- Mar 13, 2024
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- 36
A major shift is coming to Disney Springs, and it’s being led by one of Orlando’s most beloved local restaurants.
Disney Springs!
Gideon’s Bakehouse, famous for its half-pound cookies and gothic aesthetic, is opening an entirely new restaurant concept in Disney Springs, just a few doors down from its original Bakehouse location. Set to open mid-year, it is named Six Ravens. Instead of sweets, it will feature an all-new savory-focused menu, marking the first time Gideon’s has expanded beyond its signature bakehouse concept and signaling a larger trend reshaping Orlando’s restaurant scene.
Since opening its Disney Springs location, Gideon’s Bakehouse has been known for its indulgent desserts and long lines. But according to the company, creating another small dessert shop didn’t feel like the right move. Instead, Gideon’s asked a bigger question: “What if we created something entirely different”?
©Six Ravens
The answer is a new restaurant concept built around savory “coffyns” (hand pie sandwiches) and housemade yeast rolls filled with ingredients sourced to support local businesses. Even more notably, the menu will be developed in collaboration with Central Florida chefs, positioning the restaurant as both a creative expansion and a love letter to the local culinary community.
©Six Ravens
Gideon’s owner, Steve Lewis, has openly shared that this project is deeply personal. He cited longtime Disney Springs neighbors, James and Julie Petrakis of The Polite Pig, recalling how they once quietly featured a Gideon’s cookie as a secret menu item. “It’s always been in the back of my head that I need to repay that favor,” Lewis said, and this new restaurant appears to be that repayment, scaled up for a much larger stage.
Gideon’s expansion mirrors a broader trend happening across Orlando and especially at Disney Springs: successful chefs and restaurants diversifying into multiple concepts rather than just duplicating the same restaurant again and again.
Today, customers crave novelty, storytelling, and purpose while also being loyal to local businesses. Instead of opening carbon-copy locations, chefs are creating different experiences that reflect multiple sides of their culinary identity. Orlando, which is fueled by tourism and a lively food scene, has become an ideal testing ground for this approach. Rather than launching another version of Gideon’s Bakehouse, the company is leveraging its diehard following to introduce something no one expected.
Gideon’s Bakehouse
This strategy is already well established among several Disney Springs chefs. Chef Art Smith, for example, operates multiple restaurants across the U.S., each with a unique focus, from Southern comfort food like what you can find at Disney Springs’ Homecomin’, to the casual Sunshine Diner found in Terminal C of MCO. These are all tied together by his personal culinary story.
Chef Art Smith
Similarly, Chef José Andrés, who owns Jaleo and Pepe at Disney Springs, is known for operating a wide range of restaurants with entirely different culinary missions, from Spanish tapas to humanitarian-focused dining concepts. His restaurants helped elevate Disney Springs from a shopping district into a sought-after dining hub that can compete with the Orlando food scene. Gideon’s is now entering this same arena and moving from a single-category standout to a multi-concept brand with deeper creative reach.
Chef Jose Andres, Chef Georg Paulussen, Chef James Petrakis, Master Sommelier George Miliotes and Chef Art Smith
What makes Gideon’s expansion especially impactful is that it’s coming from a brand that didn’t need to change. The Bakehouse is already wildly successful. Choosing to branch into savory dining and to do so in collaboration with local chefs shows the strong connection between Disney Springs and Orlando restaurants. If successful, Gideon’s new restaurant could encourage other local favorites to experiment, collaborate, and grow beyond their original idea. This will grow recognition of other local chefs in Orlando among tourists just visiting Six Ravens.
©Six Ravens
By diversifying beyond desserts, collaborating with local chefs, and embracing a multi-concept future, Gideon’s is helping redefine what restaurant success looks like in Disney Springs and the Orlando restaurant industry. For more updates, opening details, and everything you need to know about eating at Disney Springs, be sure to keep following DisneyFoodBlog.
What do you think of the new Gideon’s restaurant coming to Disney Springs? Tell us in the comments below!
