The once-iconic Rainforest Cafe continues to shrink its restaurant footprint, closing longtime locations and gradually disappearing from several markets.
The closures have left fewer opportunities for customers to experience the chain’s jungle-themed dining and retail concept, which once helped make it a popular destination for families and tourists alike.
Having visited Rainforest Cafe many times, I found its animatronic wildlife, simulated thunderstorms, and massive gift shop among its most memorable features. While the food has always been somewhat underwhelming, the Sparkling Volcano dessert and souvenir glasses helped make the experience worthwhile.
Now, another Rainforest Cafe location is preparing to close, threatening the chain’s decadeslong presence in a major tourist destination.
Founded in 1994 in Bloomington, Minnesota, Rainforest Cafe has 16 restaurants nationwide and four international locations.
Rainforest Cafe is closing in Disneyland Paris
Rainforest Cafe will permanently close its restaurant at The Walt Disney Company’s (DIS) Disney Village inside Disneyland Paris before the end of 2026.
The closure was originally planned for September but was later pushed back to late 2026. More recent reports suggest November is the most likely timeframe for the restaurant’s departure, ending its 27-year presence at the destination after opening in 1999.
The Disney Village restaurant is one of two Rainforest Cafe locations in Europe. Its closure would leave the Malta location as the chain’s only remaining restaurant in the region.
The shutdown follows the closure of a Rainforest Cafe restaurant at Menlo Park Mall in Edison, New Jersey, in February 2025 after 27 years of operation.
The closure resulted from the non-renewal of its lease, NJ.com reported. This leaves the chain’s Atlantic City boardwalk restaurant as its last remaining location in New Jersey.
Signs of the Disneyland Paris restaurant’s impending departure have also emerged. Guests have reported that operations are already winding down in certain areas, with the gift shop cleared of merchandise and the space being used for stroller parking, Inside the Magic reported.
Why Rainforest Cafe is shutting down its Disney Village location
The Disney Village Rainforest Cafe closure comes amid a multi-year transformation of the destination, which has been adding new shops and restaurants while undergoing renovations, refurbishments, and other changes.
In January 2026, one of the last original Disney Store locations at Disney Village permanently closed after 33 years of operation, another change I previously reported on for TheStreet.
The Rainforest Cafe location is operated by Bertrand Hospitality, which is also preparing to open a Casa Giulia restaurant at the former Planet Hollywood site in Disney Village.
Inside the Magic has also reported an alleged lack of maintenance for the restaurant’s animatronics and other features. However, these are only claims and should not be seen as a confirmed explanation for the closure.
Despite the upcoming shutdown, Rainforest Cafe continues to operate restaurants at Disney Springs and Animal Kingdom in Florida. Additional locations can be found at Tokyo Disney Resort’s Ikspiari, according to the chain’s store locator.
Rainforest Cafe closes another location.Hang Tran / Getty Images
Rainforest Cafe continues to shrink its footprint
Rainforest Cafe once operated a much larger restaurant network. In the early 2000s, following its acquisition by Landry’s Inc., the chain operated 59 restaurants worldwide, according to The Deforestation of The Rainforest Café.
Many Rainforest Cafe locations operated inside shopping malls and retail centers, leaving the chain exposed to declining mall traffic and changing consumer shopping habits. As these destinations struggled to attract visitors, the restaurant gradually lost locations across several markets.
The chain’s elaborate dining concept has also made running its restaurants quite pricey.
Rainforest Cafe founder Steven Schussler has discussed the significant costs associated with opening and operating the restaurants, including animatronics, fog machines, fish tanks, and elaborate lighting. These features contribute to the chain’s distinctive atmosphere but also increase operating expenses, such as electricity costs.
Schussler said it cost $400,000 to build the prototype restaurant for investors to experience in 1994. Adjusting for inflation, that amount would be equivalent to approximately $800,000 today.
“Especially nowadays with the price of power and retail space, I doubt the company will open a new restaurant unless the trend of themed restaurants makes a major comeback,” said Schussler.
Other restaurant chains are closing locations
Rainforest Cafe is not the only restaurant chain shrinking its footprint. Several other brands have shut down locations recently.
Here’s some of my previous coverage of restaurant closures:
Landry’s: Closed multiple restaurants across several of its other brands, with some locations being replaced by other concepts.
Golden Corral: Shuttered at least seven other locations across seven states in 2026.
Bonefish Grill: Permanently closed its Brick Township, New Jersey, location in October 2026 after approximately 20 years, following several closures by its parent company, Bloomin’ Brands, across its other brands.
Related: Landry’s rescues 9 restaurants from bankruptcy as closures mount