Welp, rumors have been circulating since Disney bought LucasFilm last year about the potential for a Star Wars themed land coming to the Disney parks. And I thought it was high time to weigh in on what would obviously be the best part of one — the potential restaurant!
Negotiations at Mos Eisley Cantina
Yep — sources are swirling about not only a repeat of Disney California Adventure’s Cars Land coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but also a Star Wars Land of some sort!
According to one source, a Chalman’s/Mos Eisley Cantina-themed Star Wars restaurant could be on the horizon for Disney World as part of the proposed Star Wars expansion. (Though other sources put the Cantina in Disneyland Paris.)
Why would this be a totally rad idea? Well, I’m always up for more restaurants in Disney World; AND the Star Wars Cantina scenes are relatively well-known and referenced in popular culture. But that aside, here are a few of my reasons for supporting the proposal:
- Characters: I have no idea how it would work, but it would rock to have a Star Wars character meal — even if it’s just for breakfast. My guess is you’re going to see Leia, Han, and Luke the most. I can’t really imagine Darth making airplane sounds while he feeds your baby and signs autographs, but you never know.
- Food Options: The right chef could have a blast developing new and unique menu items for a restaurant like this. Here’s a great start. Of course guests would be able to order Blue/Bantha Milk and Blue Milkshakes.
- Bar/Lounge: Right now, Tune In Lounge is a great place to kick back and relax in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but the Star Wars Cantina would obviously lend itself to an incredible bar/lounge theme. Even if you extended a full restaurant to the back of the original Cantina, I could still see this being very popular as an escape for the grown-ups in the park. Plus, the potential for themed drinks and fun mixology is endless.
Star Wars Cantina Diorama/Model
- Interactive Elements: With technology advances and magic bands, there could be lots of great interactive elements to the restaurant. Maybe guests have to pass through a Droid Detector before getting to their table?
Disney’s Hollywood Studios has long held the prize for best-themed restaurants in my estimation with Sci-Fi Dine-In and 50s Prime Time Cafe. I think the addition of the Star Wars Cantina would be a fantastic third.
Now, the one concern Imagineers might run into when developing a spot like this is how to create a sanitized, Disney-friendly, kid-friendly version of the Cantina while still staying true to the overall gritty theme of the place as depicted in Star Wars. After all, you don’t really want to take junior to the home of scum and villainy for lunch, right?
I’m sure they’d be able present something that will satisfy both the most die-hard Star Wars fan as well as the families looking for lunch before a ride on Toy Story Mania, but it’s worth spending a little time figuring out.
Of course, we’re hoping there will be no streetmosphere acts along the lines of lightsaber-inflicted arm chopping and random dismemberment while we’re eating, but we’ll leave that up to the Imagineers. 😉 Sources have a new Star Wars Land opening in the next 5 years, but this is just rumor. We’ll keep you updated if we hear anything confirmed.
What do you think about a Star Wars Restaurant in Disney World? Let us know in the comments section below!
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Blue milk!
Well, Dan Cockerell is due a decent sized expansion/construction project. He’s the right guy for the job, and this new expansion rumor might have been a small part of his switch from Epcot to HS those few years ago. But… (food-wise) I’m not sure I’d expect to see more than a counter service location at best, (and the way things have been going), here’s hoping it won’t end up being just a food cart selling Spiced Mynock Wings, sponsored by KFC. It sounds like a GREAT location for a Star-Bucks though… (oh come on… that’s a good pun on so many levels and you know it… sorry, couldn’t resist).
I could see the Backlot Express getting a slight retrofit, and being turned into an unreferenced “coruscant dining establishment”… and the menu not changing much. Attraction-wise, yes… more environment and that might be it. Take a photo with an Ewok in an air conditioned forest, etc. Usually, the first major rumor out of the box… is a ruse.
A more probable food-centric location to keep an eye on is the whole Lights, Motors, Action area. If I’m not mistaking, the Brawny sponsorship will be ending soon and the Studio Backlot Tour is slooooow, old, and more importantly, unsponsored. Take those two attractions out, and you’ve got a great chunk of flat land, primed for a Cars Land doppelgänger, minus the major e-ticket ride, copy the c-ticket kiddy rides, and definitely add a Flow’s V8 Cafe and Cozy Cone.
Anyone that can draw visitors way back into a currently spendy part of the park that doesn’t generate a ton of income, and turn it into the next “must-do” area with all kinds of merchandiseapalooza and nibbles that all extract a snack credit, is going to look like a real superstar. Can it be done without adding Radiator Springs Racers, that’s the question.
Personally … I would LOVE to see the Wookie at a Character Meal!
