Originally Posted By TDLFAN I was at DTD this afternoon and got to see firsthand the beginning of this project. The restaurant will be located next to McDonalds and the woodsy area where the Valet Parking kiosk used to be. A good quarter of that particular parking lot is also going away to make room for the new T-Rex restaurant and shop.. which is odd since that is a prime parking area, close to the shops and dinning.. Oh well. If you look from Raglan's, you can see the construction across the waterway separating PI from the parking lot. So NO, this is not being built inside PI as some previously suggested. There is a couple of design concepts of the restaurant and shop on display on the construction fence, plus a sign announcing the restaurant "coming summer 2008". Design concepts of the restaurant and what appears to be of the main entrance to either a gift shop or the restaurtant itself, with water falls cascading from a mountain type structure.. but the design is so generic that this may not be what it appears to be. A huge dino skelleton is also shown at the front of the building. I sure hope they pull this off. I personally do not care much for the quality of the Rainforrest Cafe food, and I believe the same company might be in charge of this new eatery... so, those dino AAs better be Disney quality or else, I won't bother much with this new place. Personally, I wish they had built this inside DAK's Dinoland, intead of that "Yeekeeteeyak" restaurant in Asia. Anyways... here are some photos I took with my cellphone of the construction site as seen from Raglan's Restaurant, and of the design concepts on the constrution wall. <a href="http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f231/TDLFAN/trex1.jpg" target="_blank">http://i48.photobucket.com/alb ums/f231/TDLFAN/trex1.jpg</a> <a href="http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f231/TDLFAN/trex2.jpg" target="_blank">http://i48.photobucket.com/alb ums/f231/TDLFAN/trex2.jpg</a> <a href="http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f231/TDLFAN/trex3.jpg" target="_blank">http://i48.photobucket.com/alb ums/f231/TDLFAN/trex3.jpg</a> <a href="http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f231/TDLFAN/trex4.jpg" target="_blank">http://i48.photobucket.com/alb ums/f231/TDLFAN/trex4.jpg</a>
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ^^Yes. Landry's Restaurants, which owns Rainforest Cafes is indeed behind T-Rex ... and Yak and Yeti as well. (and in O-Town, they have Joe's Crab Shack outlets and maybe another one of their dozen or so chains) I'm not excited by this at all. But I'm sure it is aimed squarely at the stroller brigade and some locals. I think this is the second with the prototype being in Kansas City.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 oops, forgot the obvious one ... Landry's Seafood House on 535 next to Lone Star and across from Marriott Village at Little Lake Bryan.
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 Thanks for the pics, TDLFAN. <<I sure hope they pull this off. I personally do not care much for the quality of the Rainforrest Cafe food, and I believe the same company might be in charge of this new eatery... so, those dino AAs better be Disney quality or else, I won't bother much with this new place.>> Landry's operates 28 different properties/chains, ranging from exquisite seafood restaurants to ho-hum cookie-cutter mass-market eateries. It looks as though "T-REX" is going to be "Rainforest Cafe" with marginally animated dinosaurs instead of marginally animated jungle creatures. And, of course, with dino plush instead of mammal plush in the extensive gift shop. Eating at Rainforest Cafe is a kick at MGM Grand in Las Vegas (if you haven't been to one before) or in the Detroit suburbs (if you haven't been to one before). But on a Disney property? The theming just doesn't measure up. Check out the Landry's website. It doesn't look as though T-REX will be qualitatively different than RainForest Cafe.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Eating at Rainforest Cafe is a kick at MGM Grand in Las Vegas (if you haven't been to one before) or in the Detroit suburbs (if you haven't been to one before). But on a Disney property? The theming just doesn't measure up.<< Great assesment up there I57. And now that you are here, gimme a moment to get my popcorn in the microwave, ok?
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 LOL! But, sorry, I just don't think this is going to be "Sunday Night At The Fights."
Originally Posted By TDLFAN <---Goes away to play "Gladiator" on his blueray player, in the cinema room with surround sound, next to the pool and guesthouse cabana in the patio.
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 God. Anything for you, TDLFAN. Whaddya say, Spirit? Think we could stage a little something here?
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ^^I would really like to I-57. But I think for that kind of entertainment we deserve some kind of scale ... know anyone who can draft a contract in the middle of the night? (Besides, I know even you aren't so lacking in taste that you'd forgo WDW's many wonderful restaurants for Rainforest Cafe! So we'd have to come up with another topic. Like Nancy Grace ... I'd like to shoot the TV when she comes on ... your thoughts?)
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<Like Nancy Grace>> Yikes! I've never heard of her. Sorry! I don't know that many TV people. How about we fight over the acting skills of David Caruso? No, wait. That would mean that you'd have to take the position that he HAS acting skills. And I couldn't ask that of you. Ummm... Jay versus Dave? No. I could argue either side of that one. Never mind. Okay, okay. Tell me that you hated "Murder, She Wrote," and then it's Game On. Otherwise... I think TDLFAN is going to have to get his jollies somewhere else, and we may have to return this thread to its original (Disney-related) topic!
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Nancy Grace is that CNN anchor, who has built her show by being sensationalistic. Personally she is more FOX than CNN.
Originally Posted By Jessica Fletcher And possibly me, but please gentlemen, I assure you I hope it does not in fact come to that.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Going back to topic here... I wonder what type of food will be served at the T-Rex, or if this is going to be a similar fare to what is served at the rainforrest cafe.. Has anyone been to the prototype restaurant?
Originally Posted By WolvesTwilight So it finally started? An awesome friend of mine who also is a cast member worked as a part time job at Disney and the rest of the time worked for a company that made animatronics. He told me a long time ago about this project they were doing one day while we were working together. I hope it's nothing silly.. Really, I don't see the appeal.
