New Jazz Kitchen pic makes me want to cry

[DizMe]

A friend just posted this pic. I can't believe they demolished all of the beauty, NOLA vibe, and quirky fun for this generic space.

 

[RoseColored97]

Yikes. We've never ate there, but that is so sterile looking.

 

[tigerlilly]

Is this Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen! What did they do?! Why? I knew it was undergoing "refresh and refurb" but this looks the opposite of New Orleans. Is that the downstairs section to the east side of the entry patio? RB used to be a family favorite ... we did New Years eve 2014 there. Just wow. Thanks for sharing

 

[starlite_]

It looks like a fancy mall cafeteria.... glad I got the chance of eating there at least once before they destroyed it.

Edit to add: showed the picture to my friend group and they thought it was the mini food court in a farmacy back home.

 

[o&smom]

It looks so cheap...and our meal there was not cheap! Will just go to the walk up for beignets. Glad we went when it was nice.

 

[J_GN]

Bummer. On our trip last year, we walked through DTD to get the parks each day and passed by the restaurant, but didn't eat there. Looked really nice and definitely reminded me of New Orleans. We still may try to make reservations for our trip in July, but definitely would have preferred the vibe pre-reno.

 

[Harmacist]

Disney is really starting to shoot themselves in the foot with most of these refurbs/new builds at the parks. They are trying to appeal to a broader audience, but in doing so they are losing the charm that helped build the fanatics. Once that charm is gone the fanatics may visit less and that broader audience may just visit once.
You can really see it in the hotel refurbs at WDW and the hotel towers. There is no charm or great theming going on (stickers are not the pinnacle of theming that disney thinks it is) that they are making staying off site way more appealing.

 

[joseph821]

Awful. It looks like the dining room of a cafeteria in a shopping mall.

 

[Smugpugmug]

That looks absolutely awful and cheap. It's a shame since Ralph Brennan's was one of my highlights in terms of meals the last time I went to Disneyland (2019).

This is just my personal conspiracy theory but I think Disney decided to "detheme" Ralph Brennan's to make it as bland as possible so it would be easier for a future tenant of that space to revamp it.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Omg no!

Granted I ate by the staircase at the entrance last summer but this is so sad! I hope the food is still the same and delicious!


Are the alligators still outside dressed in their best?!?!?

I’m adding what little photos I have to show what it used to look like


(Couldn’t find my picture of the gators but I did find these)

 

[joseph821]

Omg no!

Granted I ate by the staircase at the entrance last summer but this is so sad! I hope the food is still the same and delicious!


Are the alligators still outside dressed in their best?!?!?

I’m adding what little photos I have to show what it used to look likeView attachment 758667

View attachment 758668
(Couldn’t find my picture of the gators but I did find these)

Yes you can see and feel the atmosphere...

 

[StormyCA]

Looks like a coffee shop/diner at a bus or train station. No personality at all.

I just don't get the 'vibe' that Disney is going for with this piecemeal 're-do' of DTD. If they're going for an overall 'mid-century modern' they're failing miserably with the mishmash of clashing architecture combined with the Craftsman facade of the Grand that 'looms' over DTD. It just isn't working. PPs are right, it looks like a suburban mall of the 70s, not a cohesive shopping 'experience'.

 

[joseph821]

Looks like a coffee shop/diner at a bus or train station. No personality at all.

I just don't get the 'vibe' that Disney is going for with this piecemeal 're-do' of DTD. If they're going for an overall 'mid-century modern' they're failing miserably with the mishmash of clashing architecture combined with the Craftsman facade of the Grand that 'looms' over DTD. It just isn't working. PPs are right, it looks like a suburban mall of the 70s, not a cohesive shopping 'experience'.

Yes a diner in suburbia in a strip mall. Awful.

 

[Harmacist]

That looks absolutely awful and cheap. It's a shame since Ralph Brennan's was one of my highlights in terms of meals the last time I went to Disneyland (2019).

This is just my personal conspiracy theory but I think Disney decided to "detheme" Ralph Brennan's to make it as bland as possible so it would be easier for a future tenant of that space to revamp it.

It's the same with modern fast food restaurants. They're just rectangles with some windows and a restaurant's name on the side. If that restaurant closes, just swap the name of the new tenant on the side with a fresh coat of paint.

 

[Smugpugmug]

It's the same with modern fast food restaurants. They're just rectangles with some windows and a restaurant's name on the side. If that restaurant closes, just swap the name of the new tenant on the side with a fresh coat of paint.

Agreed and that's where my theory came from. Look at the transformation of Mcdonalds over the decades. It's night and day. Also look outside of fast food and at Disney themselves. The retheming of Boardwalk at WDW is going in a similar direction.

 

[starlite_]

Agreed and that's where my theory came from. Look at the transformation of Mcdonalds over the decades. It's night and day. Also look outside of fast food and at Disney themselves. The retheming of Boardwalk at WDW is going in a similar direction.

I thought the tenant decided to refurb, do we know for sure Disney chose this? Cause I'm dreading what Downtown will become if so.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I thought the tenant decided to refurb, do we know for sure Disney chose this? Cause I'm dreading what Downtown will become if so.

I have no idea. I didn't know it was Ralph Brennan that made the change. If that's the case then they made a horrendous decision. It looks SO bad now.

 

[DizMe]

If you didn't get a chance to see it before the remodel, here are some pictures. https://www.rbjazzkitchen.com/restaurant-photos

I'm not sure what the rest of the remodel looks like, but I'm guessing it's as stripped down as this room would indicate. I don't see the piano but maybe they moved it elsewhere?

Compare the old indoor piano room with the new

 

[starlite_]

I have no idea. I didn't know it was Ralph Brennan that made the change. If that's the case then they made a horrendous decision. It looks SO bad now.

I don't know for sure who decided on the change. I was under that impression because of the announcement on their own page more than anything. Whoever make the choice tho, you are right. It's horrendous.

 

[BStieers]

Well, that's a damn shame. Doesn't feel or look like NOLA at all anymore