Rainforest Cafe Potentially returning to DTD

[alvernon90]

I'd rather they use the space for something special.

Me, too. And I think they already have the perfect idea, one that combines Disney theming with high quality food and cocktails, and all of the design work has already been done: Jock Lindsay's Hangar Bar from Disney Springs at WDW. I think that would be a perfect replacement for Rainforest Cafe.

 

[DharmaLou]

Gross. Bleh food and too much money. Even my kid hated it the one time I took her (a different location) because we thought she'd like the setting.

 

[Princess_Iliana_of_Avalor]

Does anybody here remember the Monorail Cafe? it was a 50's style Diner, at the Disneyland Hotel before the big re-do..
http://magicalhotel.blogspot.com/2008/05/monorail-cafe.html

Anyway, I Would like to see this type of restaurant go in. One that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner... great desserts. One that is kid friendly, and wont break the budget. Very few choices like this at any of the Disney Hotels, and its needed. Storytellers has gone to a Buffett only menu.. and my last 2 visits there were bad, really bad. Service and food!

Just an idea... but I would love to see something along these lines,, and thats fun too.

--Lori

I would LOVE this! Classic Disney is so special and I would love to experience it now since I couldn't experience it then!

 

[Princess_Iliana_of_Avalor]

Me, too. And I think they already have the perfect idea, one that combines Disney theming with high quality food and cocktails, and all of the design work has already been done: Jock Lindsay's Hangar Bar from Disney Springs at WDW. I think that would be a perfect replacement for Rainforest Cafe.

I absolutely LOVE Hangar Bar. Indiana Jones is my absolute favorite action/adventure movie and my goal when I went to WDW was to visit this bar lol. It's small, but it's so unique and I also think has a lot for kids to look at and it even has special non-alcoholic drinks for them, as well as fun food.

 

[DLgal]

Rainforest cafe is an outdated concept that is well beyond its prime. It does not need to come back. Disney has already taken steps to modernize Downtown Disney and bringing back RFC would be a huge step backwards.

 

[felice]

Would be lovely to see the Rainforest Cafe back in their original location. The area looks a little down-at-heel when it is empty.

We noticed they were still trading at the Ontario Mills outlets quite successfully. They do deserve to be back at Downtown Disney again, despite the recent hiccups which were not of their making. I'm sure they will do a roaring trade as they were doing previously, same as with the Earl of Sandwich, which has reopened again as we know (and their prices are VERY reasonable too currently) so my wife and I will certainly try to eat there before we head back to the UK towards the end of next week.

 

[DLgal]

Would be lovely to see the Rainforest Cafe back in their original location. The area looks a little down-at-heel when it is empty.

We noticed they were still trading at the Ontario Mills outlets quite successfully. They do deserve to be back at Downtown Disney again, despite the recent hiccups which were not of their making. I'm sure they will do a roaring trade as they were doing previously, same as with the Earl of Sandwich, which has reopened again as we know (and their prices are VERY reasonable too currently) so my wife and I will certainly try to eat there before we head back to the UK towards the end of next week.

To be fair, though, Ontario is literally in the middle of nowhere. There, Rainforest Cafe is an ATTRACTION.

Disneyland is surrounded by plenty of dining and entertainment options. You don't need a place like RFC at Downtown Disney. What DtD needs is places that LOCALS want to go to, and will go out of their way to visit. Downtown Disney doesn't survive on the backs of tourists. It depends on keeping the locals coming in order to be successful.

 

[ThumperWabbt]

We hit up RFC every time we were there and mourned its loss...and yet I think I'd rather see something else go in that spot. Something with better food and an atmosphere I can't get anywhere else. I think it just stopped begin special, and it's not unique to DL. I'd rather see something fun for everyone, with good food that isn't too funky or upscale.

 

[mummabear]

Care to elaborate?

