Starbucks Opens at Disney World: What Would Walt Say?

Rumors Rocks

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 29, 2013
Starbucks Opens at Disney World: What Would Walt Say? http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/starbucks-opens-disney-world-walt-141500682.html

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Main Street, U.S.A., the gateway to Disney's Orlando park and a nostalgic evocation of small-town America, is the heart of the Magic Kingdom for many Disney lovers. That's why some patrons are balking at a Starbucks' taking over the Main Street Bakery, a popular institution along the strip.

Despite a complaints on Disney blogs and a petition on Change.org (with 2,000 signatures so far) seeking to ban the corporate coffee giant from converting the eatery, famous for its freshly made cinnamon rolls, the chain had a soft opening last weekend.

"I used to work for Starbucks and I love coffee but seriously Walt Disney World is a place of DREAMS not NAME BRANDS!!! KEEP DISNEY WORLD A DREAM NOT A SELLOUT!!!" was one comment on the petition.

For those who mourn the loss of the original "old world" bakery, it's important to keep in mind that Starbucks strived to re-create a historical ambiance in the location and Disney invited the coffee giant into the park.

The blog The Motley Fool also notes that Disney World has accepted corporate sponsorship in the past — its ties to PepsiCo go back to 1964, when Walt Disney was still alive. Kodak and Bank of America have funded attractions. McDonald's french fries are sold in some restaurants. A Disney Spokesperson pointed out to Yahoo! Shine that the Starbucks is providing refreshments in the restaurant space, the Main Street Bakery hasn't been shut down. "One thing that we have consistently heard is that our guests want to enjoy Starbucks products while visiting our theme parks," he added. "We see this as adding to our theme park experience while still maintaining what our guests love about Main Street, USA."

Many critics lamented that they go to Disney to get away from the ubiquity of chains like Starbucks. And they pay a lot of money for the escape. The Orlando location just raised its ticket prices to a staggering $90 a day and Disneyland in California suspended discounts for state residents and hiked its prices to $92 a day.

"When we go to WDW, we want to experience a different world to normal life. We want escapism — to have a Starbucks will make it like my local shopping mall. Main Street is old time — Starbucks is modern, it doesn't go with the theme. I don't think this was the image that Walt had for his Magic Kingdom. Personally I will be gutted if Starbucks takes over," a visitor from the United Kingdom expressed on the petition.

Another wrote: "This is the worst idea ever. You would be destroying the small town early century America that this part was designed to represent! It also doesn't make sense to close a place that so many love. What's next? The Emporium will turn into Walmart? If I want to see this stuff, I could stay at home. Don't let the outside world into the Magic Kingdom."

A Starbucks spokesperson told Yahoo! Shine over the phone that it was the first time she had heard complaints about the opening. "We continue to be excited about the partnership with Disney and are committed to bringing the high-quality experience our customers expect from us to this location," she said. Disney did not respond to Shine's request for comments.

While Main Street Bakery lovers are up in arms, it's hardly the first time the opening of a Starbucks has courted controversy. Considering there are more than 17,500 cafes worldwide and more than 3,000 new additions expected by 2017, it's a wonder it doesn't happen more often.
In China, a café that opened near a Buddhist temple in 2012 drew harsh criticism.

  • In 2007, a Starbucks in Beijing's historic Forbidden City (the former Imperial Palace) was forced to close down after a public outcry.
  • Parisians unsuccessfully protested the opening of a Starbucks in the bohemian neighborhood of Montmartre—once a hotbed of literary and artistic culture.
  • In 2004, residents of Kinston, Alberta, protested the opening of a Starbucks in the downtown area for fear it would drive local mom-and-pop coffee shops out of business.

Closer to home, some Annapolis residents were upset when Starbucks moved into a tavern that had been operated continuously since 1780.
According to the blog Mouseplanet, Roy O. Disney, Walt's older brother, first included a description of Main Street, U.S.A., in his first proposal for the development of Disneyland park in 1953: "Main Street has the nostalgic quality that makes it everybody's hometown…It has a bank and a newspaper office, and the little ice cream parlor with the marble-topped tables and wire-backed chairs. There is a penny arcade and Nickelodeon where you can see old time movies." Now brought to you with Frappuccinos and WiFi.

This article takes on a more neutral tone.

Disney removes Main Street Bakery in favor of Starbucks http://investorplace.com/2013/06/disney-world-gets-first-starbucks-controversy-ensues/

Disney (DIS) might not be able to do wrong in the eyes of children, but parents could soon start looking the other way.

