifying. Currently Wicker Park is the big Gentrification push. River North is just seeing a lot more Rich people wanting to live there, because Oprah's apartment complex is full..

Cabrini is seeing new housing, but that's not gentrification.


Incidently, Chicagoland has a Total of 3 Rainforest Cafe's within 30 miles, The one closing has more to do with the current rainforest managment wanting fewer stores in General then with losing money (it is packed regularly as well)

Gameworks is an over priced Dave and Busters and is actually more expensive then Disneyquest.

If I had to guess, I'd say the flaw in Disneyquest is that they didn't integrate the ESPNZone resturants. The 2 highly successful Dave N' Busters and the Gameworks all have resturants included which will draw people during the buisness week. Chicago is second to New Orleans only when it comes to resturants, adding the resturant to DQ, especially if they worked some of that Disney Resturant magic would do well.

 

[YoHo]

I agree that Schaumburg was the logical place. it already is building a lot of those kinds of attractions and What with Motorola a mere 5 minutes away, its a quick jaunt for the Tech-savvy Buisnessman. I think though that Disney had some sort of relationship with Chicago and that's why they built in the city.

 

[YoHo]

Oh, and Barbar, your right, Watching Our sucky Sports Teams suck is a huge Deal in Chicago.


Go Cubs (The end is near, the cubs not sucking is a sign of the Apocolypse),
Go Bears,
Go To H*** Packers.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I am willing to take bets that within six months they will be announcing a DQ to be opened in Downtown Disney in Anaheim. This way they will get all the equipment without having to buy/build new stuff. Remember, you heard it here first.