Café des Cascadeurs – the sole table service restaurant of the Walt Disney Studios Park, offering a family friendly menu (burgers, hot dogs etc.) in a real historic American diner making it (as is proudly proclaimed) the “oldest restaurant of all Disney parks” – regularly has lines of eager diners waiting for a seat to become available. During the warmer months of the year additional seating on a terrace (which was added after the location proved popular with guests) adds to the capacity but the rest of the year the wait at the restaurant (which does not accept any reservations) can be rather long during the lunch hours. Considering this Imagineering paid a special visit to the restaurant the past Monday to discuss on-site the concepts for an expansion…
Currently Imagineering is still pondering several concepts – however, no matter which one will be realized, in any case the restaurant will see an increase of year-round capacity. The first concept calls for the current terrace to be covered and partially enclosed (but without windows). This concept can best be (and was actually by Imagineering) compared to the covered seating that was added to Last Chance Cafe in Frontierland recently and allowed the year round operation of that restaurant for the first time. Adding only this cover to the current terrace would result in the smallest amount of additional (year round) seating at the restaurant.
The second concept calls for the current terrace to be used as location for a fully closed structure consequently adding a real indoor restaurant seating. The amount of additional seating would be similar to the first concept mentioned. However, for both concepts Imagineering is currently also looking into whether it would be possible to expand the foot-print of the new structure into the current backstage area behind the terrace / the diner.
Both concepts would result in the current outdoor seating to be replaced. Currently the area right in front of the diner is themed as parking spots and features a motor bike as photo opportunity which – unrelated to the current preparation of the restaurant’s expansion – has been recently removed. Imagineering is considering to transform this area into a patio with new outdoor seating for the warmer months to replace the current terrace.
Taken all together it is expected that the expansion would result in 40 to 70 additional seats for Café des Cascadeurs depending on which concept will be approved and such questions as e.g. how much of the current backstage area could be taken over in addition.
While a general decision to execute an expansion of the restaurant seems to have been made there is no word on any set time frame. In fact Imagineering was discussion the above mentioned concepts in general on site and were actually scouting the site. I.e. no artwork or blueprints for the project seem to exist so far – which also means that it will take still quite a while till design and construction plans are finished, construction permits are obtained and actual on-site work will start. Nevertheless, during your next visit to Studios maybe take a look at the restaurant – you never know…