Disney is ditching the old Main Street Bakery, located on Main Street U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom, and is replacing it with a Starbucks (SBUX).


Disney fans don’t come across as accepting of this change either; articles and YouTube videos about the change both feature many negative replies.

“Not a stop that I will be making,” says one such comment.”Its sad that we had to lose that bakery. I will go to the Disney bakery near the castle. If anyone wants Starbucks they are on every corner.”

A YouTube video does show that Disney has made efforts to give the Starbucks that more nostalgic feel found on Main Street U.S.A., such as using the coffeehouse’s original logo.

This isn’t the only controversy Disney has stirred up lately, with a recent hike of admission price being met with similar *******.

The DIS blog article: Starbucks opens at the Magic Kingdom! http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2013/06/18/starbucks-opens-at-the-magic-kingdom/

I agree and will miss the bakery but the new coffee house looks pretty darn good and the world did not end. :thumbsup2
 
Walt would be happy. He was big into corporate sponsorship and used it to a huge advantage in Disneyland. Not sure why people are shocked at this... while right down the street the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor is sponsored by Edy's and Casey's Corner is sponsored by Coca-Cola.
 
He would say, "Can the Starbucks and bring on the Dutch Bros!" Or at least I hope he would say that. :rotfl2:
 


~I just want to address the Casey's Corner & Plaza Ice Cream that's constantly thrown around on these boards as some kind of justification for what was done to bakery. It isn't. I'm happy for those who are thrilled about Starbucks, but for me there was only one Main Street Bakery while Starbucks is comprised of over 21,000 worldwide and of that over 13,000 are USA locations.

~Anyway, using Casey's Corner and Plaza Ice Cream is like just like Liberty Tree Tavern -- it's still apples and oranges, actually LTT is the best of the three, at least "Tavern" is more specific. "Corner" is an ambiguous term that can easily encompass any variety of salable goods. They could sell Beats headphones here and no one would care.

plaza-ice-cream-parlor-1-12-660x412.jpg


Plaza Ice Cream -- is an *ice cream* shop. It doesnt matter who Disney uses as the sponsor -- whether it be Cold Stone, Haagen Dazs, Ben & Jerry's, Baskin Robbins, Culvers, or whatever. The point is I can still get any ice cream specialty at any time during normal operating hours, the place still remains as an ice cream establishment. There is a menu dedicated to ice cream. I don't have to wait until a certain time in order for coffee beverages and other non Disney items to be sold in order to pick from from a few random items of whatever was left over from the other ice cream shops. So Edy's as a sponsor is a natural fit as they make "ice cream." And again, Casey's "Corner" can be anything.

~Liberty Tree Tavern serves no liquor but the menu is open to interpretation.

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~The Main Street Bakery was gutted and replaced with Starbucks Coffee. It's a Coffee Chain not a bakery -- that offers a selection of baked goods to accommodate the drink menu.

~Starbucks has never marketed themselves as a "bakery." If this were a Cinnabon, Dunkin Donuts, Dominique Ansel (omg, I wish) or any bakehouse whose central focus is committed to producing baked goods, I probably would not care "as much."

~Ideally, I think the Main Street would have been fine offering Joffrey's coffee and putting Starbucks in Fantasyland. I don't frequent the bakery, but I will miss the wonderful scents in the morning -- sorry but cold scones and lemon loafs won't work.

~The Main Street products may have been mass produced, but it gave the "illusion" and embraced the ambiance of a classic old world bakery. I think that's what people either loved and hated about it, lol. And, Peter Pan isn't real either, but it's magical for so many for a reason.

~By the way, here is the previous Main Street Bakery menu.

