Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010

Hmmmm… Isn’t there a big McDonald’s Restaurant somewhere around here at Yester Downtown Disney?

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010

No longer McDonald’s

McDonald’s used to be here, in this prime location at the Marketplace. In fact, there’s the McDonald’s clock tower—or what used to be the clock tower. It’s become a sign tower with two different names on it.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010

Two counters side-by-side

When you enter, there are also two names above the counters and two sets of menus. The menus look good. There are plenty of healthy options, but also fried foods if you’re so inclined.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010

Some of the Pollo Campero menu

Pollo Campero, founded and based in Guatemala, sells Latin-flavored chicken—fried chicken, grilled chicken, sandwiches, bowls, and burritos. Side dishes include yuca fries and sweet plantains.

The grilled and fried chicken are both marinated for the distinctive Pollo Campero flavor. The grilled chicken has the taste of lime and orange juices, red bell pepper, and Latin herbs and spices. The fried chicken is coated in seasoned flour and pressure-cooked without trans-fats.

For dessert, try the flan or tres leches cake.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010

Some of the Fresh A-Peel menu

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010

More of the Fresh A-Peel menu

Fresh A-Peel boasts of its fresh salads, sandwiches, fruits and healthy snacks. If you like burgers and hot dogs, Fresh A-Peel offers these too.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010

Peruvian Quinoa Salad and Saffron Couscous

An extensive grab-and-go selection includes items you’d never expect at a fast-food eatery.

The prices at Pollo Campero and Fresh A-Peel are reasonable—especially by Walt Disney World standards.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010

Salsa Bar

Before you sit down, stop by the salsa bar to embellish your chicken or sandwich with your choice of onions & cilantro, jalapeños, pico de gallo, green tomatillo salsa, and roasted chipotle salsa.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010

Not just your usual fast food sodas

Along with typical sodas, you can quench you thirst with beer, sangria, smoothies, and Latin drinks including horchata and tamarindo.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010

Outdoor patio

When the weather is good, head out to the patio with your meal. Or just relax with something from the outdoor beverage counter.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010

Beer available, including Famosa Lager from Guatemala

Have you ever had beer from Guatemala?

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010

Modern, attractive dining room

Is this place a special experience—or is it just a case of one fast-food chain replacing another?

It’s safe to say that most guests live within a few miles of a McDonald’s location, but far fewer live near a Pollo Campero. And, because this is the first Fresh A-Peel anywhere, it’s a new experience for everyone.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010

Vegan cupcakes

Although there are two signs outside, there’s another counter with its own identity inside. This one is a hidden gem. BabyCakes NYC features gluten-free cupcakes and bakery treats. There are other BabyCakes NYC locations in New York City and Los Angeles.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010

Traditional case, nontraditional ingredients

BabyCakes NYC is very good news for those who avoid wheat, gluten, dairy, casein and eggs. If you like traditional bakery ingredients, don’t worry. The treats are very good without them.

Pollo Campero, Fresh A-Peel, and BabyCakes NYC officially opened at Walt Disney World’s Downtown Disney on Monday, November 15, 2010, but the soft opening began three days earlier—just in time for the 2010 Festival of the Masters.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2009

Before Pollo Campero

The building had previously been Ronald’s Fun House, a busy McDonald’s Restaurant from December 1997 to April 2010.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010

Transformation

In early February 2010, Disney announced that McDonald’s would be replaced by two restaurants under the same roof. One would be Pollo Campero, a Latin American chicken chain that most Americans had never heard of. The other would be a new restaurant concept—so new that it didn’t even have a name yet—featuring “fresh, healthy food.”

When it opened in 2010, the Downtown Disney Pollo Campero was one of 335 Pollo Campero restaurants in 13 countries—not just in the Americas, but also in Indonesia, China, Bahrain, and India. Founded 1971 (coincidentally the same year that Walt Disney World opened), Pollo Campero had grown into the world’s largest Latin chicken restaurant chain, serving more than 85 million customers each year. In comparison, McDonald’s had more that 32,000 restaurants in 117 countries in 2010, serving more than 60 million customers each day.

The new restaurant in the former McDonald’s at Downtown Disney was owned and operated by Levy Campero, a subsidiary of Levy Family Partners, LLC. In 2005, Chicago-based Levy Campero bought the franchise rights to operate Pollo Campero restaurants in Florida and Illinois. The Downtown Disney location was Levy Campero’s sixth restaurant.

Levy was no stranger to Downtown Disney. Another Levy company, Chicago-based Levy Restaurants, operates three table-service locations at Walt Disney World: Fulton’s Crab House, Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe, and Portobello.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2012

Bodie’s All American sign

The Downtown Disney location was the first—and last—Fresh A-Peel.

Here’s how the press release from Pollo Campero on November 15th described the Fresh A-Peel concept:

Inspired by Disney’s commitment to offer its guests great-tasting more healthful options, award-winning restaurateur Larry Levy and Pollo Campero teamed up to create Fresh A-Peel. Operating in the same location as Pollo Campero, Fresh A-Peel features a nutritious and delicious array of hot-off-the-grill items and chef-prepared salads and wraps, as well as gluten-free cupcakes and bakery treats.

“Our menu relies on the freshest, most flavorful ingredients,” said Mr. Levy. “I wanted to create nutritious foods even my grandchildren would love. All of them have favorites on the Fresh A-Peel menu, whether they are picky eaters or adventurous tasters.”

The restaurant has a back-to-basics approach to serving family favorites that are prepared in a better-for-you way. Chef-prepared entrees including salads are made with locally grown produce and available in a bowl or as a wrap, and all-natural burgers are prepared to order and packed with flavor. Balanced kids meals are served with fresh fruit and healthy sides, while other delicious menu offerings are gluten-free, low-sodium and vegetarian.

After two years as Fresh A-Peel, the name changed to Bodie’s All American. Only the name changed, not what it served.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2012

Bodie’s All American, in place of Fresh A-Peel

On March 19, 2014, Pollo Campero, Bodie’s All American, and BabyCakes NYC served their final guests. The building closed permanently as part of the project to remake Downtown Disney into Disney Springs. By the end of the month, the building had been demolished.

There are other places to buy chicken, burgers, and salads at Walt Disney World, but what about vegan, gluten-free baked goods? There’s good news…

“Though our last day of operation at the Pollo Campero restaurant was March 19, we continue to provide cakes to many Walt Disney World restaurants, and also have many packaged items available across the property,” explained Emily Woesthoff, General Manager of BabyCakes NYC at Walt Disney World. “We are still baking items fresh, locally.”

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Updated October 4, 2024