If you’ve even done a little research on where to eat while planning your Walt Disney World vacation, chances are you’ve landed on the Disney Food Blog.
Started by Texas resident AJ Wolfe in 2009, the site boasts the most comprehensive catalog of unbiased reviews of the ever-expanding food options at Disney Parks, and is visited by millions of people monthly across social media platforms. Engaging readers, YouTube viewers, and followers.
But before purple churros went viral and doll whips took the shape of doughnuts, Disney park food was mostly an afterthought. “Basically, the only site out there was a big, broad site that covered everything Disney did, and no one covered food in depth,” Wolfe told PEOPLE. I thought it was strange to care so much about Disney restaurants, so there was almost a stigma attached to talking about food.I was like, ‘Will people read this?
But like many Disney bloggers that emerged during that time, Wolff soon realized that among adults with nostalgia for all things Disney, there was an appetite in her case, literally.”[The parks] There are some iconic foods that people are addicted to and it’s a big part of their vacation. They’re trying to get a Doll Whip, and they’re trying to get a Mickey Bar. [and] They’ll get turkey legs,” she says.
In addition to reporting and reviewing food at the Parks, Wolf can drive culinary innovation and influence dining trends at Disney World.
“We take certain foods and go viral. That’s what we did with Butterfinger Cupcakes in 2010. Went missing in 2019, but came back two years later.” .
Ten years later, Wolfe has turned dining at Disney into a career, maintaining the site through the sale of dining guides and ads for the Disney Food Blog. Although she is based in Dallas with her husband and her children, she travels to Orlando frequently and has staff on both coasts covering Disneyland and Walt Disney World in Anaheim, California. doing.
In order to maintain unbiased reviews and have the same dining experience as regular guests, Wolf does not market himself as the face of the brand and remains anonymous. she says. “I try to keep as few pictures of myself out on the internet as possible so that many people at Disney don’t know who I am.”
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And in an age where freebies are the currency, especially on Instagram, Wolfe insists on paying it all yourself. “I have tried to get the manager to pay for my food. I went to them and said, ‘Sorry, but this is what you have to pay to remain fair to our readers.’ ‘ she says. “And frankly, you have to write a review that you paid for it, and even if it’s a good review, no one will believe it, so it’s good for them too.
Although most visits to Disney World are for business rather than recreation, she travels alone and plans to eat four to five meals a day, often between 6am and 2am. Is working. “I started blogging because I love parks. Parks carry a real charm to me,” she says. “If I hadn’t been there in a month and a half, I really want to go.