~Old Main Street Bakery Menu

Main Street Bakery
Magic Kingdom
Fast Snack

Menu Date: July 2012

Quick Service Plan Breakfast Meal: Choice of non-alcoholic beverage
One whole Fruit, 1 Pastry/Bagel


~Continental and Hot Breakfast Selections, Gourmet Sandwiches, Desserts (available a la mode), Assorted Cookies (featuring Nestle Toll House Cookies), Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich from $1.99 - $6.09

  • Frozen Strawberry and Cream Smoothie $4.09
  • Frozen Latte $4.09
  • Speciality Coffees $3.19 and $2.69

~Menu Features

  • Ham and Cheese $6.99
  • Turkey and Cheese $6.99
  • Tomato Mozzarella $6.99
  • Egg, Ham, and Cheese Croissant $5.99
  • Apple Turnover $2.69
  • Croissant $2.29
  • Chocolate Crossant $2.79
  • Muffin $2.59
  • Fruit Cup $3.39
  • Crumb Cake $3.29
  • Warm Cinammon Roll $3.99
  • Cereal $1.99
  • Yogurt Parfait $4.29
  • Hard Boiled Eggs (2) $2.59
  • Smuckers Uncrustable $2.49
  • Fresh Grapes $3.99
  • Assorted Cookies $2.19
  • Eclair $3.59
  • Jelly Roll $3.59
  • Gourmet Cupcakes $4.99
  • Assorted Danish $2.69
  • Banana Bread Pudding $3.29
  • Cinnamon Roll $3.99
  • Chocolate-Chip Brownie $3.29
  • Chocolate Walnut Brownie $3.29
  • Typical selections may also include:
  • Fresh fruit (cantaloupe or strawberries)
  • Cheesecake (plain or with strawberries)
  • Snickers cheesecake
  • Fruit tart
  • Tomato Buffalo Mozzarella Sandwich with Basil
  • Dirt & worms
  • Chocolate mousse cake
  • Napoleon
  • Chocolate and chocolate chip muffin Chocolate
  • Mickey Bundt cake (chocolate or yellow)
  • Blueberry bread loaf
  • Bear claw
  • Carrot cake
  • Apple Charlotte
  • Cupcake
  • Macaroon
  • Cinnamon muffin
  • Banana nut bread
  • Cinnamon roll
  • Warm banana bread pudding
  • Rice Krispie treats
  • Croissants $2.29 - $2.79
  • Double Chocolate Muffin, Blueberry Muffin $2.79
  • Strawberry Smoothie $4.19
  • Frozen Latte $4.19
  • Cappuccino or Latte $3.39
  • Espresso $2.69
  • Coffee $2.09
  • Iced Coffee (French vanilla, Mocha or Latte) $3.99
  • Chocolate Milk $2.19
  • Whole Milk or Soy Milk $2.19
  • Hot Cocoa $2.09
  • Hot Tea $2.09
  • Orange Juice $2.39
  • Apple Juice $1.99
  • Sodas - Coke Classic, Diet Coke, Sprite, Barq's Root Beer, Minute Maid Lemonade Light, and Fanta Orange $2.59 & $2.89
  • Iced Tea $2.19 and $2.49
  • Bottled Water $2.50

~Here is Disney's Official "Main Street Bakery Menu."

~Main Street Bakery Menu~ The rest of the Starbucks food menu is missing but it includes all of the Starbucks pastries including their Cinnamon Roll and their breakfast and lunch offerings.

~Frappuccinos

  • Caramel Frappuccino - Tall 4.29
  • Caramel Frappuccino - Grande 4.99
  • Caramel Frappuccino - Venti 5.49
  • Mocha Frappuccino - Tall 4.29
  • Mocha Frappuccino - Grande 4.99
  • Mocha Frappuccino - Venti 5.49
  • Java Chip Frappuccino - Tall 4.29
  • Java Chip Frappuccino - Grande 4.99
  • Java Chip Frappuccino - Venti 5.49
  • Coffee Frappuccino - Tall 3.59
  • Coffee Frappuccino - Grande 4.29
  • Coffee Frappuccino - Venti 4.99
  • White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino - Tall 4.29
  • White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino - Grande 4.99
  • White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino - Venti 5.49
  • Mocha Light Frappuccino - Tall 4.29
  • Mocha Light Frappuccino - Grande 4.99
  • Mocha Light Frappuccino - Venti 5.49
  • Vanilla Bean Frappuccino - Tall 3.59
  • Vanilla Bean Frappuccino - Grande 4.29
  • Vanilla Bean Frappuccino - Venti 4.99
  • Strawberries & Créme Frappuccino - Tall 4.29
  • Strawberries & Créme Frappuccino - Grande 4.99
  • Strawberries & Créme Frappuccino - Venti 5.49
  • Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino - Tall 4.29
  • Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino - Grande 4.99
  • Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino - Venti 5.49
  • Green Tea Frappuccino - Tall 4.29
  • Green Tea Frappuccino - Grande 4.99
  • Green Tea Frappuccino - Venti 5.49
  • Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino - Tall 4.29
  • Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino - Venti 5.49
  • Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino - Tall 4.29
  • Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino - Grande 4.99
  • Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino - Venti 5.49

