Rethemed Splash Mountain is Perfect Opportunity to Bring New Orleans Food to Magic Kingdom

limitdis

Mouseketeer
Joined
Apr 7, 2014
With the retheming of Splash Mountain, this seems like a perfect opportunity to bring in some New Orleans style food into the Magic Kingdom. In my opinion, Magic Kingdom is now the only park that doesn't have awesome food places at great value. Animal Kingdom and Disney Hollywood Studios are probably tied with Satu'li Canteen and Docking Bay 7, and Epcot always has great options when they have festival food kiosks. Magic Kingdom used to have the best option with Be Our Guest, but it was too good to last, and they skyrocketed the price. Pecos (which is slightly worse quality than Taco Bell) would be a great spot to put a New Orleans themed restaurant. Keep the menu simple, but great with some shrimp and chicken jambalaya, maybe some shrimp creole and etouffee, maybe an option for roast beef po boy. Add some great theming like Satu'li and Docking Bay and we could get dining at Magic Kingdom back on track and make the transition to a new Splash Mountain theme tolerable. Its easy to win people over through their stomachs.
 
I would love a New Orleans themed restaurant but I fear that the food would be bland and have zero flavor. The food at Pecos Bill is already like that and it's terrible.

Beignets in the Magic Kingdom would be awesome too!
 


With the retheming of Splash Mountain, this seems like a perfect opportunity to bring in some New Orleans style food into the Magic Kingdom. In my opinion, Magic Kingdom is now the only park that doesn't have awesome food places at great value. Animal Kingdom and Disney Hollywood Studios are probably tied with Satu'li Canteen and Docking Bay 7, and Epcot always has great options when they have festival food kiosks. Magic Kingdom used to have the best option with Be Our Guest, but it was too good to last, and they skyrocketed the price. Pecos (which is slightly worse quality than Taco Bell) would be a great spot to put a New Orleans themed restaurant. Keep the menu simple, but great with some shrimp and chicken jambalaya, maybe some shrimp creole and etouffee, maybe an option for roast beef po boy. Add some great theming like Satu'li and Docking Bay and we could get dining at Magic Kingdom back on track and make the transition to a new Splash Mountain theme tolerable. Its easy to win people over through their stomachs.

We were talking about this in the main news thread just now since imagineers were spotted walking through Pecos Bill taking notes and whatnot. I would be super on board. MK is in dire need of quality options in park and hasn't gotten a new QS in forever, certainly not since they started upping the QS game at the parks.
 


After our stay at POFQ a few years ago I wouldn't trust Disney's food lab people at all. I had the Jambalaya at POFQ and found it nearly inediblly boring and beyond bland. I mean it doesn't have to be flame throwing head on fire hot, but bland and flavorless was just awful.
 
Satu'li and Docking 7 have shown us Disney can do cheaper healthy food with flavor and spice. This is the way.
Those are decent restaurants but when I think of places with New Orleans style food (French Market and Blue Bayou - both Disneyland), I lose faith that they would do that cuisine well. Both of those restaurants are extremely mediocre and especially with Blue Bayou, very overpriced.
 
Beignets in the Magic Kingdom would be awesome too!
Yum!!!

After our stay at POFQ a few years ago I wouldn't trust Disney's food lab people at all. I had the Jambalaya at POFQ and found it nearly inediblly boring and beyond bland. I mean it doesn't have to be flame throwing head on fire hot, but bland and flavorless was just awful.

I think places catering to travelers err on the side of caution. - They would rather be too bland for more experienced guests than too spicy for new customers trying something for the first time.
 
Yum!!!



I think places catering to travelers err on the side of caution. - They would rather be too bland for more experienced guests than too spicy for new customers trying something for the first time.
Jambalaya will be the star ★ of the restaurant. A great jambalaya gets its flavors from pork fat, butter, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, chicken broth and the onions, celery, and bell peppers cooked down and mixed with the meat, the chicken and shrimp. Jasmine rice is the star of the dish because it soaks up all those flavors. Leave a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce on tables for those who need excess heat.
 
I would love to see it and I could see both TS and QS options. Things like Po'Boys, large batch dishes served over rice (seafood gumbo, chicken/sausage gumbo, red beans & rice, crawfish bisque, Etouffee), and even some appetizer type items like boudin balls, fried okra, and hushpuppies (I can't see them doing gator), could easily work into a quick service location. Beignets and king cake can round out quick service desserts. You start adding in pasta and fish dishes along with shrimp & grits, and crab cakes and you've got table service. Things like bread pudding and bananas foster could be added into the dessert mix for TS. The real issue would be food quality (with actual food components as well as prep, seasoning, and overall execution). Sadly, I don't have high hopes for them to get it right if they tried.
 
I'm thinking it wouldn't go over big with most WDW guests, put a crawfish in front of someone who has never seen one and watch them run screaming. I love creole food (unfortunately it no longer loves me so can't eat it) but they would really have to dummy it down. I'm not even sure how the ride fits in with the current theme of the area. You have BTMRR and Tom Sawyers island on one side, Country Bears, a shooting gallery, and a frontier looking street. Lets stick a Louisiana themed ride in the middle of the frontier, sure makes sense. If they rethemed the entire area it would work better but you might get some push back on BTMRR and maybe even Country Bears because of the nostalgia factor. Since Skippers is rarely full, you can tell most of the people who go MK aren't into adventurous food.
 
I had gumbo in Disneyland. It was decent. If they stayed true to New Orlean cuisine, a restaurant could be great.
 
So I was there on Tuesday and the walls had the printed logo of Southern Dome Salt Co. I laughed thinking about all the folks upset that there might be salt mines even though there are some outside NOLA.

Went back on Thursday to these new metal signs all over the fencing. Lots of energy and production put in to these, never seen anything like it. Now let the rumors begin that we will get a NOLA style dining. But where will it be???? No matter where, I'm all in!! MK has the worse dining options and would love something new, especially QS.

328834652_586163356290899_7580726575750738904_n.jpg328943403_649039180555234_3156042347118177391_n.jpg
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!











facebook twitter
Top