This week, Disney released an update on the long awaited Rodeo Roundup BBQ at Hollywood Studios at WDW. This is a new table service restaurant that is slated to open in Toy Story Land. The key takeaways from the update are 1. The new opening date is Spring 2023 (originally it was 2020… then 2022), and 2. This will be a family style BBQ restaurant. There were also an assortment of pictures of the interior, which was kind of neat, but nothing Earth shattering.
While the prospect of a new restaurant opening at Hollywood Studios is exciting (it certainly can use a few more good dining options), Disney missed out on a great opportunity here. Toy Story already has a ready made restaurant that could have easily fit into this land: Pizza Planet! Given its prominent appearance in the Toy Story franchise, it seems like it would have been a perfect fit as an eatery in Toy Story Land. It would have been the ultimate fan service, just like opening a Cantina-style restaurant was a given for Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge.
Now you might say that Hollywood Studios doesn’t need yet another pizza place. You already have PizzeRizzo’s and Mama Melrose. However, the former’s pizza is one step above frozen pizza, and the latter, although an Italian restaurant, doesn’t have pizza as an entree so there would be enough to distinguish the two.
Besides, I feel like BBQ is getting to the point where it is almost oversaturated at WDW. There are already so many good BBQ restaurants available: Regal Eagle, Polite Pig, Flame Tree BBQ, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Hoop-de-doo. Unless there is something unique that distinguishes Rodeo Roundup BBQ from the others, it could just get lost among these other choices.
Now I supposed you could say the same thing about Pizza Planet… just another pizza place. However, there is one important difference….
It’s Pizza <bleeping> Planet people!!!
The fact that there would be a Pizza Planet in Toy Story Land is enough to make it a draw for fans of the franchise.
Of course, the die is already cast, the wheels are in motion, <insert your favorite metaphor here> so we aren’t going to get a Pizza Planet anytime soon. But boy, that would have been cool. Sorry, Disney, you missed out.
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