~Smoothies

  • Chocolate Smoothie 4.49
  • Orange Mango Smoothie 4.49
  • Strawberry Smoothie 4.49

~Espresso

  • Caramel Macchiato - Tall 3.99
  • Caramel Macchiato - Grande 4.79
  • Caramel Macchiato - Venti 4.99
  • White Chocolate Mocha - Tall 3.99
  • White Chocolate Mocha - Grande 4.79
  • White Chocolate Mocha - Venti 4.99
  • Cinnamon Dolce Latte - Tall 3.99
  • Cinnamon Dolce Latte - Grande 4.79
  • Cinnamon Dolce Latte - Venti 4.99
  • Espresso - Solo 2.99
  • Espresso - Doppio 3.99
  • Caffé Latte - Tall 3.69
  • Caffé Latte - Grande 3.99
  • Caffé Latte - Venti 4.39
  • Caffé Mocha - Tall 4.29
  • Caffé Mocha - Grande 4.59
  • Caffé Mocha - Venti 4.89
  • Iced Caffé Mocha - Tall 3.99
  • Iced Caffé Mocha - Grande 4.79
  • Iced Caffé Mocha - Venti 5.29
  • Vanilla Latte - Tall 4.29
  • Vanilla Latte - Grande 4.59
  • Vanilla Latte - Venti 4.89
  • Skinny Vanilla Latte - Tall 4.29
  • Skinny Vanilla Latte - Grande 4.59
  • Skinny Vanilla Latte - Venti 4.89
  • Caffé Americano - Tall 2.49
  • Caffé Americano - Grande 2.79
  • Caffé Americano - Venti 3.29
  • Cappuccino - Tall 3.69
  • Cappuccino - Grande 3.99
  • Cappuccino - Venti 4.39

~Starbucks Refreshers

  • Cool Lime - Tall 3.29
  • Cool Lime - Grande 3.79
  • Cool Lime - Venti 4.29
  • Cool Lime - Trenta 4.79
  • Very Berry Hibiscus - Tall 3.29
  • Very Berry Hibiscus - Grande 3.79
  • Very Berry Hibiscus - Venti 4.29
  • Very Berry Hibiscus - Trenta 4.79

~Iced Coffee & Tazo Tea
  • Iced Coffee - Tall 2.19
  • Iced Coffee - Grande 2.59
  • Iced Coffee - Venti 2.99
  • Iced Coffee - Trenta 3.49
  • Iced Coffee with Milk - Tall 2.19
  • Iced Coffee with Milk - Grande 2.59
  • Iced Coffee with Milk - Venti 2.99
  • Iced Coffee with Milk - Trenta 3.49
  • Shaken Iced Tazo® Tea - Tall 1.99
  • Shaken Iced Tazo® Tea - Grande 2.49
  • Shaken Iced Tazo® Tea - Venti 2.99
  • Shaken Iced Tazo® Tea - Trenta 3.29
  • Iced Tazo® Tea Lemonade - Tall 2.99
  • Iced Tazo® Tea Lemonade - Grande 3.49
  • Iced Tazo® Tea Lemonade - Venti 3.99
  • Iced Tazo® Tea Lemonade - Trenta 4.29

~Coffee, Tazo Tea & More

  • Freshly Brewed Coffee - Tall Regular or Decaf 1.99
  • Freshly Brewed Coffee - Grande Regular or Decaf 2.19
  • Freshly Brewed Coffee - Venti Regular or Decaf 2.49
  • Caffé Misto - Tall 1.99
  • Caffé Misto - Grande 2.19
  • Caffé Misto - Venti 2.49
  • Tazo® Chai Tea Latte - Tall 3.49
  • Tazo® Chai Tea Latte - Grande 4.29
  • Tazo® Chai Tea Latte - Venti 4.49
  • Full-Leaf Tazo® Tea - Tall 2.29
  • Full-Leaf Tazo® Tea - Grande 2.49
  • Full-Leaf Tazo® Tea - Venti 2.79
  • Hot Chocolate - Tall 2.99
  • Hot Chocolate - Grande 3.39
  • Hot Chocolate - Venti 3.69
  • Kids' Hot Chocolate 2.89

    ~Starbucks Breakfast Sandwiches and Pastries~

    dsc05208-500x450.jpg


    ~I think there are a few Disney cupcakes on the bottom shelf. Disney treats are available at 11AM.

    dsc05213.jpg


    dsc05225.jpg


    dsc05234.jpg


~As you can see, the changes on the menu are significant for those who lost their favorite baked items -- it's not the end of the world but I can empathize with their disappointment.

