by Beth Keating
News
DisneyBizJournal.com
February 1, 2021
It may not seem like it from the outside, but in the grand scheme of things, this was a big weekend at Disneyland. The State of California has begun lifting some of its COVID restrictions, among them, the regional stay-at-home orders and the ban on outdoor dining, so Disneyland’s Downtown Disney District began recalling food service cast members last week.
A number of the restaurants in Downtown Disney and along Buena Vista Street have been serving up take-out only since the outdoor dining ban went into effect December 7, and even with to-go orders, food could not be consumed on Disney property. Restaurants that did not offer take-out had to close temporarily. But with the outdoor dining ban lifted, guests can now dine on property, as long as they are dining outdoors at the sit-down restaurants, and socially-distanced and stationary at other locations.
Today (February 1), Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen is one of the restaurants swinging open its doors for dining. Among the other eateries that reopened to al fresco dining over the weekend are Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes, Uva Bar and Café, Naples Ristorante, and Tortilla Joe’s. (Catal Restaurant, La Brea Bakery Café, Napolini Pizzeria and Starbucks (!) are among the unavailable restaurants at this time.) For a complete look at the facilities that are open and their hours, check here.
While there is no news yet on when the California Disney Parks themselves might open, California’s Great America, a Cedar Fair-owned amusement park, became the first California theme park to announce a proposed reopening date, set for May 22.
Disneyland continues to host a COVID vaccine distribution location in one of their currently unused parking lots.
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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.
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