SCHUSSLER CREATIVE & LANDRY'S RESTAURANTS OPEN T-REXT: A PREHISTORIC FAMILY ADVENTURET AT DOWNTOWN DISNEY®
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, October 13, 2008 – Schussler Creative, Inc. (www.schusslercreative.com),
creator of theatrical environments for attractions, restaurants and retail stores worldwide, announced
today that T-REX™: A Prehistoric Family Adventure™, A Place to Eat, Shop, Explore and Discover™
is slated to open on Tuesday, October 14 at Downtown Disney® in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Schussler Creative developed the amazing concept for this new dining/shopping/interactive/
educational/entertainment experience. T-REX was built in partnership with Landry's Restaurants and
the concept is built around water, fire and ice – the elements that formed the earth in prehistoric times.
Guests visiting T-REX are greeted with life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, bubbling geysers, a fossil dig
site and much more, taking them back to a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
"For Schussler Creative, this is like winning the trifecta, having created T-Rex, Yak & Yeti, and
Rainforest Cafe. Imagine winning the World Series, the Super Bowl and an Olympic Gold Medal. To
have been given the opportunity to create three wonderful family-oriented restaurant/retail attractions
at Walt Disney World Resorts makes us very proud. It is an honor to be part of a team that provides
an amazing experience to our guests. Family’s will come for the “wow” factor but will continue coming
back because of the quality food and guest service provided by our partners at Landry’s restaurants,”
said Steven Schussler, Creator of T-Rex, Chairman and CEO of Schussler Creative, Inc.
"T-REX will attract visitors of all ages with its mix of delicious food and unique entertainment,"
said Tilman Fertitta, president, chairman and CEO of Landry's. "Downtown Disney® is the perfect
location for this innovative concept."
T-REX is not just a place to eat and shop – it is also a place to explore and discover. Would-be
paleontologists can practice their skills in the Discovery Dig Site, a large excavation pit with replicas of
fossil bones waiting to be uncovered. The Geode Splitter breaks up geodes to display hidden
minerals. Pan for precious stones, gems and fossils within the Discovery Creek “sluice”. Plus, guests
will be able to expand their knowledge of the dinosaur era and play one of several family-friendly
games on the interactive Paleo Screens.
“Schussler Creative and Landry’s have a proven history of creating entertaining dining
concepts and we are thrilled to work with them again,” said Kevin Lansberry, vice president of
Downtown Disney. “T-REX is right in line with our vision to provide exciting and one-of-a-kind
experiences for guests of all ages.”
T-REX greets visitors with a skeletal version of a 125-foot long replica of an Argentinasaurus,
which was not only the largest dinosaur of the period, but quite possibly the heaviest animal to ever
walk the earth. Just inside the front doors is an animatronic Tyrannosaurus waiting to greet the
guests. Also upon entering T-REX, guests will be greeted by a giant animatronic octopus sitting on
top of the Shark Bar, motioning guests in for a specialty drink and a view of a 5,000-gallon shark tank.
Lava rock, greenery and theatrical lighting effects combine to transport visitors to prehistoric times.
The 30,000 square foot T-Rex Cafe seats 600 guests and is divided into several separate,
distinctive dining rooms, each with its own theme and animatronic dinosaurs. The vignettes include
the Ice Cave with the woolly mammoth family, and the Fern Forest which is home to Triceratops and
their infants, along with a Stegosaurus. Other exciting areas include the Coral Reef Dining Room
featuring much sought after jellyfish booth seating, the Sequoia Room and Geo-Tech Room. An
amazing theatrical show of meteor showers travels across the dining room ceiling every 20 minutes.
Another much-talked about feature at T-Rex are the restrooms, as they showcase ancient fossils
embedded in the walls, along with an educational description of each fossil. According to Schussler,
the restroom décor contains tens of thousands of dollars in real fossils.
But, while the décor may be prehistoric, the food facilities are cutting-edge. The Kitchen of Fire
features an open kitchen with a giant rotisserie that allows visitors to see meals being prepared.
Dishes such as Triassic Tortellini, the Bronto Burger and the one-of-a-kind Boneyard Buffet will keep
both carnivores and herbivores extremely happy. Delicious desserts such as Chocolate Extinction and
Meteor Bites provide the perfect finish to a rich dining experience. For those who want to take the
T-REX experience home, the Dino-Store provides a wide variety of dinosaur-related apparel and gifts.
Young dinosaur fans will especially enjoy the chance to take home their own personal dinosaur
with Build-A-Dino™, Where Best Friendosaurs Are Made™, a store opening in T-REX. Developed by
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. in partnership with T-REX, the store will offer several prehistoric animal
toys with a variety of accessories and outfits from which to choose.
About Schussler Creative, Inc.
The Schussler Creative Team embraces imagination to design theatrical attractions, restaurant, and
retail stores worldwide. Schussler Creative Chairman, Steven Schussler, is also the founder and
creator of the popular Rainforest Cafe restaurant concept, which opened 45 stores in seven short
years on three continents and went public with only one store open. Schussler and the Rainforest
Cafe Board of Directors sold Rainforest Cafe to Landry’s Restaurants in 2000. Current Schussler
Creative projects include T-REX™ Cafe: A Prehistoric Family Adventure, A Place to Eat, Shop,
Explore and Discover; Yak & Yeti™: Anadapur – Family Friendly Asian Inspired Restaurant™; Betty &
Joes – Baker & Coffee Maker™: You Can’t Have One Without The Other™!; Orange County
Choppers America’s RoadHouse™: Bikes, Blues, Burgers & BBQ™; Hot Dog Hall of Fame™:
Frankly the Best Hot Dogs, Sausages, Dumplings and French-Fries in the World™!; Aerobleu: The
Spirit of Cool™; Zi™ Imperial Kitchen - Asian Antiquities & Culinary Art™; Winter Wonderland™: The
Magic of Winter™; Water, Fire & Ice, Polar Ultra Lounge™: The Hottest Place on Ice™; Sorcerer’s
Kitchen: School of Wizardry, Food & Magic™; Pizza Market – Italian Kitchen, Wine & Groceria™:
The Place to Ciao!; and Musical Garden: A Living Work of Art, Food and Music™. For more
information on Minneapolis, Minn.-based Schussler Creative, visit www.schusslercreative.com or call
763-746-3700.
About Landry's Restaurants, Inc.
Landry’s Restaurants, Inc., is one of the nation’s largest dining, entertainment and hospitality
companies. Landry’s owns and operates more than 200 properties, including Landry’s Seafood
House, The Crab House, Rainforest Cafe, Charley’s Crab, Willie G's Seafood & Steak House, The
Chart House and Saltgrass Steak House. Landry’s also owns several icon developments, including
Downtown Aquarium complexes in Houston and Denver, Kemah Boardwalk, a magnificent 40-acre,
family-oriented themed entertainment destination and the Golden Nugget hotel-casino properties in
Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada.
CONTACT:
Jean Golden
Schussler Creative, Inc.
612-385-2324
Jean@GoldenPublicity.com
