Starbucks in Disney?

[Florida_is_hot]

You can not compared Universal and Walt Disney World.

Walt Disney World has always been more expensive.

 

[wilkeliza]

Could you come give lessons at the Port Arthur, Texas SBux??? They're consistently 5+ mins for even single cup orders on slow days. Hubby mentioned how they're always terribly slow when he was getting me a cup over the weekend and the Barrista wasn't so nice. She made excuses like "we're busy" and "more staff won't help because we're already tripping over each other". Expand the store? Better efficiency??? Something's gotta give!

I bet any location at WDW, especially in-park, would need some super Barristas! Here's another twist on the details to make it work: tips. Ever try to tip one of the existing in-park coffee stand CMs? They'll tell you they can't accept the money. Starbucks Barristas can accept tips at the very least in the tip cup. How would this be skirted at WDW where tipping that position has been discouraged to date?

We would be fired if we were constantly giving 5+ minutes for a cup. Starbucks policy is 3 minutes from door to exit. It takes 35 seconds to make an espresso drink and 1 minute to make a frappacinno. That is just bad training or laziness.

On to the tipping issue. Starbucks does allow tipping but I assume this will just be like the franchise Starbucks employees. One set of caffe employees is not allowed to take tips, I believe it is the Barnes and Noble caffe's. In the event a group does not want their employees getting tips they are just put on a different pay system. We get the taxes for our tips deduced every week from our pay check at a fixed standard rate (.50 cent tip an hour) and then we get our tips in cash a few days later. I assume they would just not take the taxes out for the tips and then employees would be discourage from taking them.

 

[Communicore]

Nescafe is a sad, sad, sad excuse for coffee.
I'll march far and wide within the parks to get a decent cup of coffee. Joffrey's is OK. Much better than Nescafe. But it doesn't quite cut it.
Thank goodness for some real coffee and the table service restaurants.

I'd be tinkled pink for DW to serve Starbucks. My iced coffee fix would be satisfied.

I'm a Nescafe fan. Hope Starbucks and Nescafe can coexist!

 

[cornandacobb]

Although I can not officially give insight into this I do work for Starbucks and can give the best guesses as to the hold up and you seem to have hit the nail on the head.

Starbucks (even the few franchise ones) requires a certain look from employees just like Disney. We sign something saying we will always have on a black or white shirt, green apron, Starbucks hat (or visor), and black or khaki colored dress pants with dark shoes. This works perfectly fine for a Starbucks at Downtown Disney. However to my knowledge the deal is to slowly bring Starbucks into the parks as well. This is where the snag started. Starbucks doesn't want to give up what makes them Starbucks. If you take away the logo and the uniform then you aren't really at a Starbucks you are just at a high quality coffee shop. Also Starbucks prefers to have its own employees (even in franchise stores employees are partners just with less benefits) to run and operate the store. They especially prefer their own managers to run and do the ordering. It is working out those kinks that have taken out time. I'm sure they have come to some sort of agreement that is a give and take.

If this finally goes through and the Starbucks goes to WDW you better believe I'll be one of probably 1000s of already trained barista's filling out transfer forms. I already work in one of the busiest markets for Starbucks so bring it on WDW. I have to imagine the FL baristas can't compare to us Times Square NY ones. We are known to get 100s of people through our doors in a mater of an hour and consistently hit under the 3 minute mark per a customer.

You can correct me if I'm wrong, but there are places, such as Barnes & Noble, that have cafe's that aren't actually Starbucks but instead advertise as "Proudly Serving Starbucks". I don't think the employees work for Starbucks, do they?
Can't Disney work out an arrangement like this?
The parks don't need a FULL Starbucks drink menu. Coffee(iced and hot), lattes(iced and hot), espresso, maybe a couple of others. No need for anything tooooooo fancy to hold up lines longer than they need to be held up.
I can say from experience that the Joffrey's carts aren't too speedy with their small menu.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

We would be fired if we were constantly giving 5+ minutes for a cup. Starbucks policy is 3 minutes from door to exit. It takes 35 seconds to make an espresso drink and 1 minute to make a frappacinno. That is just bad training or laziness.

