The 50's Prime Time Café is a restaurant at

Disney's Hollywood Studios Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Based on a concept by M ...

, one of the four main

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

s at

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

. The restaurant replicates the

kitsch Kitsch ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as naïve imitation, overly-eccentric, gratuitous, or of banal taste. The avant-garde opposed kitsch as melodramatic and superficial affiliation wi ...

of a 1950s diner. The waitresses dress similarly to '' Leave It to Beaver'' character

June Cleaver June Evelyn Bronson Cleaver is a principal character in the American television sitcom '' Leave It to Beaver''. June and her husband, Ward, are often invoked as the archetypal suburban parents of the 1950s. The couple are the parents of two sons, ...

, and each acts as though she is the mother of the guests she is serving, to the point of scolding and giving (mild) discipline to the patrons if they are "misbehaving" (similar to the concept of themed restaurants such as Ed Debevic's (a 1950s-themed diner in Chicago) and Dick's Last Resort, where the servers are specifically trained to be obnoxious). While eating, guests watch 1950s television shows such as ''Leave It to Beaver'' and '' Topper'' on black-and-white televisions. Menu items include chicken pot pie,

pot roast Pot roast is an American beef dish made by slow-cooking a usually tough cut of beef in moist heat. Tougher cuts such as chuck steak, bottom round, short ribs and 7-bone roast are preferred for this technique. These cuts are American terms; d ...

, fried chicken,

meatloaf Meatloaf is a dish of ground meat that has been combined with other ingredients and formed into the shape of a loaf, then baked or smoked. The final shape is either hand-formed on a baking tray, or pan-formed by cooking it in a loaf pan. ...

, and milkshakes. The 50's Prime Time Café opened in 1989. Two years later, another

theme restaurant A theme restaurant is a type of restaurant that uses theming to attract diners by creating a memorable experience. Theme restaurants have a unifying or dominant subject or concept, and utilize architecture, decor, special effects, and other tech ...

opened at the park: the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant; the 50's Prime Time Café had garnered much success, and Disney hoped that another restaurant that had a strong emphasis on theme would have a similar level of success. The Sci-Fi Dine-In initially received little interest, but, within five weeks of opening, it was serving between 1,500 and 2,000 meals on a daily basis, just as the 50's Prime Time Café was doing. These restaurants are two of the four in the park that offer

table service The foodservice (US English) or catering (British English) industry includes the businesses, institutions, and companies which prepare meals outside the home. It includes restaurants, school and hospital cafeterias, catering operations, and many ...

, the others being the Hollywood Brown Derby and Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano. In the book ''Walt Disney World Resort: Also Includes Seaworld and Central Florida'', Corey Sandler writes that the 50's Prime Time Café ties with the Beaches and Cream Soda Shop at

Disney's Beach Club Resort Disney's Beach Club Resort is a beach-themed deluxe resort at the Walt Disney World Resort. It opened on November 19, 1990. The resort is owned and operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. Disney's Beach Club Resort is located in t ...

for the best milkshakes in Walt Disney World.Sandler (2007), p. 46.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:50's Prime Time Cafe Disney's Hollywood Studios Walt Disney World restaurants 1950s in American television 1989 establishments in Florida Restaurants established in 1989 Retro style Nostalgia in the United States Restaurants in Florida