Porto’s Bakery & Café serves more than 2 million customers a month at its six Southern California restaurants, so the brand feels it’s more than prepared for the massive crowds expected when it eventually opens its much-anticipated location at Downtown Disney District.
“I think one of the reasons they picked us is because we’ve demonstrated over the years that it’s something we’re good at – handling the crowds and producing high quality products in larger volumes,” Chief Executive Raul Porto Jr. told the Business Journal.
The addition of Porto’s, known for its cheese rolls, potato balls, Cubano sandwiches and cakes, is part of a major revamp at Downtown Disney.
The Disneyland Resort is overhauling its shopping district to include more relevant and elevated offerings to attract more upscale crowds. That means changing up its roster of more than 40 merchants, a project Disney has been accelerating since 2018.
Construction walls are now a regular sight at the 246,702-square-foot shopping center.
Several concepts that opened with Downtown Disney in 2001 have departed to make room for newer and perhaps more elevated dining concepts. In 2024, the center added Orange County’s second Din Tai Fung and opened three new Mexican eateries overseen by a Michelin-honored chef.
The new Porto’s location, whose opening date has yet to be disclosed, is replacing La Brea Bakery, which closed in 2023. The site is currently the temporary home of Earl of Sandwich, on the east side of the shopping center near the entrance gates to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
With several more dining options still on the way, the Cuban pastry chain will start construction on its second OC location in 2025. With each new location, it takes two to two and a half years to open due to searching for the right cooks and bakers, according to Porto.
He said the Disney outpost will be a full-service restaurant compared to the other Porto bakeries, which offer counter-service ordering. The location will also sport Porto’s first full bar, and the menu will be more food centric, Porto added.
It’s unclear how big the Downtown Disney bakery will be. Its Buena Park store, near Knott’s Berry Farm, is approximately 25,000 square feet and has almost 400 employees. It is also one of the two busiest locations.
Porto said the business, founded in 1976, grew in popularity in the 1990s. One of the pivotal moments for the family-run company was when it remodeled its oldest store in Glendale and adding a beverage bar for coffee and smoothies.
Six Stores Doing Business of 100
Porto’s Bakery was founded by Rosa and Raul Porto and is now run by their three children, Raul Porto Jr. and his sisters.
The family-owned business, like many businesses, was forced to make a swift turn to online ordering during the pandemic. At the time, Porto’s had launched a delivery service in 2019 that ships its baked goods across the U.S.
Still, it needed a more robust technology partner to meet the demands of online ordering.
Over a year ago, Porto’s partnered with food-tech firm Tillster to help automate part of its ordering processes that still had a paper trail. The tech firm also works with Burger King, Pizza Hut and Baskin-Robbins.
Now, 30% of Porto’s total sales are online orders. That’s on par with Chipotle, whose digital sales represent about 35% of its total food and beverage sales.
Tillster helps chains like Porto’s with customized management systems, which help drive revenue, according to Chief Executive Perse Faily. That’s exactly what Porto’s was looking to apply across its six locations.
“Their six stores are equivalent to 100-store chains,” Faily told the Business Journal.
While currently focused on the Disney project, Porto’s is also looking to open another location in south OC.
“We feel privileged that customers are lining up and coming in,” Porto said.
The business counts over 2,300 employees companywide.
