Well, a new Disney World spot that we were honestly starting to think would NEVER open has taken a huge step toward opening its doors!
Cake Bake Shop Sign
The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers is opening on Disney’s BoardWalk, located right near Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, later this year. It was originally slated to open in late 2023, qand didn’t. Then it was slated for early 2024, and it also didn’t open then. Just NOW are we starting to see signs that it’ll be open before the end of this year. However, Disney fans have some THOUGHTS about this new spot now that the menu has been revealed, and trust us, we hear you!
Now, to be clear, the Cake Bake Shop is NOT owned by Disney — it’s operated by a third party company, which owns two locations in Indiana already, so these prices that we’re seeing are actually NOT Disney’s doing! But that doesn’t change the fact that may people think they are INSANELY high. And by that we mean ONE slice of cake will cost you a $22-$26.
Bakery menu
But bakery items aren’t the only items you can grab at this location — you’ll also be able to dine here for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea service. But with quiches for $28, a burger and fries for $32, and simple items on the children’s menu (like buttered noodles and grilled cheese) starting at $18, some Disney fans are NOT fans of these prices.
Lunch and dinner
One reader on Facebook, Cath, said, “$12 for a croissant 🥐??? Is it gold dipped? Or the size of a cat? Wow. Just wow. 😳” And listen, we hear you! Disney is expensive — sodas are $5 apiece, after all. And Cake Bake Shop will be charging people $8 for a soda. It feels extreme.
Breakfast
Other readers came on to explain that the Cake Bake Shop is owned by a 3rd party company to other readers who didn’t realize this at first, and sharing a bit more about its pricing. Another reader, Holly, replied to another reader’s comment and said the following:
“The 2 original locations are in Indiana. I’ve been to both locations several times. Reservations must be made in advance and they both extremely popular destinations. If the prices can be justified in the Midwest, in an otherwise mostly non- touristy location, I have no doubt they will be wildly supported and reservations hard to come by at WDW.”
Cake Bake Shop in Indianapolis Broad Ripple
Other readers shared that this is certainly a “special occasion” place, and we have no doubt that that will be the case for this Disney World location as well…but there’s one problem.
Dessert at Cake Bake Shop in Indiana
While Holly has a great point, saying that in Indiana, the locations do very well, that could be partially because people aren’t already on vacation there, so it may be an easier choice to try out the restaurant for a special occasion like a birthday. Whereas in Disney World, you may have already spent thousands of dollars on a special occasion vacation, and may not be nearly as open to spending $100+ dining here.
Dining room at the Indiana location
However, we’ll be interested to see how this restaurant stands with the Orlando locals and/or Annual Passholders who don’t spend as much each visit when coming to the resort (since they’ve paid most of it up front). They may be more of the target audience for this restaurant, but only time will tell. We’re looking forward to giving this restaurant a try and bringing you an honest review, so be sure to stay tuned to DFB!
We’re Starting to Wonder if These Abandoned Disney World Restaurants Will Ever Reopen
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Obviously, this restaurant is for the 1%. Not me. I will not be visiting. DVC members will have the coin to try it.
The prices at their other locations are much lower! The prices are also much higher than nearby restaurants inside Epcot and other hotels nearby.
It is insane.
The really sad part is that this place will be out of business and boarded up within a year.
Those prices won’t last and the “celebrity” aspect of the place won’t last. Odd how that Boardwalk is so difficult to find a lasting / quality spot that makes money. This will go away just like Cat Cora’s spot that used to be there.
I predict this will be another restaurant failure. Know your audience people. $8 for a coke, and around $23 for a breakfast sandwich or a piece of cake. That is insane. This is a hard pass for me. Can imagine the bill for a family of 4? Disney vacations are expensive enough!
These prices are insulting. Will not be going even once. The boardwalk is no fun anymore.
I live close to Carmel, IN where one of the other Cake Bakes is located, and yes, I spent $20 on one slice of cake for my husband’s birthday ONCE and don’t plan to do it again. The only other time I have been was when I won a $50 gift certificate…which doesn’t go far at Cake Bake….and was able to get a number of $4 macarons. Now THAT I would do again. I have been wondering since the announcement that Cake Bake was coming to WDW how it would do as I knew the pricing would be an issue……I do know it won’t survive on selling only $4 macarons! Gwendolyn (creator) is all about “over the top” on everything with the extravagant decor changing regularly. It is a destination within itself in Indiana, but that is not nearly the case in central Florida.
Update: Just looked at the menu and the macarons are $6 at WDW….ummmm no.
It will be interesting to see the review posts on social media. Surely some will write something like Soooooo Totally Worth It!
18 bucks for a kid’s PB&J??
