More DTD closures?!

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Well the reason is......... because PI closed. I know that many of us that hit the clubs would love to a late night snack of fries and a burger or some coffee.

The DTD McDonald's closed before the clubs let out so I don't think PI impacted the business there very much overall. Us clubhoppers always had to swing by the McDonald's at Crossroads in order to stave the 2am munchies.

CityWalk just opened a food court for those with the 2am munchies. They're doing a good business over there with Burger King, Moe's and Panda Express. It seems that whatever Disney does, Universal does the opposite and it's working well for them.

Decision after decision made by PI management seems to have nothing to do about making money and very little to do about enhancing the guest experience.

BobK/Orlando

 

[Scurvy]

Decision after decision made by PI management seems to have nothing to do about making money and very little to do about enhancing the guest experience.

BobK/Orlando

I think that sums it up really well.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Oh no!

Not Starbilias!

Now where will I go to buy an *OVERPRICED * autographed Pulp Fiction poster? What about *RIDICULOUSLY OVERPRICED* Elton John sunglasses?

Fixed that for ya..

Starbilias is about as 'conspicuous' consumption as you can get.

In this economy, a store selling autographed pictures for 2 to 3 times their fair market value (and sometimes way way more..) just doesn't have a place really.

As for McDonald's at DTD, Ive been told since 2007 that this would be closing around 2010, because the contract would be lapsed and wasn't being renewed. I was further told that the McD's fries options in the parks would be going or gone by the same date.. .. aren't they starting to disappear too?

So.. the McDonalds isn't really about the economy near as I can tell. It's really more about the exhorbitant rents etc, I think anyway.

Knox

 

[OrlandoMike]

Ya the fry stands in the parks are gone too.

Any quick google search will tell you that the contract between Disney and McDonalds was allowed to expire because Disney is going the more healthy food route.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Any quick google search will tell you that the contract between Disney and McDonalds was allowed to expire because Disney is going the more healthy food route.

You mean McDonalds food is not healthy?

BobK/Orlando

 

[doconeill]

As for McDonald's at DTD, Ive been told since 2007 that this would be closing around 2010, because the contract would be lapsed and wasn't being renewed. I was further told that the McD's fries options in the parks would be going or gone by the same date.. .. aren't they starting to disappear too?

So.. the McDonalds isn't really about the economy near as I can tell. It's really more about the exhorbitant rents etc, I think anyway.

Knox

I suspected as much as well...they are pulling out of all the in-park sponsorships already.

But is the rent "exhorbitant"? After all, they are supposedly trying to get third parties to take over the PI locations, and that hasn't gone well at all.

Although I have NEVER eaten there, I don't begrudge its presence. I think it served a "niche" in dining not otherwise served on property. I still think the standalone McDs by the AllStars is too remote and largely forgotten, although I don't really know what kind of volume it gets.

 

[anthony2k7]

Ya the fry stands in the parks are gone too.

Any quick google search will tell you that the contract between Disney and McDonalds was allowed to expire because Disney is going the more healthy food route.

haha yeah those disney fries/chicken nuggets etc may look the same and taste the same, but they're a whole lot healthier (to disney's bank balance maybe!) when they're not made by mcdonalds.

 

[mitros]

if the mcdonalds is closing it can only be because disney are forcing them out. I bet disney see them as a low price high volume food outlet that they arent getting a big enough returned from. With mcdonalds gone, they can either set up their own mcdonalds type outlet (like they've done in the parks) and keep all the money themselves, or offer it to a 3rd party at rates more attractive to disney.

Funny thing about that. Just before Ei$ners tenure, most of the food establishments at DTD, {then known as the Marketplace} had Disney-run eateries. Remember the character ice cream shop that is now Ghiradelles, and the sandwich shop that is now Earl of Sandwich, and Wolgang Pucks, which was also a Disney run restaurant at one time. In later years , they replaced their own Disney run restaurants with outside vendors, and Captain Jacks is the only place that survived that big move to chains. Wonder if that means Disney is going back to running it's own restaurants? Empress Lilly was another one they got rid of during that change over period, and gave it to Levy's Fultons Crab House.

 

[lugnut33]

McD's is a good place to stop and get a reasonably priced drink when one is parched.

 

[CanadianGuy]

I suspected as much as well...they are pulling out of all the in-park sponsorships already.

But is the rent "exhorbitant"? After all, they are supposedly trying to get third parties to take over the PI locations, and that hasn't gone well at all.

Although I have NEVER eaten there, I don't begrudge its presence. I think it served a "niche" in dining not otherwise served on property. I still think the standalone McDs by the AllStars is too remote and largely forgotten, although I don't really know what kind of volume it gets.