~Again, I don't frequent the Main Street Bakery, we have a light breakfast at the resort, so there is no emotional attachment for me. Once we're in the park(s), we head straight for the rides!

~This is a bit of an aside, but I was sad to hear that the majority of The Main Street Bakery staff quit with the arrival of Starbucks. Apparently, they had no desire to mix drinks all day and learning the new menu and all the options were a pain.

~It has also been said that this place was incredibly difficult to staff due to the complexity of the drinks menu among other things. I wonder how the tipping thing works at the Disney Starbucks because tipping is a significant aspect of the Starbucks experience.

~And, I'm also surprised with all of the "empty" store reports I've been reading. Since the store has opened there has barely been a line, but guests are reporting having to wait 30 minutes for drinks. It's summer, so I expected the lines to be massively long.

~LOL, I just got an email from Starbucks. :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

sbux_A8_US_DRgreentealemonade_img_hero.jpg


~Yay, for free tea! This is rare -- so whip out that Gold card and make it happen! :drinking1 :goodvibes
 
~I just want to address the Casey's Corner & Plaza Ice Cream that's constantly thrown around on these boards as some kind of justification for what was done to bakery. It isn't. I'm happy for those who are thrilled about Starbucks, but for me there was only one Main Street Bakery while Starbucks is comprised of over 21,000 worldwide and of that over 13,000 are USA locations.

~Anyway, using Casey's Corner and Plaza Ice Cream is like just like Liberty Tree Tavern -- it's still apples and oranges, actually LTT is the best of the three, at least "Tavern" is more specific. "Corner" is an ambiguous term that can easily encompass any variety of salable goods. They could sell Beats headphones here and no one would care.

plaza-ice-cream-parlor-1-12-660x412.jpg


Plaza Ice Cream -- is an *ice cream* shop. It doesnt matter who Disney uses as the sponsor -- whether it be Cold Stone, Haagen Dazs, Ben & Jerry's, Baskin Robbins, Culvers, or whatever. The point is I can still get any ice cream specialty at any time during normal operating hours, the place still remains as an ice cream establishment. There is a menu dedicated to ice cream. I don't have to wait until a certain time in order for coffee beverages and other non Disney items to be sold in order to pick from from a few random items of whatever was left over from the other ice cream shops. So Edy's as a sponsor is a natural fit as they make "ice cream." And again, Casey's "Corner" can be anything.

~Liberty Tree Tavern serves no liquor but the menu is open to interpretation.

images


~The Main Street Bakery was gutted and replaced with Starbucks Coffee. It's a Coffee Chain not a bakery -- that offers a selection of baked goods to accommodate the drink menu.

~Starbucks has never marketed themselves as a "bakery." If this were a Cinnabon, Dunkin Donuts, Dominique Ansel (omg, I wish) or any bakehouse whose central focus is committed to producing baked goods, I probably would not care "as much."

~Ideally, I think the Main Street would have been fine offering Joffrey's coffee and putting Starbucks in Fantasyland. I don't frequent the bakery, but I will miss the wonderful scents in the morning -- sorry but cold scones and lemon loafs won't work.

~The Main Street products may have been mass produced, but it gave the "illusion" and embraced the ambiance of a classic old world bakery. I think that's what people either loved and hated about it, lol. And, Peter Pan isn't real either, but it's magical for so many for a reason.

~By the way, here is the previous Main Street Bakery menu.

~Old Main Street Bakery Menu



~Here is Disney's Official "Main Street Bakery Menu."

~Main Street Bakery Menu~ The rest of the Starbucks food menu is missing but it includes all of the Starbucks pastries including their Cinnamon Roll and their breakfast and lunch offerings.



~As you can see, the changes on the menu are significant for those who lost their favorite baked items -- it's not the end of the world but I can empathize with their disappointment.

~Again, I don't frequent the Main Street Bakery, we have a light breakfast at the resort, so there is no emotional attachment for me. Once we're in the park(s), we head straight for the rides!

