In 2001, a massive Disneyland Resort expansion was finally complete, and the Downtown Disney District was open for business. Downtown Disney is a great shopping and dining area that connects Disneyland Resort's three hotels - the Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier Hotel (soon to be Pixar Place), and the Grand Californian - with Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure.
While a lot of stores and restaurants have come and gone in those more than 20 years, there is one popular restaurant that has been a staple for the area - La Brea Bakery & Café. Sadly, on January 9, La Brea announced that they were closing the doors on the Café, effective immediately.
Credit: La Brea Bakery
La Brea Bakery did not say exactly what led them to close their doors at Downtown Disney, but the press release did say that they would be focusing on their in-store bakeries found at supermarkets.
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.
Credit: Yelp
Not long after the closure of La Brea Bakery was shared, Disney made an announcement, thanking the company for its long relationship with Disney and its Guests. Disney also shared that Earl of Sandwich would be returning to occupy the space for a limited time. Earl of Sandwich had been located at the other end of Downtown Disney, but was torn down as Disney began its major shopping and dining expansion project.
Credit: Disney
La Brea also acknowledged that the closure would affect many loyal employees. To help those who were now unemployed, the company teamed up with Disney to host a job fair immediately after the closure was announced. Disneyland Resort is currently hiring for multiple positions.
Downtown Disney is currently undergoing a major renovation and will see several new eateries coming to the area, including the incredibly popular Porto's Bakery and the hit Chinese restaurant Din Tai Fung.