TM Schussler Creative
Last September I reported on a party held by idea-man Steve Schussler up near Minneapolis in which Disney executives were wined and dined in order to get them to listen to restaurant concepts for Downtown Disney. Schussler Creative is the force behind 3 existing Disney restaurants, Rainforest Cafe, T-REX and Yak & Yeti. Within a month of the Disney execs returning from that party, they announced that PI clubs were going to be closed and replaced with restaurants and shops. Last month I reported on new rumors that Schussler restaurants Winter Wonderland (with an Ice Bar), Orange County Choppers Bikes, Blues & BBQ and Hot Dog Hall of Fame were coming to Pleasure Island. Here are a few other links PI fans should be aware of. You'll need to copy and paste the links.
In this first link, a columnist from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune attended the same party as the Disney execs and reported on it back in May, 2008:
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/18822624.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU
There was video from the party to go along with it. Disney execs appear about 1:38 into the video and notice the emphasis on motorcycle choppers:
http://www.startribune.com/video/18770829.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU
Finally this excellent television show from St. Paul television station KSTP called On The Road. The first half is all about Schussler and during it he states that his Winter Wonderland restaurant is coming to Orlando. (Disney being in Orlando is used throughout this video.)
http://kstp.com/article/stories/S330612.shtml?cat=69
So there you have it! More evidence of what's coming to PI.
5 comments:
given the changes and bits and pieces we have heard about mannequins, I have a strong inkling this is what's going in there and if so, I'm gonna be pissed.
also about 7:30-8:30 is when they talk about it
"When they come to Disney, they want to try something different and unique, that they wouldn't find at home" (4:00)
Right. Rainforest Café is SO different. They only have 80 other restaurants in Malls across the country. I wouldn't think to try an over-priced hamburger with a catchy name back home.
Wow...I can't wait to eat a $25 Snowflake burger and Holiday Fries in an room that "snows" every 21 minutes inside the former Mannequins building! NOT.
It's also interesting to note that Keith Bradford, former VP Operating Participants dept (the area that handles these outsourced operations) is now the VP of Downtown Disney (aka the Disney shopping mall)
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
Zule, we don't know that any of this stuff is really going in there and then again if it is, we don't know where.
Joe, you are correct. The director of outsourcing is now the VP in charge of DTD/PI. That ain't a coincidence. And yes, he was at that Minnesota party!
Anon, thank you.
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