Intro
Food items that are gone
Neptune's Delight
This awful seafood mixture was simply repulsive, although the same ingredients tasted great in the Harbor Galley's Potato Skins (also gone now). It was served in a straight croissant, stuffed inside by a rather phallic machine.
Puff Pastry
The bane of our 1988 existence, this squarish but miniscule cooked pastry contained meat and cheese, and was called "Club Dixie." Because of the word "Club," many people expected a club sandwich, and we got to expect that anyone who ordered this actually wanted something else.
Delta Club, Cajun Pocket and Bayou Italien
Instead of Handwiches (read about that below), the new sandwich concept in 1988 called for baguettes slit open, steamed warm (they were always crusty after only a half-day), and meat-salads stuffed inside. Made absolutely NOBODY happy. It was never what they expected. Here, too, the "club" from the Delta made people expect a "normal" sandwich. The hot Cajun Pocket lived on a while longer as a breadbowl item.
Chocolate Patricia, Cream Horn, Streudel, and other desserts
Like any restaurant, the Cafe evolves, and these desserts have died. The Patricia in particular deserved its death: it resembled nothing so much as a dog turd (tasted like chocolate and almonds, though).
Seafood Parisienne
A final attempt to make that seafood mixture work. This was a hot item, served over rice after 4:00, and tasted much better than the stuffed croissant. Still, it didn't make the most recent menu cuts.
Deli Classic
A delicious turkey-based sandwich served on wheat with piquant italian dressing and spicy jalepeno spread. Wonderful. Was replaced by the 'Po Boy.
Prime Rib Sandwich
Served on sun-dried tomato bread (all the rage a few years ago), this sandwich was a good idea on paper but poor in execution. The meat simply never matched up, and the price was pretty high. Also cut in the most recent menu updates.
If, on the other hand, you're looking for the day menu, thebest time to visit is, in order:
1. Right at opening, at 11:00 a.m.
2. Anytime between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.
The time of intense activity (and the one to avoid) is between12:30 and 2:30.
The Cafe used to be only open from 11:00 (sometimes 11:30) until 3:30 whenthe Park closes at 6:00 p.m. Starting in Fall '97, the Cafewill actually be closed most such weekdays unless attendance isreally high. Needless to say, on such days there is no night menu.
The history of Cafe Orleans
In 1971, Sara Lee became the sponsor of the Cafe and thename was changed to "Sara Lee's Cafe Orleans." Sara Lee products beganto appear among the numerous desserts, but the company opted outin 1976, but Disneyland decided to keep the name Cafe Orleans,only without Sara Lee's name attached to the front of it. Sometime during this period the entranceway to the restaurant changed. At first, the entrance was through the patio, directly toward the building from the direction of the Rivers of America. The entrance was moved to its current location on the side of the building (Royal Street side).
In 1984, the Eisner era began and a whole new way of doing businesstook over the park. Gone would be the sleepy, if cozy, atmosphere,replaced by a corporate drive for profit. By 1987, this meant thatthe Cafe Orleans would shed its table service and morph into a new kindof restaurant.
During the summer and fall of 1987, the restaurant no longer had tableservice, but neither was it in its new form yet. Guests would order atthe front, take their ticket to the cashier (who would ring them upon mechanical registers, I might add), and the order would be handed to the sandwich room. The sundaes were largely removed from themenu. When the order was ready, the cashier would simply yell outthe guest's name! That changed, as might be imagined, very quickly.A "Carl's Jr."-style system evolved: guests would get a number onan orange triangle, which they would place on their table, and "runners"would bring the order out. We'd even get tips sometimes (don't ask me why, though).
Click on any of the above thumbnails for the bigger picture.
By early 1988, the Cafe had undergone its rehab and emerged an entirelydifferent kind of beast (with an entirely different color scheme no less). The restaurant was much larger: the newsandwich room occupied the area formerly held by Laffite's Silverware,as did the adjacent counter-service location LaPetite Patisserie. The Cafe was now a "buffeteria": essentially a cafeteria, but Cast Members would hand out the items, rather thanguests taking them themselves. New decor was mirrored by new costumes.One item that didn't make the final cut was an early proposal to bringover the "Handwiches" (Disney-style pita sandwiches) from Epcot's Land Pavilion. But there were plenty of changes and most everyone from the "old" Cafe quit whenthe "new" one opened. The previous average CM age of 22 gave way to a new crop with an average age of 18 (I'm guesstimating these numbers here). Those of us who stayed shot up the ranks rather quickly.
