Disney Parks Tycoon on Verge of Eviction as Closure Evidence Emerges

One of the biggest restaurant moguls who runs a lot of Disney locations that are beloved by millions is facing some serious problems which has now led to an eviction notice.

When you go to Disney parks around the world, from Walt Disney World to Disneyland (and even Disneyland Paris), there will be some dining options that reappear. A lot of these options are found in the Disney Springs / Downtown Disney area and while they are not owned by Disney, they are renting the space on Disney property.

In Walt Disney World, for example, Robert Earl owns many locations, including Planet Hollywood, Earl of Sandwich, Chicken Guy, and more. While these spots are not Disney, they have ingrained themselves into the Disney space within the theme parks for so long that many associate them with the House of Mouse.

Robert Earl teamed up with Guy Fieri in 2018 to open the initial Chicken Guy location in Disney Springs.

“I was spending $30 million after a very successful 20 years at Planet Hollywood Disney, and I was upgrading every category, so I wanted to embellish with something Planet had never done before and bring in a celebrity chef,” Earl said in an interview with Restaurant Nation News. “And the relationship took off. He was amazing. It was like having a movie star in the building. We became friends, and we vowed to work together.”

Chicken Guy! was designed to be multiplied, Earl said, but he declined to reveal growth plans going forward.

“I want to have a really successful opening at Disney Springs. We have a knock-out location,” he said. “I think we will grow very rapidly once we’ve tested everything.”

The average check, with a side and beverage, will likely be around $11, said Earl, which he described as “extremely competitive.”

Fast-forward to now, six years later, and you can almost always guarantee a line out the door of the Disney Springs location. With such popularity in Orlando, Guy and Earl opened a second location in Winter Park, a spot located closer to the Downtown area of Orlando, as well as closer to Universal Orlando Resort. This location opened on December 2, 2021.

While it would have been assumed that the location would have thrived in its second go around, it clearly has not as the location is facing eviction after not paying for months of rent. As reported by Click Orlando, “Nearly $40,000 in overdue rent could lead to the eviction of Guy Fieri-branded Chicken Guy! restaurant from its Winter Park location, according to court documents.

The owner of the property at 818 S. Orlando Ave., DKM Winter Park SNS, LLC., filed a complaint for commercial tenant eviction and damages on Tuesday.”

The entities named as defendants in the document are Chicken Guy, LLC; Earl of Sandwich, LLC; and Planet Hollywood, LLC, all of which are under the leadership of hospitality mogul Robert Earl. As per the complaint, the landlord signed a lease agreement with the defendants on December 9, 2021. However, on February 15, 2024, DKM Winter Park SNS, LLC issued a three-day notice demanding payment of overdue rent.

Then, another three-day notice was issued on March 4, requiring the defendants to either settle the outstanding rent or vacate the premises and return the property to the landlord. As of that date, the complaint states that the defendants owed over $38,507 in past-due rent.

Robert Earl is also facing another lawsuit from MrBeast for his Virtual Dining Concepts which had ghost kitchens of MrBeast burger. MrBeast “accused the company of causing “irreparable harm” to his brand with its MrBeast Burger line of ghost kitchens.”

While it is not the Disney Springs location that is up for eviction, this is certainly not good for the company, and with this new debt, there is a chance of the other locations suffering as well.

Are you a fan of Chicken Guy? 

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