Tomorrowland and Frontierland Disneyland Restaurants in 1955

A few weeks ago we looked at some of Disneyland’s Main Street USA restaurants that were around when Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955. Some of these restaurants were converted into other eateries that you can still enjoy delicious food at today. The same can be said for some of the original restaurants in other beloved lands - Tomorrowland and Frontierland. Let’s take a look back at some of the restaurants that were around in these lands during the opening year.

Tomorrowland

Space Bar

When Tomorrowland was built, the intention of it was to represent the idea of the future, 30 years in the future to be exact (that would bring us to 1986). The Space Bar quick service restaurant was no exception, with a red, yellow and blue exterior living next to Autopia and the Skyway. It had an outdoor patio with sculptural square umbrellas. The experience of the Space Bar was unique, and the goal behind the service was to have a meal completely tailored to you. It was called an automat: you could head to a service window and order each food item you wanted separately, then it would be put together for you as a “piping hot meal”. There was also a line of vending machines to emulate the same experience. Eventually, the vending machines were removed, and you could purchase foods such as hot dogs, chili, hamburgers, salads, drinks, and more.

“Then, you eat midst all the splendor of Walt Disney’s “Tomorrowland”, at family-sized tables in a shaded resting place overlooking the freeways of tomorrow.”
— Promotion for Space Bar

Space Bar wasn’t removed because of popularity issues which it did not struggle with, but merely because it was already becoming outdated for the upcoming 1960 Tomorrowland renovation, and the park needed space to bring in the Carousel of Progress, which debuted at the 1964 World’s Fair. Space Bar officially closed in 1966. The area is now home to the Innovations building. The park has not seen anything like the Space Bar since.

Frontierland

Chicken Plantation Restaurant

Right around where the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction and Cafe Orleans is now, is where the original Swift’s Chicken Plantation Restaurant lived. Swift & Company leased out the building, like a lot of other companies did at the time so Disney could make some extra money, and sold their meat products there and at the Red Wagon Inn on Main Street. The building had 2 different exterior designs to complement where they sat in the park - one side looked like a Southern mansion, the other looked like a Spanish colonial home.

The Chicken Plantation Restaurant in Disneyland. Image from: https://waltsfolly.com/2021/02/25/swifts-chicken-plantation-house/

The most popular menu item unsurprisingly was the fried chicken! Not only did the fried chicken taste fantastic, but the views of the Rivers of America really sold guests on the experience of the restaurant. The Swift’s Premium Complete Fried Chicken Dinner was just $1.70, with the children’s version at the $1.00 rate.

Much like the Space Bar, Swift’s Chicken Plantation Restaurant didn’t close due to a decrease in customers, but because the space was needed for the expansion of Frontierland and the opening of New Orleans Square. It was closed in January 1962. A bit of a tribute to the restaurant was done in the architecture of the Blue Bayou restaurant, which looks strikingly similar.

Aunt Jemima Pancake and Waffle House

Another staple Frontierland eating spot was the Aunt Jemima Pancake and Waffle House, which opened in August 1955. Quaker Oats, the parent brand of Aunt Jemima, followed the promotional trend of leasing out a restaurant in Disneyland, getting Disney a few extra dollars and giving Quaker a phenomenal advertising opportunity. The restaurant sat straight across from the Rivers of America, where the River Belle Terrace sits today. This location had it all - an outdoor patio, indoor dining, quick service, and entertainment.

This restaurant was the prime breakfast food stop, but would operate at all points in the day. You could get your classic waffles and pancakes, which were larger than the average size. There were 3 different types of meals you could get, all themed after Frontierland. There was The Golden Horseshoe Special which was a stack of pancakes with butter and syrup, the Davy Crockett’s Delight which was a 4-stack of pancakes, and the California Waffles, which were waffles toped with crispy pecans. There was also a selection of fruity breakfasts, such as the Wild Mountain Blackberry Pancakes, Apple Pancake Roll-Ups, and blueberry pancakes. They all ranged from 45 cents to 70 cents.

“Enjoy the tempting variety of pancake dishes, waffles, and other famous Aunt Jemima specialties, all reasonably priced. Just right for the whole family.”
— Aunt Jemima's kitchen promo

Part of what made this spot so popular in the park was the addition of an actress who played Aunt Jemima and entertained the guests. She would often serve the food, come and speak to families at their tables, take photos with kids, and even sing. Several different women played the part, but the only credited actress was Aylene Lewis.

On Quaker’s journey of advertising with Disney, not only did they open the restaurant, but they also hosted the annual Pancake Race on National Pancake Day. Participants would run on a course around the Disneyland park with a skillet in hand, flipping the pancakes along the way. The winner would often win a cash prize of about $100.

In 1962, the name of the restaurant changed from Aunt Jemima’s Pancake and Waffle House to Aunt Jemima’s Kitchen, to mimic the other locations around the USA that were named the same. The location expanded, taking over Don DeFore’s Silver Banjo Barbecue which only survived 4 years. Around this time they also expanded the menu, adding more breakfast items such as juices, eggs, bacon, sausages, ham, and more. In 1967, Disney assumed full ownership of the restaurant from Quaker, but Quaker stayed on as a sponsor for 3 years after that. Once 1970 arrived, Aunt Jemima’s Kitchen closed and the River Belle Terrace opened. There were several reasons behind its closure - but one could argue it was due to the ongoing civil rights movement and the controversial origins of the Aunt Jemima brand. The character was originally based off of black slaves in white households, often being depicted extremely offensively. It wasn’t until February 2021 that the Aunt Jemima brand officially ended, converting to the name Pearl Milling Company.

Casa de Fritos

One of the Disneyland fun facts that is one of the most interesting and one of the most shared is that Disneyland is the birthplace of the dorito chip. Where could you find doritos in Disneyland you may ask? At the Mexican restaurant in Frontierland, Casa de Fritos. It was located right next to Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland, giving you a fantastic view of the scenic train ride. Much like Quaker, Frito-Lay was another company that was willing to open up a spot in the new theme park in 1955. They served a combination of Mexican-inspired theme park foods, such as tamales, chili and beans, enchiladas, and tacos in a “tacup”. The prices ranged from 25 cents to 1 dollar. Alex Foods, now known as Don Miguel Mexican Foods, provided the non-frito ingredients.

The invention of the dorito came about when the restaurant decided to use the tortilla scraps left at the end of the day and fry them up into triangular shapes to sell, instead of being wasteful. They became a huge hit immediately - people were visiting Casa de Fritos just to try this crispy new addition. In 1964, Frito-Lay and Alex Foods teamed up to produce and sell these new chips and they have been a popular salty snack ever since.

One of the other charming things about Casa de Fritos was the Frito kid. He was a mechanical boy dressed in western gear, who would deliver a bag of fritos chips to you when you put a coin in a slot. He became a popular attraction of the park itself.

HealthKyle Balldisneyland, restaurant, frontierland, fantasyland, tomorrowland, disneyparksComment