Women Entrepreneurs Are Flocking To Walt Disney World

The Walt Disney Company has been a place of growth and advancement for women for decades. In fact, in the 1940s, Walt Disney told his team of male animators who were working on Dumbo at the time, “If a woman can do the work as well, she is worth as much as a man.”

Fast forward over 80 years, and Disney is still showcasing women, this time at it’s Orlando theme parks. The Walt Disney
DIS
World Resort is known for its themed entertainment offerings, attractions that draw fans from around the world, and dining that immerses guests in the worlds of beloved movies and characters. But there’s another side to the Most Magical Place on Earth that many people don’t know about: women entrepreneurship.

Today if you were to walk around Disney Springs or Disney’s BoardWalk, you’d come face-to-face with storefronts and restaurants that are owned by women entrepreneurs. One new experience that’s currently being built is The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers in the same place where Disney’s ESPN Club restaurant used to be at Disney’s BoardWalk.

The Cake Bake Shop at Walt Disney World is Roger’s third restaurant, and is expected to open in early 2024. “I am a small business owner, and I’m a mom, and I love to cook,” says Rogers. When visitors walk into the new bakery and restaurant, Rogers hopes that they feel like they’ve been transported to a different place.

For Rogers, her journey from at-home baker to a Disney storefront is special. She started by making baked good for her family. “I slowly built up a business and I was working in my house and the next thing you know I was outgrew my house and it just became a bigger thing than I ever thought than it ever would be,” she says. Her first shop took two and a half years to build, and after opening it had a line out the door and down the sidewalk. “That’s how I knew I was onto something so good.”

The Disney location of The Cake Bake Shop hasn’t been without challenges. The shop was announced in 2022, with an original opening date of late 2023. The project has since been delayed to early 2024, but for Rogers the hurdles in business are part of the journey. “I think that the best lessons in life are things that were really hard. But when it’s hard I smile through it, because I enjoy the process so much that I don’t mind and it makes me a better person,” she says.

Alongside Rogers, other women entrepreneurs have moved into Disney Springs, allowing the businesses to reach a wider audience.

On the culinary front, Food Network star and famed chef Maneet Chauhan is opening a new restaurant at Disney Springs called eet by Maneet Chauhan. The restaurant is the first venture into Florida for Chauhan and her husband and business partner, Vivek Deora. The couple founded Morph Hospitality in 2016, which has three Nashville-based concepts under its umbrella: Chauhan Ale & Masala House, The Mockingbird and Tansuo.

“eet is a modern, fun and approachable take on Indian cuisine that combines traditional flavors with contemporary techniques and our own modern spin. From the innovative and creative food menu to a fun drink list that’s paired with vibrant design throughout, eet is a colorful culinary journey that is unlike any other in the Disney Springs® Marketplace,” Chauhan explains.

eet is set to open in late 2023, and will highlight Chauhan’s unique spin on Indian cuisine, and allowing the millions of people who visit Walt Disney World every year to potentially experience this women-owned restaurant.

“Being one of our family’s favorite vacation spots, Disney has always held a special place in our hearts. Not to mention, our son Karma also shares his birthday with Mickey Mouse! Having the opportunity to open a restaurant at Disney Springs® Marketplace is absolutely humbling and exciting, and we are so thrilled to continue to making more memories at the most magical place on earth,” says Chauhan.

Three other women-owned spots around Disney Springs are Vivoli il Gelato, a gelateria with house-made gelato; Sugarboo & Co, a home decor shop; and Wondermade, which specializes in gourmet marshmallows.

All of these shops and restaurants pave the way for more women entrepreneurs to be invited to open their doors at Walt Disney World. As more entrepreneurial women flock to Disney, it’s easy to see how they are changing the business landscape of the theme park giant for the better.