Steakhouse 55 Permanently Closed

[DLgal]

I loved S55, especially for breakfast. But, to be fair, the DLH needs a more moderate sot down family friendly restaurant that isn't a character meal. The DLH dining options have been difficult for families for awhile now. Whenever we stay there, we have to leave the hotel grounds to get food because the quick serve place is too Asian/Pacific Islands slanted and our kids are not fans of character meals (too chaotic) and aren't "foodies" so S55 wasn't a viable option. They need a more moderately priced sit down restaurant with less exotic food on the menu (something more like Carnation Cafe would work here...good old American comfort food, Walt's favorites, etc.)

 

[DonMacGregor]

I’m almost not surprised, given the historical oddities of food service at the hotel. Before they tore down the old Travel Port to make way for DTD, the hotel had a great variety of eating establishments. Monorail Cafe, Sgt.Preston’s, Granville’s, etc. Ever since, it seems like their plan has been to rely on DTD to serve as their augmented food choices.

You literally have a single food location now in Goofy’s Kitchen. Tangaroa Terrace is far worse than Hook’s Galley, with a very small menu, and have you tried getting a cup of coffee any time after the Coffee House closes at noon or whenever they shut the door? If you’re lucky, you can get to the bar counter at Tangaroa, but even that isn’t open all the time. 75% of the time you need to walk to Starbucks next to the Lego Store, and even that location often has limited operating hours.

 

[Malcon10t]

Expanding Goofy's Kitchen just doesn't make sense. Granted, a character buffet is basically a money-printing machine for Disney. But every time I went to Steakhouse 55 in the past (and it was a lot) for breakfast or dinner, all the tables were full of people enjoying very expensive entrees and beverages. In addition, I think one of the criteria for earning a AAA 4-diamond award is a classy restaurant. If they don't bring back Steakhouse 55, they will need to retheme the space as something else sit-down, nice, and classy.

I agree. If you wanted breakfast or tea at S55, you had to book on the day ressies opened. They booked up fast and didn't take walk ups. Dinner you could get in a little easier as long as you booked at least a week out. It was always full. I am hoping they don't go with Goofy's and go with something similar to S55 if they are revamping.

 

[DodgerGirl]

My family had always wanted to eat at Steakhouse 55 every Disneyland trip but it was always closed when we would go. And now that Steakhouse 55 is closed forever I bet they will most likely move it to another part of Disneyland Hotel and make the restaurant into an Italian restaurant because Disneyland Hotel hasn't had an Italian restaurant since Stromboli's closed to put the new at the time Goofy's Kitchen because Disneyland Hotel needs an Italian restaurant

 

[StormyCA]

This is just so sad. Since Storytellers went to a (not worth the price) buffet we had our 'farewell Disneyland' breakfasts at S55 on our checkout day. Now there will be nowhere to have a nice sit-down table service breakfast with a mimosa or kir royale.

I'm just praying they don't change it into some IP-themed 'dining experience' or another over priced buffet.

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

This was our favorite breakfast spot, great steaks for dinner too. I hope it comes back.

 

[DLgal]

This is just so sad. Since Storytellers went to a (not worth the price) buffet we had our 'farewell Disneyland' breakfasts at S55 on our checkout day. Now there will be nowhere to have a nice sit-down table service breakfast with a mimosa or kir royale.

I'm just praying they don't change it into some IP-themed 'dining experience' or another over priced buffet.

La Brea Bakery serves breakfast until 2pm and they have mimosas and other cocktails available.

 

[tankgirl!]

I will especially miss the Afternoon Teas if they do close. We have visited once a year since my children were small, and my daughter and I always had a special date to go to tea. My daughter was always so proud and felt really grown up in the elegant surroundings. She absolutely loved this tradition and we were so looking forward to another tea after many delayed trips over the past year. Here's hoping they keep this tradition somewhere, somehow!

 

[StormyCA]

La Brea Bakery serves breakfast until 2pm and they have mimosas and other cocktails available.

True. But I've heard they are lousy for gluten free diners. S55 was aces.

 

[DontSpamMe]

This is awful news. We go every year for tea. Thank goodness we were able to have afternoon tea for the Haunted Mansion's 50th anniversary last time we were there.

I really hope they find a suitable alternative in lieu of the other things already mentioned in this thread.

 

[Briarrose1306]

I'd love to know the reasoning behind this.

Same

 

[Malcon10t]

True. But I've heard they are lousy for gluten free diners. S55 was aces.

