(06/10/2010) - Los Angeles, California – This week The Walt Disney Company, parent company of sports network ESPN, announced they would be shuttering five of the seven remaining ESPN Zone bars and restaurants throughout the country. The locations, which close June 16th, include Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, New York Times Square, and Chicago. Two locations were shuttered last year. Disney cited the economic downturn in discretionary spending – such as dinners out – has caused the niche-brand restaurant and bar to lose profits since the 2008 economic collapse.
Only two locations will remain open – both those locations are in Southern California. A separately-formed company will take over ownership of the ESPN Zone in Anaheim’s Downtown Disney district, the entertainment and dining complex that seperates the two Disney theme parks from the Disney-owned hotels.
The other location, which was previously franchised, that will remain open is in downtown Los Angeles at L.A. Live!, the entertainment complex near Staples Center. Ownership and operation of this establishment will fall under AEG, the entertainment company that owns the Staples Center (and the company that was behind Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” comeback tour in London).
-Report by Lucy Bonita-Napoleon