Walt Disney World is reimagining BoardWalk Inn and including of Cake Bake Store by Gwendolyn Rogers, a brand new desk service restaurant and bakery changing ESPN Membership. This publish shares particulars about what’s on the horizon, together with building images of the eating spot. (Up to date April 27, 2023.)
This follows reimaginings of Disney’s Modern and Polynesian Village Resorts, which introduced with them a variety of enhancements together with character-inspired visitor rooms (Incredibles and Moana, respectively). It additionally comes after foyer overhauls to quite a few resorts, and as Walt Disney World embarks upon an identical challenge on the Grand Floridian Resort. Anticipate components of these enhancements to seem at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, too.
When it comes to what the challenge will entail, the announcement is pretty imprecise, with Disney stating that it’ll be making “a seaside splash at Disney’s BoardWalk!” Over the subsequent few years, Walt Disney World is including and reimagining components of the beloved turn-of-the-century promenade and contained in the Deluxe Resort, together with a captivating new foyer design, close by espresso bar, delectable eating choices, refreshed visitor rooms, and different particular touches.
Per Walt Disney World, the primary of those main additions to debut will probably be storybook candy treats and dreamy desserts at The Cake Bake Store by Gwendolyn Rogers, a brand new desk service restaurant and bakery that’s positive to please.
Anticipated to open in Late 2023, the Cake Bake Store Restaurant will supply each savory and dessert menus, together with afternoon tea service, in a whimsical environment that enhances the magic of the idyllic attraction of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn that company know and love.
For the reason that authentic announcement, Walt Disney World has launched new idea artwork for the Cake Bake Store, and the way its exterior will probably be redesigned because it takes form from the closed ESPN Membership. As proven on this idea artwork, there will probably be two entrances.
The present entrance will develop into the bakery, and one other will probably be added for the restaurant. Along with that, massive french doorways will open to the skin, holding the house gentle and ethereal–a stark distinction to the ESPN Membership.
I’m of two minds about this exterior idea artwork for the Cake Bake Store. On the one hand, the bakery entrance jogs my memory of a pretend storefront of a excessive finish store inside a ritzy mall. That’s not meant as a constructive.
However, the restaurant facet softens up the blocky and uninviting exterior of the previous ESPN Membership, which by no means appeared fairly proper as in comparison with the remainder of the BoardWalk. (It was merely extra acquainted to most followers, because it had at all times been there.) I don’t count on this to be an ideal match, both, but it surely needs to be higher than ESPN Membership.
With these particulars out of the way in which, let’s check out building progress on the Cake Bake Store as of Spring 2023:
Essentially the most notable seen growth we’ve seen in the previous couple of months is the whole demolition of the tower of what was as soon as the ESPN Membership. Apparently, this has been rebuilt relatively than repurposed because the construction transforms into The Cake Bake Store by Gwendolyn Rogers. That is smart provided that the brand new construction will probably be principally home windows, whereas the previous was completely partitions.
Moreover, there’s a brand new allow is for the “buildout of the Cake Bake Store at Disney” with work to be accomplished by Johnson-Lancaster and Associates, an organization that payments itself because the “confirmed meals service tools group.”
This allow is definitely signed by Gwendolyn Rogers, which is uncommon direct involvement at this stage of a challenge. You don’t see Bob Iger’s signature on Imagineering permits! (Clearly, the Cake Bake Store is far smaller scale–but it surely’s nonetheless good to see private involvement. BoardWalk has been residence to uninvested superstar chef ideas prior to now.)
Extra work is probably going occurring this summer time close by alongside the promenade, as Trattoria al Forno and the BoardWalk Pizza Window will probably be closed for refurbishment June 11 to 17, 2023. It is a few doorways down from the longer term Cake Bake Store, and the areas in between aren’t closing, so this closure is probably going unrelated.
In the course of the refurbishment, Trattoria al Forno will serve a restricted breakfast menu throughout these dates, however not in its personal eating room. As an alternative, company who do breakfast will probably be directed to the Flying Fish eating room.
With this new desk service restaurant and candy spot on the horizon, the BoardWalk Bakery has develop into BoardWalk Deli, a “new” sandwich store for company to take pleasure in a chew alongside the water’s edge. This joins different meals and beverage areas, like BoardWalk Ice Cream.
Inside Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, gentle and ethereal touches will reinvigorate the foyer, lounge, and visitor rooms. Simply off the foyer, a brand new espresso bar with artisanal drinks and fast bites will probably be obtainable to-go or in newly refreshed seating areas inside or outdoor.
In an ideal world, Disney would relocate ESPN Membership to former location of the short-lived NBA Expertise, giving the corporate’s flagship sports activities model an excellent bigger location–and one which’s simpler to entry for locals. There’s loads from NBA Expertise that might presumably be reused and repurposed, with the venue turning into a hybrid interactive expertise and sports activities bar.
I’d not count on that to occur–that transfer is just too logical. Extra seemingly, Walt Disney World is happy with the variety of small sports activities bars in different resorts (and enormous third celebration ones at Disney Springs) and ESPN Membership will fade away.
We’re vaguely accustomed to the Cake Bake Store because it’s extremely standard in Indianapolis, the place we used to reside. Neither of us have ever been there (it’s my understanding that it books up months upfront), however all of our associates and Sarah’s household rave about it. Regionally, Gwendolyn Rogers is an aspirational success story.
In truth, between the time this information broke and we ready to publish the story, Sarah has acquired a number of cake photo-filled textual content messages from household and associates, a few of whom aren’t even Disney followers, who’re excited in regards to the information. Phrase travels quick in Indy, I assume.
The Cake Bake Store’s second location in Carmel, Indiana is gigantic, so that ought to clarify how they’re going to fill an area as massive as ESPN Membership. (Above picture isn’t from the Cake Bake Store–I used to be simply reminiscing about my favourite Disney desserts and located that.)
Personally, I hoped that will be changed into a themed escape room, however world-class cake store is a pleasant comfort prize. I’m at all times in search of new and modern excuses to eat cake, and this could match the invoice properly.
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