Doritos Means "Little Golden Things," And They Were Invented At Disneyland (2024)

FAQs

Were Doritos really invented at Disneyland? ›

In the early days of Disneyland, a restaurant named Casa de Fritos invented Doritos by repurposing stale tortillas they bought from a local vendor. The chips proved to be so popular they were eventually rolled out nationally by Frito-Lay in 1966.

Doritos' parent company, Frito-Lay, operated a restaurant named Casa de Fritos inside the park in the1960s. When a salesman noticed that Casa de Fritos was throwing away stale tortillas, he suggested they fry them for chips instead.

One early sponsor was Fritos, a company founded in 1932 by food entrepreneur Charles Elmer Doolin (now part of PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division). Walt persuaded Doolin to open a Fritos-themed Mexican restaurant in Disneyland. Casa de Fritos opened on August 11, 1955, less than a month after Disneyland's opening day.

The very first Doritos were sort of plain-flavored. American consumers found the chips kind of plain without sauce, so Frito-Lay gave them a sort of Mexican seasoning called “Taco” in 1968. What we think of as the “original” flavor, nacho cheese, debuted in 1974.

So there you have it: Doritos were invented at Disneyland. Mickey Bars may be the most iconic Disney snack, but next time you're at the parks, bring along a bag of Doritos for a much more original dose of Disney nostalgia.

You can still find Frito-Lay products in the Disney parks! In the early 1960s, a route salesman saw that restaurant staff had discarded tortillas and apparently wasn't pleased. He told the cook to make them into tortilla chips instead of tossing them in the trash and wasting them.

Archibald Clark West (September 8, 1914 – September 20, 2011) was a marketing executive credited with the development of Doritos, a brand of seasoned tortilla chips. The successful snack food was marketed as an alternative to the more traditional potato chips.

DORITOS® isn't just a chip. It's fuel for disruption — our flavors ignite adventure and inspire action. With every crunch, we aim to redefine culture and support those who are boldly themselves.

Frito-Lay North America is the $23 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc.

Petrified Tree: Weighing in at over five tons, the Petrified Tree in Frontierland is believed to be nearly 70 million years old.

Did Disneyland used to sell McDonald's fries? ›

In accordance with these terms, McDonald's french fry stands began popping up all over the parks, kicking off a solid 10-year run. In 2007, however, Disney chose not to renew the contract, and much to the sadness of french fry fans, all traces of McDonald's disappeared from the parks in 2008.

Earlier that year, Disney's California Adventure had opened with Burger Invasion, a McDonald's-branded counter-service restaurant that sold Big Macs and other sandwiches in addition to French Fries and beverages. The ten years were over on January 1, 2007. McDonald's and Disney did not renew their agreement.

Doritos debuted in 1964 in Southern California. The name means “l*ttle golden things” in Spanish, which is fitting because Doritos actually started out as tortilla chips. The inventor of Doritos is unclear. Some say the chips launched at a Disneyland restaurant in the early 1960s called Casa de Fritos.

Frito-Lay first developed the taco-flavored Doritos in 1967. They were the second chip in the Doritos line, coming on the heels of the toasted corn Doritos, which debuted in 1964.