I dunno the rents obviously.. but I suspect it's substantially more than your standard mall rent... (altho the basement has dropped out of that too).. I just presumed it was substantial because the cost of the McDonald's food is quite high compared to most parts of the 48 states.

The McD's over by AllStars get a good bit of walking traffic from the All Stars in addition to guests with cars and of course.. CM's on their way back and forth and stop there a fair bit - they get a decent discount.

I believe that intersection will be busier in years to come tho.

 

[zulemara]

well they have really started tearing apart virgin. I could see inside very clearly last night and they have taken everything on the lower level out. It's now just one big room. They have also taken down the posters on the parking lot side of the building and put up some new DTD posters which actually mention PI(this continues to puzzle me)

On the DTD side of the building, they have removed the letters that say megastore, took down posters, and removed the large light up virgin symbol.
All part of the "bold new vision" for Downtown Disney.

 

[Jessfrogger88]

I've been to the DTD area over 100 times and it's almost always crowded and overly congested. Even when the parks are dead DTD seems to maintain a pretty big crowd. For me it's so hard to fathom why a company like Disney which is supposed to be all about creating a magical vision and upkept image has like eight empty buildings with the possibility of three more on the way. Seriously what is wrong with Disney... it's a shame to let that all sit empty with tons of people walking by... and that stupid celebration party is depressingly lame. I was embarrased when I saw it last week. I miss PI and wouldn't be suprised to find myself spending more time at US and CW in the future. Even if the clubs can't come back they need to fill those empty store fronts with something right away... It's down right embarrassing and all these promises of a new future with a better DTD are just there way of stallign and hiding the fact that they have nothing in the works.

P.S. what good is a baloon in climate that is prone to high winds and thunderstorms on a daily basis.

 

[yitbos96bb]

Well, for us, it's about the only place to get a decent coffee after 10pm. It's also a place where families can get a meal without either a reservation or waiting 45 minutes. Doesn't bother me at all. If others don't like it, nothing says you have to go there.

Disney coffee, with the except of V and A and Narcoosee's is pretty terrible. If they can't do good coffee, you'd think they'd put a starbuck's or something like that. Maybe in the bathroom of the starbucks they can open another starbucks.

 

[yitbos96bb]

I know that PI accounted for more then 20% of Orlando's night life income.

Great move

And you are pulling this number from where?

 

[yitbos96bb]

Have there been any signs of what's going there in its place?

well they have really started tearing apart virgin. I could see inside very clearly last night and they have taken everything on the lower level out. It's now just one big room. They have also taken down the posters on the parking lot side of the building and put up some new DTD posters which actually mention PI(this continues to puzzle me)

On the DTD side of the building, they have removed the letters that say megastore, took down posters, and removed the large light up virgin symbol.
All part of the "bold new vision" for Downtown Disney.

 

[yitbos96bb]

Actually it was Walt Disney World Village (Having been renamed from Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village in 1977)... The name was not changed to Marketplace until 1989, which was 5 years after Eisner joined Disney in 1984.

Most of the move to 3rd party eateries happened in the mid 90's...

Pluto's Dog House was turned into Legoland in 1997
McDonald's was built in 1997
Chef Mickey's was move to the Contemporary in 1996
The Empress Lily closed in 1995 and was taken over by Levy who ran Portebello's
Earle of Sandwich was 2004

So, yes they did happen on Eisner's watch but it was a long way INTO Eisner's watch. I do agree this was a mistake though.

Funny thing about that. Just before Ei$ners tenure, most of the food establishments at DTD, {then known as the Marketplace} had Disney-run eateries. Remember the character ice cream shop that is now Ghiradelles, and the sandwich shop that is now Earl of Sandwich, and Wolgang Pucks, which was also a Disney run restaurant at one time. In later years , they replaced their own Disney run restaurants with outside vendors, and Captain Jacks is the only place that survived that big move to chains. Wonder if that means Disney is going back to running it's own restaurants? Empress Lilly was another one they got rid of during that change over period, and gave it to Levy's Fultons Crab House.

 

[zulemara]

Have there been any signs of what's going there in its place?

No, and believe me we watch like a hawk! The haste at which they are tearing apart Virgin made me think maybe they have something slated to go in and that's why they closed early, but then again they did the same thing to PI and they remain empty 8 months later. They did keep with the theme though...they have plastered "what will you celebrate" on all the doors of virgin.

 

[wilde_oscar]

I am going to celibrate the new DTD streetmosphere players featuring Urban Blight and the trashcan band. Since they are outsourcing, they could turn over managment to one of the firms that runs a lot of major shopping centers.