The Royal Street Veranda is a counter-service location, highly visible to crowds heading toward Adventureland and Main Street. It is located underneath the Disney Gallery Balcony and just west of the Pirates entranceway (when riding Pirates, the last brick wall you see on your left before disembarking is the wall which separates the Veranda from the water flume). The Veranda is famous for its fritters, though it also serves Clam Chowder and some other snack items. It is *not* the location that serves mint juleps.
Food items that are gone
Rosettes These were crispy wafer snacks roughly in snowflake shape. We'd dip them in powdered sugar, but that didn't make them any more substantial or, for that matter, any more tasty.
Pink Lemonade Served out of bubblers behind the register along with the Mardi Gras punch (then called julep), this was in 1987 the only place to get pink lemonade in the park. It was made simply by adding lemonade concentrate to the Mardi Gras punch.
Ham & Cheese Sandwiches Premade daily, these sandwiches never really sold all that well, but the Veranda had to have *something* substantial on its menu. I was relieved when they ditched the item.
Best times to visit the Veranda
Summer and Holiday Seasons
The Veranda opens shortly after the Park does during peak season and stays open late, often until 11:00 pm or later (but that is not guaranteed; it might close with the second Fantasmic).
During any Fantasmic show it's quite slow and there is never a line. Furthermore, the "bumblebee crews" (Fantasmic guest control) will cordon off a space to grant access to the Veranda even when the show is occurring.
Naturally, the place is quite busy before and especially after any Fantasmic show, so avoid it then. During the daytime it seldom has any lines whatsoever. Great place for a coke (or coffee) and fritter!
Autumn, Winter, Spring: Weekdays
The Veranda is usually the first location in New Orleans to open and the last to close. This is especially true on non-seasonal weekdays, because full-size restaurants are expensive to staff but the Veranda is much more cost-effective. Consequently, it will open soon after the Park and usually remain open until one hour before Park closing.
Autumn, Winter, Spring: Weekends
Much like summertime, but on non-seasonal weekends the Veranda is much more likely to close early, such as when the second Fantasmic starts. Still opens early, however.
The history of the Veranda
The Veranda has been there as long as New Orleans Square has. It has had minor rehabs every now and then, but nothing big. In 1993, thanks possibly in some measure to my persistent campaigning, soda fountains were added (significantly raising revenue, I might add). In 1997 the Veranda underwent a pretty major rehab. Most of the changes were backstage things: computer added, soda syrup brought upstairs, soda fountains moved to either side of the register, etc. But the look of the place is now more festive, in keeping with New Orleans Square's new Mardi Gras style atmosphere.
Some of my favorite stories
Kurt Russel
He came up wearing light sunglasses and some nondescript shirt, and wasn't with any official Disneyland representation. He only ordered a coffee, which wasn't surprising (back then the Veranda didn't have much to offer). I thought about "recognizing" him by saying "here you are, Mr. Russell" or offering it to him for free, but both of those things are not allowed. In the end he just paid like normal and that was that. Very short man.
Frowder (a.k.a. "Chitter")
Over the years I've heard the fritters called lots of things. The most endearing was from a little six-year old girl who came up to us, all alone, and said: "I want a critter." The fritters are possibly the most disgusting substances known to mankind. If you throw one at a wall (and I'm not saying that I have), you will see grease splatter in all directions. My friend Randy would joke about combining the clam chowder breadbowl with the fritter (hence the term Frowder). We take a fritter, cut off its top, fill it with chowder, and put the top back on. Gross!
Custodial Bussing
In the olden (dare I say "golden"?) days, the Cafe did its own bussing but the Custodial Bussing Department would take care of the Veranda. So one person was responsible for all of maybe six tables. The place always looked immaculate. That's less so today. But "Code V's" (ie, someone getting sick) are still taken care of right away, thank goodness.
Julep confusion
The fruit punch concoction, originally in bubblers behind the register but nowadays served out of the soda fountain, has been a headache for us. For the longest time, it was called "Mardi Gras Julep" and people would assume it was the green stuff. No, we'd explain, that's over at the Mint Julep Bar. And some folks would still insist THEY JUST BOUGHT IT HERE LAST WEEK and we'd look at each other in bemusement. Finally, the name changed to Mardi Gras Punch, which sounds like what it is: fruit punch.
The coffee refill myth
It is a long-standing urban legend among Annual Passholders and regular visitors that coffee refills are free so long as you have a coffee cup from a prior visit (be it that day or several weeks ago). Simply not true. Free refills are supposed to be granted to guests only at the location purchased, for that day only. Coffee refill stands (such as those in all buffeterias in the Park) have led people to believe that refills are always free, so long as you have a cup. And some CM's have bought into that. But we would regularly get memo's from this or that executive vice president re-stating the policy: refills only at the location purchased. Still, the myth persists. I've had several angry guests. More than once I've had to explain: just because some Cast Members have let it happen in the past is by no means a justification for allowing it to happen now. Of course, no one monitors the refill stations in the buffeterias, and anyone could easily refill coffee from these without questions.
Royal Street Bachelors
The Bachelors are great guys. This is one of the recognizable Disney music acts (no, not the guys with bright colors and horn section. That's the Side Street Strutters, and they play at the French Market usually. The Bachelors are the guys who play string instruments. Until recently, all were African-American). They would, however, set up camp right next to the Veranda, and it was LOUD. Impossible in some cases to hear people when they ordered. But the music was nice.
Some pictures of the Veranda
The Veranda back in the polka-dot days. Chowder was there, as were fritters, but the punch bubblers you see in the background are long gone now. Look at how inexpensive everything was!
The Disneyland Ambassador before she began her meteroic career. Back in those days, the Veranda was a relaxing place to work. You can see the fritters warming up under the heat lamp.
Here's what the Veranda looks like nowadays. A bit more colorful and just a tad more expensive. In the foreground you can see the advertising placard (a similar ploy is used to enhance visibility of the Pastry Window and Mint Julep Bar, with arguably no real increase in traffic).
A look at the remodeled counter area of the Veranda. Nice stuff, eh?
The elusive but necessary "Veranda elevator" (it also is used by the Club, but we pretend not to notice or care). Dare you to find it - but please, don't use it. That's a good way to get kicked out of the Park.
Here's the new sign, put up after the recent rehab. The topmost sign, in gold, replaces the old one which habitually had a bird's nest in it, dropping twigs and God-knows-what onto people's heads and into their drinks. Only time will tell if birds move in again.
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