NBA City Restaurant Replacement Idea

With the recent announcement of The NBA Experience coming to Disney Springs at Walt Disney World, the days of the NBA City restaurant in CityWalk at the Universal Orlando Resort were numbered.  It didn’t take long for Universal to announce that NBA City will be closing in August to make way for “an exciting, new concept for that space.”  While Universal didn’t explicitly state that a new restaurant will be replacing the basketball themed eatery, for the sake of this blog post I will assume this is the case.

As I began to think of possible replacement options, I asked myself a few questions:

• What gaps are there in Universal’s food offerings?
• What type of food would draw the largest crowd?
• What are some potential themes?

For sake of discussion I’m just going to look at options for dinner, and therefore I’m ignoring the eating options inside the parks.  This leaves us with the restaurants in CityWalk, as well as the restaurants at the on-site hotels.  I used these parameters to determine any potential gaps in Universal’s current offerings and identify potential areas for the resort to capitalize upon.

Let’s take a look at the types of cuisines that are currently offered at the Universal resort.  The Italian, Mexican, American, Asian, Caribbean, Creole, and Asian genres are currently well represented.  Sushi, burgers, steak, pizza, seafood, and ice cream are among the specific types of food offered.  There’s also a mix of counter service and full service restaurants available.

When I look at all the all of the options available to diners at the Universal Orlando resort, the type of restaurant that seems to be missing is a buffet.  There’s a huge opportunity here in my opinion.  Think of a family that’s looking for a place to eat after a long day at the parks.  Dad wants to go to the Hard Rock Hotel and get a steak at The Palm.  Mom wants some pasta and a glass of wine from Vivo.  The kids want to grab a burger at the BK Whopper Bar and then play some Hollywood Drive-In mini golf.  The last thing anyone wants after an exhaustive day at the theme parks is an argument about where to eat dinner.  A buffet would offer something for everyone.  (Side Note:  The Wantilan Luau at the Royal Pacific Resort is technically a buffet, but I’m ignoring it since it’s only available on Saturday nights and the price point is out of reach for the typical CityWalk guest)

The question then, is what kind of food should this buffet offer?  What would bring in the largest crowd night after night?  I went back and forth on this, whether the buffet should be a hodgepodge offering of several genres of cuisine, or if it should specialize in a single type.  Ultimately I decided that a single genre would work best in terms of differentiating the restaurant from the other eateries at the resort, and it would also help create a centralized theme.

After reviewing the genres of cuisine currently offered, I think a buffet of classic American BBQ would fill a hole in Universal’s restaurant lineup.  The smell of smoked meat wafting through CityWalk would be a magnet, drawing guests from the exit of the parks straight to the cash register.  Pulled pork.  Baby back ribs. Brisket.  Smoked chicken, turkey, and sausages.  Sides of mac n’ cheese, coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, cornbread, and grilled vegetables.  A salad bar, a baked potato bar, and a regular bar with a full beer selection.  Add in some banana pudding and a sweet tea and you’ve got a hit restaurant on your hands. 

A BBQ buffet would appeal to local tourists looking to fill up on something familiar, while also appealing to foreign tourists looking for a taste of Americana.  The buffet style would allow everyone to find something to appease their palate, and there’s a guarantee that everyone leaves with a full stomach.  With an affordable price point (~$20 seems reasonable) you’ll have a sure fire hit on your hands.

As far as theming goes, the stereotypical Texas barbecue joint décor would be a natural fit.  Rustic wood floors and picnic tables with checkered tablecloths would be fantastic.  A few animatronic animal heads hanging on the walls would be a fun touch, and you could even have the flying cow from Twister soar across the dining area every half hour (once Twister closes of course).  For entertainment, a stage could house honky-tonk bands on the weekends, and a player piano the rest of the time.  You could even set-up the piano to play requests for a nominal fee (like a unique jukebox, except more fun).  The bar area could be themed like an old western saloon with a wide selection of whiskey and beer.  The wait staff could be dressed as cowboys and cowgirls.  The ideas are endless.  I wonder if the façade from the old Wild Wild West Stunt Show is sitting around anywhere, waiting to be repurposed?

Anyway, there you have it.  My idea for a replacement of NBA City is a classic American BBQ buffet with a western theme.  It would fill a void in Universal Orlando’s restaurant lineup and would be sure to attract a large crowd.  The theme would fun and entertaining, but would still be appropriate based on the type of food being offered.  I would definitely want to check this place out.

What do you think?  Would you be interested this a restaurant like this?  Leave a comment below with your thoughts or feel free to chime in with your own ideas.