Fans at the Disneyland Resort who wanted to enjoy a bit of breakfast before their day at the park were treated to an unexpected surprise when they found the popular La Brea Bakery location permanently closed.
What’s Happening:
- Tyson Yu, CEO of Aspire Bakeries, sent out an internal memo to all staff announcing the permanent closure of La Brea Bakery Cafes, affecting both the flagship location on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles, and the Downtown Disney location.
- La Brea Bakery Cafe has been a staple in the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim for over two decades, in a prime location near the gates of Disney California Adventure. It has been there since the opening of both Downtown Disney and Disney’s California Adventure, dating back to 2001. Guests were able to enjoy both an express cafe or the full table service of the cafe before their big day at the parks, or while taking a nice break from them.
- According to Yu, there were meetings held at both the Los Angeles and Downtown Disney locations, announcing that the closures were effective immediately. According to Yu, the closure was coordinated to take place directly ahead of a hiring event for Disney Parks and Downtown Disney, so associates affected by the decision to close could lessen the impact, and HR reps from Aspire Bakeries were on hand to assist.
- The cafe did not open as expected, and some Disney fans took to social media mentioning that the location was mysteriously closed.
- A few hours later, Yu sent out the memo which can be read below:
- After 34 years at our flagship location on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles, and more than two decades in Downtown Disney, Anaheim, Aspire Bakeries has made the difficult decision to permanently close La Brea Bakery Café. This morning, meetings were held at our Los Angeles and Downtown Disney Café locations to announce the closures, which are effective immediately. Consistent with our strategy, Aspire Bakeries will exit the restaurant business and continue the focus on growing our thriving La Brea Bakery business in retail (grocery in-store bakeries) and foodservice. While we will no longer be operating the Cafés, consumers can still find our delicious La Brea Bakery artisan breads, both fresh baked and Take ‘n Bake, at their local grocery’s in-store bakery and at other restaurant locations that serve artisan breads. The franchised La Brea Bakery kiosks in the Reno International Airport (Nevada) and JFK Airport (New York) will remain open. Our Los Angeles Café on La Brea Avenue was the original flagship location, a staple of the community since 1989. This is where the magic of La Brea Bakery started, and the Café will always be an important part of our legacy and brand story. The Disney La Brea Bakery Café was one of the founding restaurants at Downtown Disney District in 2001, there from the start. While this is the right move for our business, decisions that impact our people are never easy to make. The Aspire Bakeries Human Resources team was on-site at both Café locations today to meet directly with impacted associates and help ease their transition. In Anaheim, a hiring event for positions at Disney Parks and Downtown Disney District was coordinated to take place directly following the morning’s meetings. We are so thankful for our employees, and for our customers who have frequented the La Brea Bakery Cafés in Los Angeles and Downtown Disney over the years. These communities are part of our history, and we will forever appreciate their business and support of La Brea Bakery.
- The move was made by Aspire Bakeries, owners of La Brea Bakery, and as of press time the location is still listed on the official Disneyland website. As such, no plans for the area the location occupied in the Downtown Disney District are known at this time.
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