I have a question concerning the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon in Frontierland. Why did that restaurant and show close down? Now it's being used for the characters Jessie and Woody. Now I like Woody and Jessie as good as the next person does, but why did Disney have the bright idea of closing down this great restaurant and show? It was perfect in my opinion. i miss it.I don't think I ever ate anything there besides a cup of ice cream, but the show was really good.
One last thing: if you get a chance to eat at the Liberty Tree Tavern, go for it. My wife and I ate there for the second time this year, and we'll be going back for more. We have only one more restaurant to try: the Castle. No telling when that will take place!!
The Diamond Horseshoe Jamoboree was a *very* labor-intensive live musical stage show production with limited guest capacity. Visitors had to grab reservations first thing in the morning on Main Street, or else wait in a hours-long standby line for the few seats left by no-shows. Four shows a day ran, from late morning to late afternoon, with waiters and waitresses serving a selection of cold sandwiches and drinks.
The income from the food service rarely covered the cost of the labor, much less the performers. (Attractions personnel staffed the Shoe, not food, which is why I got called over to cover a short shift one day.) So why did this show last as long as it did?
'Cause Dick Nunis loved it. Just as Walt loved the original Golden Horseshoe show at Disneyland. Senior-level Disney managers loved to hang out at the Show, flirting with the Attractions hostesses who waited the tables (which is why the location was staffed by Attractions and not Foods, in case you wondered about that.)
Once Walt's buddies retired from the company, the new crew of managers preferred spending their time in their offices with their spreadsheets, and not chatting up cuties at the Shoe. When these new managers thought about the place, they saw instead a massive expense for fewer than 1,000 guests a day, not a fun hang-out in the park.
*That* is why there's no more show or service at the Shoe.
Do you think something could be done with the building besides a place for character autographs? I realize that the size of the Saloon limits what can be done there, but I'm wondering if it could be turned into a small restaurant that serves sandwiches, soup, and salads, like the small restaurant you find as your leaving Main Street going into Tomorrowland. A show wouldn't be necessary, and the characters could be kept. Certainly, Disney could afford having a small restaurant there without the entertainment.
If you think about it, there's only Pescos Bill and Liberty Tree on that side of the Park. A small restaurant may attract some folks who don't want hamburgers or who can't afford Liberty Tree.
No food was served, either. The bar was decorated with cheap wood cut-outs of Disney characters around hay bales.
I think that, ultimately, with the popularity of Toy Story, and an entire attraction dedicated to Buzz Lightyear, it only seemed fair to dedicate something to Woody at MK. I guess management figured a Meet & Greet with their popular characters had more value than a full-show (and less money towards entertainment).