This would rock! I love your idea for the character breakfast. I have to chuckle at the idea of Vader forcing kids to eat. If we were lucky enough to get a whole land, my guess is that the Cantina would be similar to Gaston’s Tavern – not a lot of food options, but a cool place to hang out.
If Star Wars and Cars Land become reality, HS will certainly need more eateries to handle the additional crowds. A cantina as you mention would be a great “attraction” just as the BOG is in Fantasyland. There is so much fun imagineering that could be done with such a restaurant. It could really fit into a Star Wars town as Universal has for Harry Potter. And after all, isn’t that Disney’s whole competition reason to increase the Star Wars franchise? Disney knows they blew the HP thing and have to retake the upper hand.
Years ago the Hilton in Vegas had a Star Trek attraction within which included a “Quark’s” restaurant based on the deep space nine series. It was perfect and the food was indeed out of this world. So were the drinks.
I agree with Lorraine in that Disney really needs more Star Wars stuff which would draw in a wider range of guests of all ages (teens, young adults and aging Gen-Xers would probably see the largest increase). Marvel stuff would do that too, but until the contracts get sorted out, that will be a while. (Though I wonder if the contracts are part of the reason Disney/ Marvel greenlit Guardians of the Galaxy and Big Hero 6 as movies instead of more well-known properties, as I can’t imagine either IP falls under the contract with Universal.)
Anyway, I would eat at Cantina restaurant SO HARD. I just hope the waitresses dress like Bea Arthur from the Star Wars Holiday Special.
It will probably be cancelled and parts of it’ll be released as bonus content. #SaveTheCloneWars
I love the idea of the Backlot express being re-themed into a Cantina like setting. If it does go sit-down with character meals the dark side needs to represented, if not by Vader than at least a Stormtrooper or two.
I’ve been wanting/expecting this to happen for a LONG time (since my childhood trips to WDW in the 90s). It seems like such a no-brainer. If Be Our Guest continues to be as popular as it is (and why wouldn’t it?), I would expect this to be yet another hybrid restaurant that serves counter service for lunch and table service for dinner, though I’d prefer all-time table service. Rip out the Backlot Express (does anybody even know it exists? I’ve literally never eaten there in almost 30 years of visiting WDW) and use that area plus some parts beyond the berm to build Star Wars Land, with the Cantina as the main eatery. I also won’t be surprised if the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular gets taken out too, depending on how ambitious the plans for Star Wars Land are.
Anamatronic cantina band!
Mike, take out Indy? BLASPHEMY! In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they add more Indy, like a variation of the ride over at Disneyland. At the very least, I think the Stunt show could use a bit of a facelift, like maybe some sequences from some of the other films.
A cantina with a lounge would be awesome. They definitely need more places for adults to hang out sans kids.
OMG yes yes yes! They must have the cantina! With the band! And funky-looking libations! And aliens and stormtroopers wandering around. I don’t even care what kind of food they might serve.
This would be AMAZING! As would a Carsland at WDW. Disney should be making all this happen ASAP. I know Iger does not care about anything other than his next bonus, but WDW seems to be really falling behind USF. They need to get some new attractions and do so ASAP.
I also hope that these would also quash any Avatar land.
I’ve always wanted to go to a cantina like that! This would be my dream come true.
One thing that would make it perfect is if the waitresses dressed like Twi’leks.
I have always been in favor of more bar/lounges with themes, WITHOUT kids!! All you have to do is make it ‘Kid Unfriendly’ as in there is nothing for them to do, drink or eat there. Let them go to the restaurants for the character buffets. You need to have places for adults. WDW took away Pleasure Island. I’m sick of winy parents and their kids who think the whole world is theirs and forget about anyone else that wants to have fun. Sorry to say, I have been places in the world where children do what they want while their parents ignore them. We are paying to have a pleasant experience, and before you say I don’t understand, yes, I do! When my children acted up, I removed them from the place I was in so I didn’t disturb others. SO, yes! I am in favor of kid less places in the world unless they (and their parents) can act accordingly.
Is a great idea but Disney has to also account for all the slobs that come in and ruin everything. Just like in Anaheim where it’s hard to have a good time now with the adults dragging all 10 of their kids around the park. No manners, will probably graffiti, leave their garbage all over. We took our family to Anaheim and couldn’t believe how it’s changed. I miss the earlier days of Disney.
Great idea, especially if they put in one of those robotic bar tenders.
I think it would be great to have something all the time for Star Wars because we cannot make it down to Disney for May and we are very disappointed we are not there. Fantastic !!!!!!!!!!