On to the tipping issue. Starbucks does allow tipping but I assume this will just be like the franchise Starbucks employees. One set of caffe employees is not allowed to take tips, I believe it is the Barnes and Noble caffe's. In the event a group does not want their employees getting tips they are just put on a different pay system. We get the taxes for our tips deduced every week from our pay check at a fixed standard rate (.50 cent tip an hour) and then we get our tips in cash a few days later. I assume they would just not take the taxes out for the tips and then employees would be discourage from taking them.

I think the Starbucks locations in Target stores don't take tips either. I've not yet figured out if these employees work for SBux or Target, tho. I know they don't do the Starbucks gold card thing and I don't think they take Starbucks gift card payments but my local Target cafe will accept the payment from my Starbucks account via my cell phone app. It's all sort of strange how they do that. I think the Disney-connected Starbucks locations would also have to work out the payment options: Starbucks gift cards, Disney gift cards, gold card participation, room charges, DDP snack credits, etc. When you start thinking of all the little details it's not hard to see why Disney hasn't already brought Starbucks onboard.

 

[MickeyPeace]

Although I can not officially give insight into this I do work for Starbucks and can give the best guesses as to the hold up and you seem to have hit the nail on the head.

Starbucks (even the few franchise ones) requires a certain look from employees just like Disney. We sign something saying we will always have on a black or white shirt, green apron, Starbucks hat (or visor), and black or khaki colored dress pants with dark shoes. This works perfectly fine for a Starbucks at Downtown Disney. However to my knowledge the deal is to slowly bring Starbucks into the parks as well. This is where the snag started. Starbucks doesn't want to give up what makes them Starbucks. If you take away the logo and the uniform then you aren't really at a Starbucks you are just at a high quality coffee shop. Also Starbucks prefers to have its own employees (even in franchise stores employees are partners just with less benefits) to run and operate the store. They especially prefer their own managers to run and do the ordering. It is working out those kinks that have taken out time. I'm sure they have come to some sort of agreement that is a give and take.

If this finally goes through and the Starbucks goes to WDW you better believe I'll be one of probably 1000s of already trained barista's filling out transfer forms. I already work in one of the busiest markets for Starbucks so bring it on WDW. I have to imagine the FL baristas can't compare to us Times Square NY ones. We are known to get 100s of people through our doors in a mater of an hour and consistently hit under the 3 minute mark per a customer.

You work in Times Square? I live blocks from that location. You should put your pic as your avatar so I can say hi.

Regarding baristas in the parks- don't you think Disney would be interested in having Starbucks served in the parks but not so much opening Starbucks locations with baristas in the parks? That would make more sense no?
There aren't Nescafe storefronts in the parks, they just serve the coffee.

 

[wilkeliza]

You can correct me if I'm wrong, but there are places, such as Barnes & Noble, that have cafe's that aren't actually Starbucks but instead advertise as "Proudly Serving Starbucks". I don't think the employees work for Starbucks, do they?
Can't Disney work out an arrangement like this?
The parks don't need a FULL Starbucks drink menu. Coffee(iced and hot), lattes(iced and hot), espresso, maybe a couple of others. No need for anything tooooooo fancy to hold up lines longer than they need to be held up.
I can say from experience that the Joffrey's carts aren't too speedy with their small menu.

I think the Starbucks locations in Target stores don't take tips either. I've not yet figured out if these employees work for SBux or Target, tho. I know they don't do the Starbucks gold card thing and I don't think they take Starbucks gift card payments but my local Target cafe will accept the payment from my Starbucks account via my cell phone app. It's all sort of strange how they do that. I think the Disney-connected Starbucks locations would also have to work out the payment options: Starbucks gift cards, Disney gift cards, gold card participation, room charges, DDP snack credits, etc. When you start thinking of all the little details it's not hard to see why Disney hasn't already brought Starbucks onboard.

