Level 99 to Open at Disney's DSTP in Orlando

I see the term “award-winning” so frequently used as a hype tool to announce a new restaurant or food item but I seldom see it noted what “award” it was given. We talkin’ first prize at the Kiwanis Club bake sale or the Association of Pizza Aficionados and Mustachioed Chefs here? Just curious.
Anyhow, this concept could be very cool. I expect it’ll be pricey, as all things Orlando are in the tourism sphere, but if the quality is there then it could be a hit.

Haven't we seen this before? First Disney tried to do it themselves with Disney Quest, which for the money was one of the best uses of a "Plus/waterpark and more" admission. Then they tried to collaborate with the NBA with the spectacular failure that was the NBA Experience (lasted a whopping 6 months). Now Disney is just going to pawn the future of the venue off to a lessee in the hopes that their expertise can resurrect this space. The last time Disney tried this was with The Void, where they allowed the VR/AR firm to create experiences with well-known Disney IP (it's unclear if Disney will license IPs to Level99). From all reports (I never visited myself), The Void was decent, but ended up closing mostly due to the Pandemic (May 2020) and never reemerged (similar to the NBA Experience, but the writing was on the wall for that one before the Pandemic interrupted operations).

Level99 currently seems to cater more to adults at their current locations (Providence, RI and Natick, MA), but perhaps they can adapt to more of a family crowd (maybe with the use of Disney IPs like Star Wars, Marvel, and Avatar), or maybe they'll stick with their current target audience and create a true adult experience at Disney Springs like Pleasure Island used to be. Nonetheless, this seems like a bit of a desperate attempt to figure out a solution for this space by shifting the risk over to an outside vendor.

Apropos of nothing other than this section of Downtown Disney, I just want to say how much I miss Bongo’s Cuban Cafe. I always had delicious meals there. The layout and decor were inviting and contemporary but with a rustic feel, and the live music was always amazing. They had the best mojitos and their chicken and rice made me feel like Anton Ego when he tastes Remy’s ratatouille for the first time. So maybe they could like, just bring that back?

I loved Disney Quest. A bit ahead of its time and would work even better today with arcades enjoying a retro feel.

Not sure I could put "gaming" and "adult" in the same sentence because it's just something that doesn't appeal to me. That's not to say it won't attract a younger audience.

What would appeal to me is fattyackin's suggestion that they bring back "Bongos Cuban Cafe".
Sitting up on the mezzanine watching people below dancing while we tucked into our tamales.

Didn't Virgin Megastore once have that footprint in the Downtown Disney days ?

@RobP: yes it did, well next to it anyways. It sat where Splitsville Bowling now resides. The was in the late ‘90’s and early Aughts. I miss that place. Great place to find hard to find music (in the pre-online shopping days) and also often times a great place to see bands play small in-store performances and have autograph signings before playing the House of Blues later that evening.
At one point there was supposed to be a David Copperfield branded magic store at Downtown Disney Westside but it never, ahem, materialized? Anyhow I’m sure someone here knows the whole story.

Russell: "Haven't we seen this before? "?

Me: No we haven't.

Ruseell: "The last time Disney tried this was with The Void, where they allowed the VR/AR firm to create experiences with well-known Disney IP ... (I never visited myself)."

Me: Which would mean YOU have never seen this before.

Russell: "Now Disney is just going to pawn the future of the venue off to a lessee in the hopes that their expertise can resurrect this space".

Me: You just described the business model for every tenant space/lease business model ever. Although the use of the phrase "pawn the future" would seem to expose your leanings (bias).

Russell: "Nonetheless, this seems like a bit of a desperate attempt to figure out a solution for this space by shifting the risk over to an outside vendor."

Me: Exactly how can you possibly offer a definitive conclusion that this was an act of desperation? I think it's reasonable to assume that Level 99's parents negotiated a deal based on the success of the Disney Springs theme park atmosphere. Equally, I'm sure that Disney (who may get both rent and a percentage of the take) believes in the viability of the concept. Hardly an illustration of desperation. More a reasonable risk -- especially considering that the foot traffic of DSTP is likely competitive with all of the other Orlando theme parks.

I'm excited we finally have a compelling use of this space. The financials of the NBA experience never made sense--you had a severely overpriced entrance fee for a few minigames and mindbogglingly overpriced merch.

Level 99 is exactly what this area of Disney Springs needs, provided they can bring value (food/drink & exceptional themed experiences concomitant with the price).

I do wish Disney Springs had more experiential entertainment. I miss the Void. They charged a hefty price for the length of the experiences, but man, did they ever deliver! Secrets of the Empire may very well have been the best Star Wars experience in all of Walt Disney World when it was operational.

I do agree with Russell that it's a little disheartening that Disney is ceding the location to a 3rd party. This is similar to what they did with ESPN Club-- not that I'm defending that restaurant, but it seems Disney is sticking to playing the theme park, resorts, and cruise ship hits rather than flexing their design skills outside of these traditional area. This could have been a swing-for-the-fences, try-something-new experience a la Starcruiser. But I also wouldn't be surprised if Starcruiser is the reason Disney plays the hits for a little while longer.

@TH - My point is that it's disappointing that Disney was not able to come up with a viable concept for this space. Disney Quest was a concept that was well executed, but obviously had become antiquated. Disney tried to leverage their NBA partnership to develop something similar but more modern and it failed. However, instead of going back to the drawing board to come up with something new and unique, they threw up their hands and asked a 3rd party to do it, a 3rd party with only 2 locations in the same market (Boston/Providence) no less.

Sure, it means Disney has very little risk if the Level99 concept doesn't stick, and they almost certainly will reap huge rewards if it does. However, it's the fact that Disney isn't even trying to develop something of their own here that is the concern. At it's core, Disney is in the business of creating unique entertainment experiences, and a project like this should be in their wheelhouse. It's almost like they're scared to try again, and in my view is a pretty profound statement about the current Walt Disney Company.