The thing about a place like Rainforest Cafe is that children don't care if the food is garbage but children aren't paying the tab. It's easier to get adults to pay too much for good food than to pay too much for terrible food. (Rainforest Cafe comes with an extra bonus of screeching hypocrisy, but I doubt many people make dining decisions based on that.)

Adults tolerate the character meals because kids love them, but for your average adult the only thing worse than having Donald Duck interrupt your meal is having Donald Duck interrupt a meal you don't even want to eat. There is no reason that Disney or Rainforest Cafe cannot offer decent food along with the atmosphere, but as long as they refuse, the "fancy" restaurants at DTD will get more and more business.

Its several years ago now, but we were seated loooong after our reservation time (like an hour and we were there on time), food was rubbish and many of the plates of the buffet were empty, we didnt see any characters for more then 45 minutes and they started packing up around us.

I think it depends on the adult in regards to character meals, I live at times admittedly somewhat vicariously through my kids. What I think is a shame when it comes to character meals is that so many of them at the same resort have the same characters-why do chip and dalek need to be everywhere? Where is a Pixar one? A villian one etc?
As far as adults tolerating chatceter meals for their kids, same goes for places like Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex, it isnt where I would go for my date night, but if the kids are happy and entertained then I can relax a little, I would personally have a lower grade of food and happy kids then amazing food and bored kids.
I dont think means every restaurant at the resort should cater for them, but not enough do now.

Meh. Rainforest Cafe isn't special. It's a bland theme that has no tie to Disney, and the food isn't even that good. I'd rather they use the space for something special.

Oh but wouldn't it be neat if it did? T Rex as The Good Dinosaur, or Rainforest Cafe with a Tarzan tie in...

 

[mummabear]

Downtown Disney doesn't survive on the backs of tourists. It depends on keeping the locals coming in order to be successful.

I think DtD needs both.

 

[sgerto]

Its several years ago now, but we were seated loooong after our reservation time (like an hour and we were there on time), food was rubbish and many of the plates of the buffet were empty, we didnt see any characters for more then 45 minutes and they started packing up around us.

I think it depends on the adult in regards to character meals, I live at times admittedly somewhat vicariously through my kids. What I think is a shame when it comes to character meals is that so many of them at the same resort have the same characters-why do chip and dalek need to be everywhere? Where is a Pixar one? A villian one etc?
As far as adults tolerating chatceter meals for their kids, same goes for places like Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex, it isnt where I would go for my date night, but if the kids are happy and entertained then I can relax a little, I would personally have a lower grade of food and happy kids then amazing food and bored kids.
I dont think means every restaurant at the resort should cater for them, but not enough do now.



Oh but wouldn't it be neat if it did? T Rex as The Good Dinosaur, or Rainforest Cafe with a Tarzan tie in...

Disney has a character dining with Daleks?!?! Sign me up!!

 

[mummabear]

Disney has a character dining with Daleks?!?! Sign me up!!

lol autocorrect!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Disney has a character dining with Daleks?!?! Sign me up!!

Now THAT really would be something special!

 

[Doctor Who]

I really liked their breakfast. Breakfast with Daleks and Cyberman that would be awesome!

 

[cruisehopeful]

Does anybody here remember the Monorail Cafe? it was a 50's style Diner, at the Disneyland Hotel before the big re-do..
http://magicalhotel.blogspot.com/2008/05/monorail-cafe.html

I remember riding the monorail there to eat before our drive home after Disneyland. It was such a down to earth and reasonable place to go. It would be fun to put it in where RFC is, but I just don't see that happening because of how much work it would take to transform the building. I have a feeling they will likely go with RFC again, where everyone is willing to wait in line and pay a lot of money for the atmosphere alone.

 

[DLgal]

I think DtD needs both.