~This is a bit of an aside, but I was sad to hear that the majority of The Main Street Bakery staff quit with the arrival of Starbucks. Apparently, they had no desire to mix drinks all day and learning the new menu and all the options were a pain.

~It has also been said that this place was incredibly difficult to staff due to the complexity of the drinks menu among other things. I wonder how the tipping thing works at the Disney Starbucks because tipping is a significant aspect of the Starbucks experience.

~And, I'm also surprised with all of the "empty" store reports I've been reading. Since the store has opened there has barely been a line, but guests are reporting having to wait 30 minutes for drinks. It's summer, so I expected the lines to be massively long.

~LOL, I just got an email from Starbucks. :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

sbux_A8_US_DRgreentealemonade_img_hero.jpg


~Yay, for free tea! This is rare -- so whip out that Gold card and make it happen! :drinking1 :goodvibes

I'm about 50/50 on the starbucks thing, the reason why I'm for it is because I love the coffee, I don't drink it often but it would be a great way to start the day at the park. What I dont like about it, and I could be wrong on this part, but I believe they replaced the bakery items with the typical Starbucks bakery items. I'm not a fan at all, we can get those items at the thousands of Starbucks around the world, why not mix the coffee with the old bakery items?
 
I think it would make more sense to have the starbucks shops at the resorts rather than in the parks. In most morning rituals, the coffee comes first, or at least long before waiting at a bus stop, a bus ride, and a walk into a park.

While I do think starbucks roasters are among the best in the business, I rarely buy a morning beverage at starbucks. I buy their beans and make espresso at home, where I can have it without a trip. ( And I bring my mini espresso machine along to Dis).

Starbucks shops are a place for people to hang out, study, do some work correspondence, etc. I don't see this happening in the parks. Won't be surprised if they are not so busy.
 


~I just want to address the Casey's Corner & Plaza Ice Cream that's constantly thrown around on these boards as some kind of justification for what was done to bakery. It isn't. I'm happy for those who are thrilled about Starbucks, but for me there was only one Main Street Bakery while Starbucks is comprised of over 21,000 worldwide and of that over 13,000 are USA locations.
Except, the point of the first article was that by "letting" Starbucks sponsor the bakery (and include Starbucks options) it was somehow going against the original intent of the parks by bringing in outside sponsorship. When, in truth, the outside sponsorship has existed since Disneyland opened and was one of the things Walt himself was very big on. Their question was "What would Walt do?" because they failed to research the history of the parks and instead decided to put out a misleading, ill-informed, incendiary, piece of trash article. (You can check out Yesterland.com as well as many other similar sites for numerous histories of sponsored attractions, shops, and restaurants.)

(In fact, there's a case to be made that DL would not have been built in the first place without it!)

The changes in shop style are separate. Would you (and others) be as up in arms if it simply went Main St. Bakery to Main St. Coffee House with similar, non-Starbucks changes? Perhaps, but I feel from reading many, many posts across these boards that most people have issues with Starbucks and not so much the change in venue-style (which, you even allude to with our location counts.)

Now, don't get me wrong, I sympathize with those who see their much-loved bakery shift over to more of a coffee-house location, but change happens and the result isn't always our favorite thing. The issue that I take...well...issue with, is harping on the name rather than the change and bringing it up as if it were a completely new thing while insinuating that Disney has some how "sold-out" and going far away from Walt's original vision*. That part, simply isn't true.

*(Note: "Far away from Walt's vision" in regards to bringing outside sponsors. I'll agree that there are several other cases where this may be applicable.)
 
I think it would make more sense to have the starbucks shops at the resorts rather than in the parks. In most morning rituals, the coffee comes first, or at least long before waiting at a bus stop, a bus ride, and a walk into a park.

While I do think starbucks roasters are among the best in the business, I rarely buy a morning beverage at starbucks. I buy their beans and make espresso at home, where I can have it without a trip. ( And I bring my mini espresso machine along to Dis).

Starbucks shops are a place for people to hang out, study, do some work correspondence, etc. I don't see this happening in the parks. Won't be surprised if they are not so busy.


This.

I keep looking for an announcement regarding resorts and Starbucks, but nothing. Disney knows their business better than me, but I'm more likely to drop by a food court at my resort and pick up a Starbucks than grab one in the park. In fact, on vacation, I might do it twice during the day.
 