The 2 don't even compare. I can go to Mimi's and get breakfast and drinks too. Not the same dining experience.

For those who are still hoping it isn't true, I got to speak to someone this morning during the DLH Grand Reopening who confirmed it, but gave me hope with the comment "When we take something out, we try to replace it with something better." I can only hope.

 

[Malcon10t]

My family had always wanted to eat at Steakhouse 55 every Disneyland trip but it was always closed when we would go.

I'm curious how it would be closed on every trip for your family!

These were on my memories this week.

Tea


And asperagus at dinner. (bacon wrapped in a brown sugar Hennessy sauce.)

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

Hopefully something good replaces it. I'm bummed about it closing but I guess we will see what the future holds.

 

[PirateBrigade]

Same

Money! Margins are probably terrible compared to other dining options — the need for additional staff, patrons soaking up seat time and not being able to turnover tables quickly, etc… revenue per sq ft probably wasn’t competitive, either.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

...
For those who are still hoping it isn't true, I got to speak to someone this morning during the DLH Grand Reopening who confirmed it, but gave me hope with the comment "When we take something out, we try to replace it with something better." I can only hope.

Thank you for sharing this. Some hope is better than nothing, right? We have many happy S55 memories. The news this week made us very sad.

 

[Iceman93]

Money! Margins are probably terrible compared to other dining options — the need for additional staff, patrons soaking up seat time and not being able to turnover tables quickly, etc… revenue per sq ft probably wasn’t competitive, either.

I suspect you're absolutely correct. I don't know if anyone else here was a fan of WDW's Pleasure Island like I was, but Disney's one and only metric to measure the success of the various nightclubs was $/sqft. The Adventurers Club, widely regarded one of most amazingly-Imagineered places ever, did an awful job at that metric.

What Disney management missed in that calculation, and will be missing if they turn Steakhouse 55 into some run-of-the-mill restaurant, is that part of the draw to spend money at places (like Pleasure Island or the DLH) is the broad selection of options to fit any price point and desire. Yes, Steakhouse 55 may not make as much money (taken as a singular experience) as other things they could put in that space. But it is part of the broader experience that makes guests pay hundreds of dollars a night for rooms at the DLH (or come to the DLR as a whole).

 

[MikeRx]

What about the idea that the theme was lost upon 80% of those who go to the DLR? Personalities from the 50’s-60’s on the wall are not familiar to the Average DLR patron. This could still come back as a signature, but with an updated theme, not IP, but mid-century modern like the hotel. Give it a moment to digest and a deep breath.
We will be there next Thursday and shed an appropriate tear for SH55 and raise a glass at Trader Sam’s…but look forward to what’s next.
Mike

 

[AndrewC]

The tea better relocate to another just as upscale Disney restaurant. It was fantastic. The only thing I can think was that it was too limited with extremely limited capacity yet required a whole different menu, otherwise tea shouldn’t die with this location.

I do think this location needs an upscale place… $400+ a night for a room should have a fairly upscale dining location there.

 

[Summer2018]

I suspect you're absolutely correct. I don't know if anyone else here was a fan of WDW's Pleasure Island like I was, but Disney's one and only metric to measure the success of the various nightclubs was $/sqft. The Adventurers Club, widely regarded one of most amazingly-Imagineered places ever, did an awful job at that metric.

What Disney management missed in that calculation, and will be missing if they turn Steakhouse 55 into some run-of-the-mill restaurant, is that part of the draw to spend money at places (like Pleasure Island or the DLH) is the broad selection of options to fit any price point and desire. Yes, Steakhouse 55 may not make as much money (taken as a singular experience) as other things they could put in that space. But it is part of the broader experience that makes guests pay hundreds of dollars a night for rooms at the DLH (or come to the DLR as a whole).

I agree.

Your post brings me back to 2004, the one and only time my DH and I got to experience Pleasure Island. We had a blast at each themed club, especially at the Comedy Club. Unfortunately, our Disney provided in-room childcare was less than stellar, so we never did it again after that. Had we known that Pleasure Island would be taken away, we would have tried harder to find a safer childcare situation on our next trip.

We loved Steakhouse 55 in April 2019, and assumed that the next time we came to Disney, we would not only enjoy another spectacular dinner there, we would try breakfast, and perhaps tea...NOT.

Those of us that cannot afford a Disneyland or WDW trip more often than every couple of years (so we can save up for the $8,000-$10,000 deluxe price tag) really need to fit in all of our favorite experiences on every trip because we never know when they will disappear forever. ☹