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Realityland's David Koenig

The Pit Stops, Effective Sunday

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The rumors I’ve been hearing for the last six months were just confirmed. Disneyland’s Westside Diner, the underground cast member eatery beneath New Orleans Square, is permanently closing. Its last day will be Sunday March 29.

The cafeteria opened as part of the New Orleans Square complex in the mid-1960s and is still affectionately referred to by old-timers as “The Pit,” its earlier moniker that played on its racing car decor as well as its elevation.

“It will be sorely missed,” said one sentimental cast member. “A piece of backstage Disneyland history will be gone. No replacement has been announced, no one seems to know. Not a good sign.”

What has been reported to cast members via Cast TV is that Carl’s Jr. will have a trailer in addition to the standard “roach coaches.” The current coaches are owned by Orange County Catering, but reportedly will be replaced by coaches contracted by cafeteria operator Sodexho. According to one Sodexho worker, his company realized “they were losing money to [the coaches, so they] pressured Disneyland to cancel their agreement with the local company.”

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  1. olegc's Avatar
    i am sad and not surprised at the same time. I have never been a CM at Disneyland but I fully understand what backstage or employee locations mean to folks who have spent years at their jobs. Meal times tend to be where you share stories and memories. However, I get that at some point bean counters will say it's better for the budget to do something new and different. Sometimes that's change for changes sake but you can't stop it. I just hope we don't see folks in NOS walking around noshing in their unis. I have seen someone chewing and taking a sip of a hot drink on a cold day - and it's again a sign of the magic having some blemishes.

    Off to Backstage Yesterland!