I don’t know anything about the place, but judging by the Indiana photos, it looks like a highly-themed “fairy tale” interior. My guess is, it’s likely that those eateries are unique for that area, probably not a lot of competition. However, in a tourist destination region…there are soooooo many options for themed dining in around WDW and Orlando, it’s unlikely to be a sustained draw, especially at those prices. (And because it’s not an actual official Disney offering.)
$32.00 for a hamburger? Your kidding! Skip this place and head to Rose and Crown by boat! Ludicrous pricing!
When you make Disney prices seem reasonable there is a problem….
My husband was super excited when we first heard this restaurant was coming to Disney (He LOVES cake!) He was really hoping it would open for our last trip earlier this year
But I had a strange feeling, that I couldn’t explain, which made me feel like this wouldn’t be a restaurant we’d want to dine at.
After seeing those prices my strange gut feeling was correct!! (PSA: always listen to your gut, it knows things!)
If you need me, I’ll be over at the corn dog stand! 😂
i will visit and do a takeout desert to go as i’m curious. if the product lives up to the price, it wil do well. as it’s hard to find exceptional deserts anywhere these days. i often leave food behind as it’s not worth the calories. i wish them the best of luck!
Almost 100.00 for two people to get burgers and cokes with a tip. That wouldn’t even include a dessert. We eat out a lot around Disney and Central Florida. We can be choosy. This won’t even be on our list to try.
Corporate greed, plain and simple!
Out of curiosity I checked the Indiana prices and though they are also insanely high IMO, the Boardwalk location is even worse. Carrot Cake jumps from $16 a slice to $22; the Oprah cake from $16 to $24 and the croissant from $9 to $12.00. In the end it’s only food – you eat it and it’s rarely a life changing experience. These prices are ridiculous and no slice of cake is worth 30 Canadian dollars. One keeps hearing how a large part of the US population can’t make ends meet but I sure don’t see it in any of the places I’ve visitied recently – including WDW. Someone is paying those prices because the Indiana locations haven’t folded yet.
If it was priced the same as the Indiana locations, sure. Every item is $5 to $15 more expensive than the Indiana locations for the exact same items. It is barely worth it at the Indiana prices. Yes, I have been to both locations and yes you are paying partially for the ambiance and the experience of it all. At these prices I don’t see it doing well at Disney after the novelty has worn off. Let’s just say unless there is something particularly Disney about how it is decorated, I will not be visiting on my next Disney vacation. The food is good and the desserts are great but not for that price.
As a visitor, if I’m spending $5K just to go to Disney, what’s $100 for lunch? It’s probably worth it if the taste and quality are there…but ONLY if.
This does not seem to be a restaurant that fits in with the whole Boardwalk theme. Prices are outrageous and I know we will not be eating there.
I was excited to try this place, but those prices are way too high. By the way, I’m a DVC member and I can’t afford to eat here, so those of you who like to make snide comments about DVC members being rich should maybe think twice before making those assumptions.
I’m not accepting the “it’s not a Disney restaurant.” It’s on Disney property and Disney probably isn’t surprised at these prices. They’re responsible.
Disney needs to hire a psychologist or two to explain to management how these prices are pushing lifelong Disney fans to drop park visits. It’s a classic example of the straw breaking the camel’s back. People may spend thousands on hotel rooms, airfare, etc. That doesn’t guarantee they’ll shrug off small increases. It’s really the opposite effect.
I know several people whose favorite resort is Boardwalk, and they could probably afford to dine here if they wanted to, but I can’t imagine them making that choice. It looks beautiful, and if my mom was still around, we’d probably take the plunge – once – because that theming is just her cup of tea. Mine too, I’m not saying it’s not, but not at those prices, and no one else in my crew would care to go, so it wouldn’t be worth it. It seems the reason to go would be the cakes, and we aren’t into sweets enough for that. Like Russ said, if you’re making regular Disney prices look reasonable… I do wonder why they didn’t try to find space for this associated with Grand Floridian. The theming seems more in line with that resort, and people could use the monorail to get there from 2 other resorts and 2 parks. I don’t see non-local guests going out of their way to visit this eatery, and we love dining in the WDW hotel restaurants. I know that many people do go out of their way to visit Boardwalk, but I don’t see this being a big draw except for people who want to put in on their socials in a once and done. But maybe that will be enough – who knows.
I’m with Tracy here. I’ve seen comments on more than this post saying expensive things are aimed at DVC members. We are also DVC members. We’re not rich. That’s why we bought into DVC. It saves money on accommodation and the longer we have been DVC members the more we save as hotel prices rise. Maybe people think that because we save money on accommodation that we can spend it at other places. Menu looks fabulous but unaffordable for us.
DVC member here also and visiting WDW next month, staying at BCV. We are NOT well off by any means and bought DVC twenty years ago. So yes we can go to DIsney occasionally. But one thing we will NOT do not can afford to do is eat at this restaurant. Prices are outrageous even for WDW standards. I also see it out of business in a year.