(This
piece was originally written in 2009 as my entry for an amateur
Imagineering contest on deviantART. I've done my best to update it to
reflect the current state of California Adventure, but if anything
seems awkward...that's why.)
Disneyland
Resort offers its guests a broad variety of lunch and dining options,
from the fine cuisine and full table service of the Blue Bayou and
Ariel’s Grotto to the everyday fare at the Village Haus and Flo's
Diner. However, one thing that is so far lacking is a vegetarian
restaurant. Vegetarian options exist at most resort eateries, but why
should guests who don’t eat meat have to scour every menu in order
to find something to their tastes? How can a park resort located in
California, and catering primarily to local visitors, lack something
as basic to California culture as a vegetarian restaurant?
To
fill this gap, I propose Bambi’s, an outdoor, meat-free eatery that
not only provides vegetarian guests a place where every menu item is
“safe,” but charms its patrons with immersive theming evoking one
of Disney’s beloved classic films that, strangely enough, has never
been prominently featured in the parks. In short, it fills two gaps
at once.
