ESPN Club removal begins at Disney's BoardWalk

Gallery / 6 Photos
ESPN Club demolition - July 14 2022

Posted: Thursday July 14, 2022 10:30am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Demolition crews have moved into the ESPN Club on Disney's BoardWalk to remove the theming elements from the former ESPN building.

ESPN Club demolition - July 14 2022

Crews are using high-reach lifts and saws to cut through the steel supports of the large decorative pieces.

ESPN Club demolition - July 14 2022

The BoardWalk remains open to guests during the work.

ESPN Club demolition - July 14 2022

Disney has announced that a new table service restaurant and bakery, The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers, will be taking over the space. Learn more about the BoardWalk updates.

The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers

ESPN Club opened at Walt Disney World in July 1996 and offered classic American pub cuisine, sports entertainment and shopping, along with live tv coverage of sporting events. The club closed along with the rest of Walt Disney World during the pandemic and did not reopen.

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Bocabear27 days ago

We were just at Disney for our annual summer trip...we are all foodies, and I could not get anyone interested in trying the Cake Bake Shop...they read the menu and laughed at the prices and pretentious extra "e" on menu items and said "nope" no one wanted a $26 slice of cake....lol We did end up at the Helios Grand one night for cocktails and Tapas in their rooftop lounge which was all pretty good... Very nice cocktails....and the view over the new park was great... One of these days we will do the actual park....

Tha Realest27 days ago

Will the construction phase of this establishment prove to be longer than the time it operates? Are we nearing an NBA Experience situation?

TrainsOfDisney27 days ago

ESPN club was frequently at capacity - obviously when there was a big game to watch.

dmc49327 days ago

I've seen heavier amounts of complaints online about terrible service and almost entirely empty seating areas. Unsurprising but curious just how bad they might be doing

MisterPenguin27 days ago

Wasn't the cake bake controversy not too long ago?

ToTBellHop27 days ago

I'm sure the food prices will fall, too........................ Everything here is moving right on schedule for it to close up shop by 2026.

castlecake2.027 days ago

So word on the street is the cake bake just cut their front line employees hourly base pay

TiggerishJun 04, 2025

Could they both be her? The soldier Mulan (1) and the daughter Mulan (2)?

BocabearJun 04, 2025

Black Spire is completely lost on me... So I try not to comment much about it... I don't know the characters that came after the first 5 movies...and don't really care about them...or this made up location that was never even part of the film world... I like the Millennium Falcon attraction... Once.... and Rise is really well done and a great ride... But as a whole I just don't love it.

ToTBellHopJun 04, 2025

Til the Spire!

Tha RealestJun 04, 2025

You don’t like the alien pawn shop aesthetic they do in Black Spire Outpost? You’re not inspired to buy seemingly homemade items evocative of the sequel trilogy from CMs that look lost?

BocabearJun 04, 2025

I think the Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley sections of the universal parks redefined a thematic shopping experience... THey did that...creating the best ambiance for shopping ever, and Disney strips all theming and whimsy from their stores creating a boring and bland "Target" style shopping experience... I guess Disney feels it doesn't have to try anymore... The rubes will buy anything.... A sad time for a company based on creative experiences....

CompedJun 03, 2025

Epic and Universal as a whole still lack Disney's merchandising capabilities unfortunately. It's better than what it was a decade ago, but Disney still tends to produce more and better selling items. They just completely went in the opposite direction of Universal, which themed their stores and many but not all of the items they sell in them to particular areas, when they used to be the leader in this. And it is disappointing. But for WOD in particular it's absolutely shocking considering Disney also let their retail outlets essentially die when they didn't have to...

BocabearJun 03, 2025

I agree...Streamlining everything down to a Target Experience does nothing as far as inspiring guests to linger and shop....and then buy....certainly not me anyway. It has become a convenience shopping experience before you head to the airport rather than a Destination Shopping experience... It no longer feels magical or whimsical...I find I never care anymore about going in and looking around to see what's new. I guess I will save that for my trip to Epic Universe...