Fun Disneyland Dining Facts

Hot diggity dog . . . Refreshment Corner, better known as Coke Corner on Main Street, U.S.A., in Disneyland Park, sells enough hot dogs in one year to circle Disneyland 36 times. 

Drink up . . . Blue Ribbon Bakery on Main Street, U.S.A., in Disneyland Park sells enough coffee in one month to fill all the teacups in Fantasyland’s Mad Tea Party attraction.

A mountain of sweets . . .  Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street, U.S.A., in Disneyland Park sells enough ice cream in one year to build a full-size replica of the park’s Matterhorn mountain. 

Here comes the bride . . . About 250 wedding cakes a year are baked and decorated in the Disneyland Hotel pastry kitchen. The kitchen also produces 3,000 celebration cakes for birthdays, anniversaries and other special celebrations.

Sommeliers set a new standard . . . The Napa Rose restaurant at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is an extreme rarity in the restaurant world in terms of wine service. At last count, Napa Rose had 41 certified sommeliers, including Master Sommelier Michael Jordan. Few restaurants anywhere could top that.

Royal Street Veranda . . . Check out the wrought-iron balustrade above the Royal Street Veranda restaurant in New Orleans Square in Disneyland Park. The initials at the center are those of brothers Roy and Walt Disney. The balcony belonged to an apartment being constructed for Walt before he died (now the Disneyland Dream Suite).  

“Oscar’s Choice” . . . There’s just one dish named after a cast member and it’s “Oscar’s Choice” at Carnation Cafe on Main Street, U.S.A, in Disneyland Park. Oscar was hired at Disneyland in 1956 and has been on the team at Carnation Cafe since 1967. He has more years of continuous service than any other cast member at Disneyland Resort. The breakfast creation is scrambled eggs with melted cheddar cheese, potatoes, bacon or sausage, a croissant and fresh fruit. 

The most wedding proposals . . . Blue Bayou restaurant in New Orleans Square competes for this honor with the wishing well in the park’s Fantasyland. 
 
That’s a lot of chowda . . . Guests consume 14,000 bowls a year of the signature Charred Nebraska Corn Chowder at Storytellers Cafe, at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. 

Not your classic Caesar . . . On the menu at Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland Disneyland Park is Hacienda Chicken Caesar Salad. The Caesar is Mexican in origin, not Italian, says Disneyland Chef Jesse Tiscareno. It originated at the Caesar’s Palace Hotel on Revolution Avenue in Tijuana. 

How many bottles? . . . Napa Rose at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa offers a selection of 80 wines by the glass from an award-winning list of more than 450 international wines (80 percent Californian) and a 16,000-bottle wine cellar.
 
Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival . . . The Festival, which celebrated its third year in 2008, offers special food items available only for the four-week run in the spring. Items have included Lobster Lollipops and Pepper-Crusted Beef Tenderloin Sliders.

Martial arts chef . . . Jason Martin, the chef at Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel, practices several forms of martial arts. He says it makes him more agile and graceful in a busy kitchen.

Award winners . . . Twelve restaurants at the Disneyland Resort won honors in 2008 from the Southern California Restaurant Writers, including the Golden Sceptre – the highest honor – for Napa Rose, Steakhouse 55 and Yamabuki. Michael Jordan of Napa Rose was recognized as Manager of the Year.