Originally Posted By Westsider Yahoo Finance has an article today about 15 big companies that are in danger of going under in '09, mainly due to liquidity issues. Landry's Restaurants is one of them. From the article: "Landry's Restaurants. (LNY; about 17,000 employees; stock down 66%). This restaurant chain, which operates Chart House, Rainforest Café, and other eateries, needs $400 million in new financing to finalize a buyout deal dating to last June. If lenders come through, the company should have enough cash to ride out the recession. But at least two banks have already balked, leading to downgrades of the company's debt and the prospect of a cash-flow crunch." This could theoretically shut down the DTD Rainforest Cafe. As if DTD can stand another sudden closure, especially one of the signature restaurants that accomodates a huge amount of traffic and soaks up dinner crowds. And what would replace it? It's such a heavily themed building with so much unique decor and themed elements inside, not to mention the robots and such, that it would be tough to reopen this facility without major reconstruction by a deep pocketed restauranteur. What a pain in the neck this would be if Rainforest does go under! Amazing how quickly the fortunes of a place like DTD can change, isn't it? Four vacant storefronts and counting, with several other big tenants on very thin financial ice. Rest of article is here. <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/15-Companies-That-Might-Not-usnews-14279875.html" target="_blank">http://finance.yahoo.com/news/...875.html</a>
Originally Posted By FerretAfros That's interesting. I wonder if there is any way that they could close some of the restuarants and keep others open. I'm not familiar with many of the other Rainforest Cafes, but I do know that the one in DTD is always busy. From what I've heard it's their biggest one, and it seems to be doing well. I have to think that there has to be an option where they can just shut down a bunch of their restuarants and keep other ones open. Either that, or work out a deal where Disney can operate it (like they did with Alfredo's during the time between when the Italian group backed out, and the Patina Group moved in). It seems like between the one in DL's DTD, WDW's DTD, the one at the entrance to DAK, and the T-Rex Cafe in WDW's DTD, there could be a chance that Disney might want to make it's own company to fill in the restuarants, since by all accounts, those specific locations are very popular.
Originally Posted By -em You are also forgetting the Yak and Yeti inside Animal Kingdom is also owned by Landrys While I am not a huge fan of the chain I liked going there and I think they are a good addition to DTD (and DAK)
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "Amazing how quickly the fortunes of a place like DTD can change, isn't it? Four vacant storefronts and counting, with several other big tenants on very thin financial ice." This isn't just happening at DtD. Here in San Francisco their are shuttered storefronts all over Union Square. Particularly in some of the poshest areas around Post and Grant Streets. The former Disney Store space across from Saks 5th Avenue has been vacant since last summer at least.
Originally Posted By ArchtMig >>>I do know that the one in DTD is always busy. From what I've heard it's their biggest one<<< I find that hard to believe. Anaheim typically never gets the "biggest" of anything, except for parking structures. From what I remember of the other Rainforest Cafes I have visited, including the one at DTD in WDW, the one in Anaheim is comparable but seems a bit smaller. For sure I don't think there are as many animatronics, waterfalls, or large fish tanks in the Anaheim one as there are in the others. Like anything else during the DLR expansion, I think they took it just far enough to make it respectable, but not nearly far enough to make it superlative.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney Wow, RFC is in trouble huh? Doesnt surprise me TOO much and I been to them all around the world and they been either shuttered or pretty empty when I been. The ones i visited: Las Vegas: Moderately busy Singapore: Empty, closed years ago San Francsico: Moderately busy to empty, also closed. Tokyo (Ikspari): ALWAYS empty, surprised its still open. Hell, the only ones I been to that are busy are the U.S. Disney parks. But outside of those and the chain seems to be struggling even though its such a fun theme. It will be sad if we loose it in DTD, that place is such a staple and my family personnally loves it. We all agree though its a little TOO expensive for what we get, but everyone loves the atmosphere lol. It just feels SO Disney and it will be a shame if goes. And I'm kind of out of the loop with a lot of this stuff lately, but wow I had no idea DTD was having so many problems? Obviously the economic down turn has made it a problem, but I never saw it as a place for locals. It was always too expensive and too many novelty stores for the local crowd. The Disney store is the only thing we personnally ever bought anything from for the most part. Outside of the restaurants and theater, there is no reason to go other then to suck up the vibe.
Originally Posted By Disney and beyond I always hatede the idea behind DTD. I've always thought Disney should stay Disney. Another interesting thing about that article is that it talks about the possiblity of Six Flags going under.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney Really beyound? I always like the idea of DTD. Besides giving the hotel guests something to do on days they arent at the park or just taking a break, its just a great local hang out. Like I said, it WOULD be better if they actually have shops that were more for local tastes than just tourists to be more appealing, but I still like it. And it doesnt have to be a Walmart or Target, just something that's appealing to everyone, like the Disney store seems to be. But personnally, for ME, the addition of DTD has made the place feel like a resort. Sure DCA is there, but its so lackluster, you go just because its there, but DTD is what makes the place feel so much more lively.
Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x There is a second one in SoCal, at the Ontario Mills Mall. They may do like other restaurants/stores, and close those that aren't doing so well, and keep the ones that are, like the DTD ones. I personally love RFC, I'm a Safari member, and my kids and I have to go every time we spend more than 2 days there.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "And also the only 2 story RFC." It may be the biggest, but not the only one with two floors. The one here in San Francisco also has two floors.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "San Francsico: Moderately busy to empty, also closed." Oh? Okay, it HAD two floors. LOL.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "And I'm kind of out of the loop with a lot of this stuff lately, but wow I had no idea DTD was having so many problems?" Is it? It seems that most, if not all, of the closures are due financial problems with the companies that own the establishments, not the because those DtD locations are having problems. From what I've heard that is mostly the case with downtown San Francisco - the area had an ok Christmas, but many of the chains in the district are going out of business because they are financially unstable.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney Actually Hans, I MAY have gotten it mixed up with another restaurant but apparently the RFC S.F. location is still open lol. I just went and checked on the web. Not sure what I was thinking?
Originally Posted By WorldDisney <<Is it? It seems that most, if not all, of the closures are due financial problems with the companies that own the establishments, not the because those DtD locations are having problems.>> Sure I get that, I just meant that due to the financial problems overall, it causes a problem for DTD obviously. And it cant be good for Disney to have shuttered stores on property just like anywhere else and it sounds like there will be more closures in the future there, not less. But frankly, considering what kinds of stores are even there, I'm surprised they are sucessful as they are.
Originally Posted By dshyates Which opened first, I was at the one in DtD right after it opened and I think I remember them saying it was the biggest and the only 2 story RFC. I could be very wrong, and I'm ok with that.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer FYI, there are 3 SoCal RainForest Cafe location, DtD, Ontario Mills and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "But frankly, considering what kinds of stores are even there, I'm surprised they are sucessful as they are." I used to be in a merchandising & planning department for a large retail department store and it's all about foot traffic, which DtD has plenty of. I'm sure most of those shops were doing above average business before the economy went south.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt This topic actually has me wondering about that other shopping center across the way from Disney. Garden Walk. How's that place doing in the midst of all this economic turmoil? Did they even get all their spaces rented before the collapse of the financial markets last fall?
Originally Posted By Darkbeer GardenWalk is doing OK and is opening new stores this month. One store, an Auntie Anne's closed up a few months ago, but everyone else is still in business. And they haven't rented out 100% of the available spaces, but the big restaurants and Night Clubs are doing great.