Disney Springs!
Gideon’s Bakehouse, famous for its half-pound cookies and gothic aesthetic, is opening an entirely new restaurant concept in Disney Springs, just a few doors down from its original Bakehouse location. Set to open mid-year, it is named Six Ravens. Instead of sweets, it will feature an all-new savory-focused menu, marking the first time Gideon’s has expanded beyond its signature bakehouse concept and signaling a larger trend reshaping Orlando’s restaurant scene.
Since opening its Disney Springs location, Gideon’s Bakehouse has been known for its indulgent desserts and long lines. But according to the company, creating another small dessert shop didn’t feel like the right move. Instead, Gideon’s asked a bigger question: “What if we created something entirely different”?
©Six Ravens
The answer is a new restaurant concept built around savory “coffyns” (hand pie sandwiches) and housemade yeast rolls filled with ingredients sourced to support local businesses. Even more notably, the menu will be developed in collaboration with Central Florida chefs, positioning the restaurant as both a creative expansion and a love letter to the local culinary community.
©Six Ravens
Gideon’s owner, Steve Lewis, has openly shared that this project is deeply personal. He cited longtime Disney Springs neighbors, James and Julie Petrakis of The Polite Pig, recalling how they once quietly featured a Gideon’s cookie as a secret menu item. “It’s always been in the back of my head that I need to repay that favor,” Lewis said, and this new restaurant appears to be that repayment, scaled up for a much larger stage.
A Reflection of Orlando’s Evolving Restaurant Trends
Gideon’s expansion mirrors a broader trend happening across Orlando and especially at Disney Springs: successful chefs and restaurants diversifying into multiple concepts rather than just duplicating the same restaurant again and again.
Today, customers crave novelty, storytelling, and purpose while also being loyal to local businesses. Instead of opening carbon-copy locations, chefs are creating different experiences that reflect multiple sides of their culinary identity. Orlando, which is fueled by tourism and a lively food scene, has become an ideal testing ground for this approach. Rather than launching another version of Gideon’s Bakehouse, the company is leveraging its diehard following to introduce something no one expected.
Gideon’s Bakehouse
Disney Springs as a Hub for Restaurant Empires
This strategy is already well established among several Disney Springs chefs. Chef Art Smith, for example, operates multiple restaurants across the U.S., each with a unique focus, from Southern comfort food like what you can find at Disney Springs’ Homecomin’, to the casual Sunshine Diner found in Terminal C of MCO. These are all tied together by his personal culinary story.
Chef Art Smith
Similarly, Chef José Andrés, who owns Jaleo and Pepe at Disney Springs, is known for operating a wide range of restaurants with entirely different culinary missions, from Spanish tapas to humanitarian-focused dining concepts. His restaurants helped elevate Disney Springs from a shopping district into a sought-after dining hub that can compete with the Orlando food scene. Gideon’s is now entering this same arena and moving from a single-category standout to a multi-concept brand with deeper creative reach.
Chef Jose Andres, Chef Georg Paulussen, Chef James Petrakis, Master Sommelier George Miliotes and Chef Art Smith
Why This Move Could Change the Game for Orlando
What makes Gideon’s expansion especially impactful is that it’s coming from a brand that didn’t need to change. The Bakehouse is already wildly successful. Choosing to branch into savory dining and to do so in collaboration with local chefs shows the strong connection between Disney Springs and Orlando restaurants. If successful, Gideon’s new restaurant could encourage other local favorites to experiment, collaborate, and grow beyond their original idea. This will grow recognition of other local chefs in Orlando among tourists just visiting Six Ravens.
©Six Ravens
By diversifying beyond desserts, collaborating with local chefs, and embracing a multi-concept future, Gideon’s is helping redefine what restaurant success looks like in Disney Springs and the Orlando restaurant industry. For more updates, opening details, and everything you need to know about eating at Disney Springs, be sure to keep following DisneyFoodBlog.
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What do you think of the new Gideon’s restaurant coming to Disney Springs? Tell us in the comments below!
