Downtown Disney's Earl of Sandwich did, in fact, reopen today, despite a last-minute report in a local newspaper that the reopening had been postponed.
And that's not the only quick service food option that visitors to the west side of the shopping district will be able to enjoy in the coming weeks. Disneyland is supplementing Earl of Sandwich with a variety of food trucks that will be parking and serving in the area from 3pm on each evening.
All this is because Disney is now stuck with a construction site that has no construction project. Disneyland had closed all the retail locations on the western end of Downtown Disney last spring, in anticipation of starting construction on its fourth on-site hotel. But that plan stalled in a political battle with the City of Anaheim over a proposed tax break for the hotel, which the city claimed was no longer eligible after Disney moved it from its original site following its decision to cancel the Eastern Gateway project, which would have seen the resort's second parking garage go up on a plot of land between Harbor Boulevard and Interstate 5. Now, the garage is going up next to the Mickey and Friends parking structure, which pushed the hotel site to the south.
Whew.
So while Disney decides what to do with its plans for another hotel — whether to go ahead, change the hotel's "luxury" design, or to kill the whole thing — Disneyland visitors can chow down on Earl of Sandwich as well as The Habit Burger, Brew Wings, Crepes Bonaparte, and whatever else rolls up at Disney's request.
Later this year, Disneyland will announce opening dates for its other Downtown Disney restaurants now under construction: the Salt & Straw ice cream shop, Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer, and San Diego-based Ballast Point brewery.
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How is Splitsville doing? Heard nothing about it for months. I would think the food trucks are taking away business from other Downtown Disney tenants and the Hotel restaurants. The restaurants should mainly put in a take out window to serve customers. Disney needs to just build the hotel. No more delays.
Was at Downtown Disney this weekend and it was UNCOMFORTABLY PACKED!
SUCCESS IS GREAT, but they need more diversity of food products. This is a short-term solution. EXPANSION pains will continue through the redesign of Tomorrowland, expansion of Fantasyland, construction of Marvel-land and the construction of luxury and value priced hotels.
Gotta love the HATERS that ignore the facts of Disney’s continuing success!
I'm going off topic here so bare with me PLEASE.I had the pleasure to work for Disneyland from 1977 thru 2002. Through those year I saw many changes some good some not so good. With the expansion or DCA and DDT the Disneyland drastically changed. Daily attendance dramaticly went up from about (I'm guesstimating here) 8 to 15,000 in the off season to 65,000 "At Max" sadly now
Disneyland sees daily figures in access of the max. Add in the maga strollers that carry all the crap people need to enjoy there day and you have what we experience now no place to walk and the need to use some sort of speed up your wait times ideas.With the pending opening of Star Wars land it's not going to get better and this idea of removing benches and planters won't truly help. Dineyland was not designed to hold those numbers having Green belts and landscaping was done to make your visit enjoyable. Ok so here's my two cents Completely illuminate outside strollers being brought into the parks go back to a simple small very economical rentable stroller maybe a buck a day PERIOD. Then lower the daily attendance allowed in the Parks I know I know it's about money but if you can't move why GO. You can't keep allowing the numbers that are coming that require more room and Disneyland has offer. I know it's not going to happen just going to land is not the same as it was in 1977 the changes started happening in 1984 with new outside Family Management. did they save Walt Disney's Company YES most definitely but at want expense. Yes its the house that Walt built and the only park he ever walked in but it's gone too far from his original idea you know it's all about the money not a place to go and enjoy with your family like he wanted. thank you for allowing me to vent. EDS.
Food in Downtown Disney is so ridiculous now. I was there in July and we wandered into all the restaurants on Harbor looking for lunch before the parks. Every single one of them was packed, and it was about 230pm, well after traditional lunchtime. We ate in Splitsville that night and there were 8 occupied tables (though many more people were at the bar). Disney is clearly pricing people out of the experience, and leasing space to food trucks is just a band-aid for something that's going to become even a bigger issue down the road.
Disney needs to bite the bullet, build a "Value" hotel on the land they own across Harbor and stop acting like Anaheim owes them anything.
EDS, I feel your pain, and agree to a large extent. Disneyland isn't my "Get Out of Dodge" place to go anymore. Rides we go on are looking old n' tattered. But... is it Disneyland, or ABC in general? Rhetorically, the latter I believe. The 'company' has over expanded without forward looking leadership - more politically sensitive now. Out with the fun, in with … well … whatever it is now.
Disney has pushed out the locals in favor of tourists. It is over priced and not fun anymore. Its all about money for Disney now. The magic is gone!
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This is pretty embarrassing for Disney management. How could they not foresee, especially with Disney being so lawyer sensitive, that the change of address might change the terms of the tax incentive? Unless it's what Disney wanted, but it makes them look like a clown operation. With Downtown Disney in such bad shape, they should go back and offer free parking again. The one good thing is that there are affordable food options with the food trucks, which also emphasizes Disney's high prices in comparison.