Of course it needs both, but in an area so densely packed with dining and entertainment options, DtD, at this point, needs to offer unique places for both locals and tourists in order to sustain its popularity. ESPN zone and RFC were stale offerings that were WAY past their prime of popularity. If there wasn't a sporting event going on, ESPN zone was dead. Rainforest Cafe was similarly dead most of the time, and really only got busy on weekends. 10-15 years ago, those places were popular ALL the time.

It's evident that Disney recognizes this, which is why you saw them close Haagen Dazs, Ridemakerz, House of Blues and Build A Bear to replace them with a "hip ice cream shop," a brewery, a burger and milkshakes based taphouse, and a Splitsville, which are ALL trendy concepts. It was the basis for the Disney Springs overhaul. Out with the old, in with the new.

 

[dina444444]

I remember riding the monorail there to eat before our drive home after Disneyland. It was such a down to earth and reasonable place to go. It would be fun to put it in where RFC is, but I just don't see that happening because of how much work it would take to transform the building. I have a feeling they will likely go with RFC again, where everyone is willing to wait in line and pay a lot of money for the atmosphere alone.

From my understanding they gutted the RFC building already. EoS was only able to easily reopen because the inside hadn't been completely gutted.

 

[sky13]

I agree with some previous posters that there are so many awesome shops/restaurants in Disney Springs at WDW that I'd love to see them bring to other resorts! Like Amorette's! And not sure if anything similar already exists at DL but I loved Goofy's Kitchen at WDW where you can customise your own Rice Krispie treat/etc. Basin. The Ganachery...

Of course it needs both, but in an area so densely packed with dining and entertainment options, DtD, at this point, needs to offer unique places for both locals and tourists in order to sustain its popularity. ESPN zone and RFC were stale offerings that were WAY past their prime of popularity. If there wasn't a sporting event going on, ESPN zone was dead. Rainforest Cafe was similarly dead most of the time, and really only got busy on weekends. 10-15 years ago, those places were popular ALL the time.

It's evident that Disney recognizes this, which is why you saw them close Haagen Dazs, Ridemakerz, House of Blues and Build A Bear to replace them with a "hip ice cream shop," a brewery, a burger and milkshakes based taphouse, and a Splitsville, which are ALL trendy concepts. It was the basis for the Disney Springs overhaul. Out with the old, in with the new.

For me as an out of town visitor - I am very excited to try out Salt and Straw. I have zero interest in going to a Haagen-Dazs on holiday given that there is one fairly close to where I am and I could stop by on the way home from work every day if I so wanted...

And one thing that I definitely get excited about in Disney Springs is all the stuff I can only get there. Like Amorette's!

 

[DLgal]

I agree with some previous posters that there are so many awesome shops/restaurants in Disney Springs at WDW that I'd love to see them bring to other resorts! Like Amorette's! And not sure if anything similar already exists at DL but I loved Goofy's Kitchen at WDW where you can customise your own Rice Krispie treat/etc. Basin. The Ganachery...



For me as an out of town visitor - I am very excited to try out Salt and Straw. I have zero interest in going to a Haagen-Dazs on holiday given that there is one fairly close to where I am and I could stop by on the way home from work every day if I so wanted...

And one thing that I definitely get excited about in Disney Springs is all the stuff I can only get there. Like Amorette's!

Exactly! There is a Haagen Dazs at practically every mall around here. That's precisely my point. They need to offer unique things if they want to draw people there. The truth is, on weekends, the DtD parking lots are not full of cars that belong to tourists...

There is a candy store in DtD. Marceline's is similar to Goofys Candy Co except they focus on the dipped apples rather than the create your own krispie treats and pretzel rods.

The only bakery, though, is Sprinkles which is also NOT UNIQUE in So Cal. And, it shows because the Sprinkles here is never busy, like...ever. I bet it won't last too much longer, to be honest. An Amorettes, on the other hand, where you can get specialty desserts AND wine? That place would be packed full ALL the time. There is a need for exactly that type of place here.

 

[smiley_face2]

Any new information or action happening at RC site? still hoping they decide to reopen it!