With definite respect to everyone who's upset over this change, I think the "What Would Walt Think?" idea for Starbucks is pretty silly. I've gotten annoyed over small changes in the parks many times before, so I can sympathize with the anger. Even so, like others have said, Walt Disney built the parks on corporate sponsorship and worked directly with them to build many of his attractions.

The Disney company has had items from plenty of outside vendors in their parks for many years. I think the fact that it's a big company like Starbucks is what's changing the feeling on this one. For me, I'd much rather see their products then McDonald's, which had a big role for a while.

I will say that I don't visit the parks as often as some, so I'm not as tied to specific items that were in the bakery. That could definitely change my opinion if I was there more frequently.
 
I think it would make more sense to have the starbucks shops at the resorts rather than in the parks. In most morning rituals, the coffee comes first, or at least long before waiting at a bus stop, a bus ride, and a walk into a park.

While I do think starbucks roasters are among the best in the business, I rarely buy a morning beverage at starbucks. I buy their beans and make espresso at home, where I can have it without a trip. ( And I bring my mini espresso machine along to Dis).

Starbucks shops are a place for people to hang out, study, do some work correspondence, etc. I don't see this happening in the parks. Won't be surprised if they are not so busy.

What type of mini espresso machine do you bring? I was thinking of doing that too.
 
I'm with others that Walt probably would have been fine with the idea, if not proposing it himself, given the history of corporate sponsorship.

If the bakery were doing half as well as the uproar would have you believe, I don't think they'd have much incentive to invite Starbucks into the space. More likely that there are few and far between among those complaining who actually frequented the bakery, thus making Starbucks' inclusion in the space seem more economically attractive. Whether it works out as well as they hope or not, I think more people are complaining to be complaining than from having actually lost something they cherish. ($0.02)
 
~And, I'm also surprised with all of the "empty" store reports I've been reading. Since the store has opened there has barely been a line, but guests are reporting having to wait 30 minutes for drinks. It's summer, so I expected the lines to be massively long.

At least according to this article from two days ago:

It is quite clear from the layout of the new bakery that Disney are expecting it to be extremely busy, and based on this morning's opening they are right. The queue was at capacity on both sides, and the plentiful number of cast members were cranking out the drinks at a quick pace.
 
I haven't been to Disney yet and I love Starbucks, but I do hate that it pushes local businesses out.
 
I made a point to visit both the Main Street Bakery and the Fountain View in December. To be honest, I'm more sorry to see Fountain View go. My only hope with MK is that the theming of main street be left intact.
 
What type of mini espresso machine do you bring? I was thinking of doing that too.

Believe it or not, it's an old Mr Coffee that makes 4 shots of espresso max at a run, no pump-- all on steam pressure-- works great once you figure out the timing for getting the milk steamed before it runs out-- got it for 5 bucks at good will. My home machine is a DeLonghi.
 
Some folks just have a mysterious, unexplainable hate for Starbucks.

I talk to people who make a face when Starbucks is mentioned, they hate the place and everything it stands for, and in many cases they have never crossed the threshold of a Starbucks. These are the same people who continually talk about a cup of coffee there being "5 bucks, 6 bucks" and one one recent post on another thread somebody said Starbucks coffee is "8 bucks." I have never paid anywhere near those amounts for a S'bucks coffee.

Some of these people are the same ones who also have some inherent distaste for cell phones and the people that talk on them. "Look at that guy over there trying to impress everyone by talking on his cell phone", lolol.

And........Get that ball off my lawn.
 
The OP article mentioned 2000 people signed a anti Starbucks petition. I'm quite sure the new bakery will serve more people than that on a daily basis.

Then you have the comparison to the ice cream parlor and Casey's Corner. Both of which have corporate sponsors. Edy's is not hated here, Why? It's owned my the largest food company in the world. It's also a "modern" company with respect to the Main Street "theme".

Worse things have happened. Like putting Johnny Depp inside a classic Disney ride. Some say that bold change made the ride better. People want Star Wars and Marvel in the Disney Parks. But remodeling a bakery on Main Street U.S.A., and "plussing it" (Walt's words) with a sponsorship and product from one of America's premiere companies is supposed to be bad? I don't get it.

Perhaps those up in arms now understand how many of us felt over the Depp thing. I personally got over, and even excepted it, even though I've never seen a single POTC movie. And as for the bakery thing. I have no problem paying all that money for a Disney escape, and still being able to enjoy my favorite Starbucks beverage. For most of us, it's the best of both worlds.
 

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