Around the early 90's, another sponsor arrived: Marie Calendar's pies.This time the name of the restaurant did not change, but the tasty pieswere available in miniature form for desserts. After several months, however,Marie Calendar's decided the venture was not as profitable as hoped, anddiscontinued the sponsorship. Back to eclairs, napoleons, and cheesecake!
The arrival of Fantasmic! (originally called "Imagination," as you can see in the photo) in 1992 changed the nature of the Cafe forever.Gone were quiet nights, gone was the small evening "rush." In their placewas a hungry and impatient throng of Fantasmic-goers. To meet demand,the Cafe developed a new idea: a nighttime menu (beginning at 4:00 p.m.)that featured more traditional and filling items, such as hot entrees.
During the early days of Fantasmic, only Park executives were allowedon the Disney Gallery Balcony, which is a raised platform in essentiallycenter stage. Breathtaking view: it's like the show was created to beseen from this vantage point. By 1993, the public was allowed up there:first come, first served. But it was just standing area (albeit one with a fantastic view if you managed to get the front). This led in1994 to a new concept: a Dessert Buffet,accessible by reservation and costing some $25 (nowadays it's $35) per person. TheCafe Cast Members alone staffed this operation at first (in fact, one of the designersfor the buffet and service still works as a scheduler in New Orleans), but now it's expanded to include Bayou Cast Members as well.
1994 also saw the arrival of Custodial Bussing to our little Department. Around this time the Custodial Department was pushing to take over all bussing in the Park, including restaurants (they only did fast food and Casa Mexicana at that point). The transition took several months (some would say "years") but now there are Regulars who always bus Cafe and know all the Cafe Cast Members. The French Market and especially Blue Bayou, incidentally, still bus their own tables and probably always will.
His best, though, was the time he had to get a salad for a guest. Dave was "assembling" (handing out the sandwiches) and was about to run around to the Line and get this person a salad (it's easier for us than for them by that point). He asked what kind of dressing they wanted. Then, before they could answer, he added to that. He meant to say: "does it matter? Do you mind?" What came out, hilariously, was: "do you matter? Does it mind?" Embaressed by our uproarious laughter in the sandwich room, Luscious Dave didn't wait for the guest's answer and beat a hasty retreat.
Then there's Val. She once smelled an unpleasant odor and phrased it in an unfortunate slang: "I smell, like, a sewer." Naturally, we all replied: "Yeah you do!!"
Here is an example of the oldcostume referred to as the "dots," and it's easy to see why.
A closer look at the "Fountain" (as it was known). Notice thesoda dispensers to make phosphates.
Here's a front view of the Fountain and some of the folks who ran it. Notice the ice cream floats on the tray, waiting to go out to the guests.
The old sandwich room. It was located behind the door where they currently take your order, and was it ever cramped!
Here's another view of that old, long-forgotten sandwich room. We actually had a microwave back then!
These folks crowd into the space at the corner of the Sandwich Room, right at the Lead Podium (no desk back then) and the elevator.
Some pictures of the "New" Cafe
The new cafe would incorporate the same ceilings and paintings as the old, but the wallpaper and especially the service would be different. Here you see the line as it moves toward the cashier, following the curve of the old fountain.
The least popular position to work is Order-Take, mainly because it is so repetitive and isolated from other workers. Even Mr. Smee has to go through it, however.
A look at the inside of the "Line" (as it is called), which replaced the "Fountain." The Line is the second most odious place to work, as visibility with the guests is reduced to nothing and the job is repetitive.
The sandwich room was moved into the former home of Laffite's Silver Shop and enlarged. Still, many days it didn't feel "large" at all. Everyone seems to like our tile though.
The Sandwich crew of 1988!
The new Cafe was far more crowded than could be believed. It remains, to my knowledge, one of the most tightly-packed locations in the park.
Back in those days, we would bus our own tables (nowadays a different department, Custodial Bussing, does it for us). Notice the white chairs (they're different today) and the fact that smoking was still allowed on the patio back then.
JUMPSTATION
Introduction to NOS RestaurantsBlue Bayou
Fantasmic Dessert BalconyCafe Orleans
Royal Street Veranda
La Petite PatisserieBackstage locations and offices
Meet the Cast!
Some NOS Restaurants Recipes