A Failed Disney Restaurant Once Existed in Illinois

I was up way-too-late on a school night last night going down a rabbit hole on YouTube that showed me the depths of the now-closed Cartoon Network Hotel to a curious restaurant endeavor by none other than Disney.

I've written about Flavor Flav's failed restaurant in Clinton, IA, and Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr's "Big Food" eatery in Eldon, IA, so it's only fitting I give you some context on Mickey's Kitchen. It was a short-lived eatery outside the Chicagoland area that attempted to bridge the gap of the Disney theme park experience for middle America.

READ MORE: How Flavor Flav's Fried Chicken Flew In and Out of Clinton, IA in Three Months

What Was Mickey's Kitchen?:

In 1990, Disney decided to open a restaurant called Mickey's Kitchen inside Woodfield Mall in Schamburg, IL. The restaurant would be adjacent to the popular Disney Store, which was already large enough in which to shop for an hour. Disney thought they could further capture consumers' attention by offering an accessible, one-of-a-kind restaurant next door to the Disney Store.

The restaurant had a myriad of Disney characters, both statues and in-person mascots, including Alice in Wonderland, Lady and the Tramp, and of course Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

What Was on the Menu at Mickey's Kitchen?:

The menu items are adorable, honestly. They went above and beyond in conjuring up hilariously catchy, Disney-centric names for what looked like (per the aforementioned video) basic fast food. Some of the menu items included:

• Goofy's Burger
• The Supercalifragi-Chicken salad
• Salads-in-Wonderland
• Soup-a-dee-doo-dah
• Mickey's Meatless Burger
• Pinocchio's Pizza
• French Fries shaped like Disney characters
• Mouseketeer Meals (kid's meals)

What Happened to Mickey's Kitchen?:

Only two Mickey's Kitchen locations ever existed: one in Schaumburg, IL, the other in Montclair Plaza outside of Los Angeles. Both were closed by 1992.

The restaurants were costly to maintain, and as a result, barely broke even. Being that the Mickey's Kitchens were positioned next to the existing Disney Stores, that segregated the restaurants away from the centralized mall food courts, which by their very nature limited customer traffic. And, outside of the bustling holiday season and once the restaurant existed for a while, the novelty understandably wore off.

READ MORE: McDonald's is Ending its Spinoff Chain, Including Illinois Eatery

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I can't recommend For the Love of Theme Parks' YouTube video on Mickey's Kitchen enough. It's a wonderful history lesson. Furthermore, you can read more about the history of Mickey's Kitchen on Disney's Fandom site.