I'm going to answer these two now to the best of my ability.

In both of these locations they are somehow linked to the larger CO. that is Starbucks. However I know for a fact Starbucks employees at Target are indeed full fledge partners. The stores are stocked and maintained by Starbucks but are run under the umbrella of both companies. I know my friend who was a manager at a Starbucks in a Target (and has since switched back to working at a stand alone store) said they were full Starbucks Employees and had a Starbucks DM and GM and everything but whenever Target had department meetings he had to go to those and dress in the Target uniform.

Barnes and Noble is tricky. They are a franchise at the heart of what the Starbucks franchise is. They still wear the uniform and still serve Starbucks products but their employees are not on the same category as a regular stand alone store. This is also the same for the airport kiosks and grocery store kiosk Starbucks.

However, the main problem with Disney and Starbucks is the change of theming and uniform. Think about the last time you were in a Starbucks that was not a stand alone. All the Barnes and Noble, Kiosks, and Target Starbucks still have that Starbucks feel. The partners (employees) all wear the same uniform (or very close to the same I think the hat logos are different). Basically we all wear the same green apron around our necks be we company partners or franchise partners. Disney wants to change that. If you work at the Mainstreet Starbucks they want you to look like you belong in Mainstreet USA circa that period. If you work at say the Frontierland Starbucks you would have to dress in the Frontierland uniform. Starbucks doesn't like that because it gets rid of their brand. Something the company prides themselves on is having your coffee served by a clean respectable person in clean clothes. As funny as this is our uniform guide specifically says "dress pants" for the type of material we can wear. I break the rules every time I go to work because I wear Black Chinos which are khaki material and is a no-no by company standard. My boss can't tell the difference so she has never said anything but their uniform policy is that strict.

 

[cornandacobb]

Well, if I were Starbucks, I would suck it up and make an exception for Disney. I can't imagine it would not be profitable for them. I understand it would be against corporate policy, but this deserves the exception.
Ditch the outside logo(or make it much more discreet), ditch the Starbucks attire and conform to Disney's needs to reach a seemingly lucrative agreement.
What percent of the millions upon millions of Disney parks' visitors don't already recognize the logo and attire? And how many really care is they are served Starbucks in a non-Starbucks setting?
Starbucks should be looking at the $$ first and foremost here.

 

[wilkeliza]

Well, if I were Starbucks, I would suck it up and make an exception for Disney. I can't imagine it would not be profitable for them. I understand it would be against corporate policy, but this deserves the exception.
Ditch the outside logo(or make it much more discreet), ditch the Starbucks attire and conform to Disney's needs to reach a seemingly lucrative agreement.
What percent of the millions upon millions of Disney parks' visitors don't already recognize the logo and attire? And how many really care is they are served Starbucks in a non-Starbucks setting?
Starbucks should be looking at the $$ first and foremost here.

So you think Starbucks should get rid of all the branding work they have spent over 20 years achieving just to get a contract with Disney. Unless they have their signature look in the park setting you would never know you were at a Starbucks thus loosing what your company is. That just seems foolish. Since Howard came back on as CEO of Starbucks they are trying to stop doing things just because of the money and protect their image.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

However, the main problem with Disney and Starbucks is the change of theming and uniform. Think about the last time you were in a Starbucks that was not a stand alone. All the Barnes and Noble, Kiosks, and Target Starbucks still have that Starbucks feel. The partners (employees) all wear the same uniform (or very close to the same I think the hat logos are different). Basically we all wear the same green apron around our necks be we company partners or franchise partners. Disney wants to change that. If you work at the Mainstreet Starbucks they want you to look like you belong in Mainstreet USA circa that period. If you work at say the Frontierland Starbucks you would have to dress in the Frontierland uniform. Starbucks doesn't like that because it gets rid of their brand. Something the company prides themselves on is having your coffee served by a clean respectable person in clean clothes. As funny as this is our uniform guide specifically says "dress pants" for the type of material we can wear. I break the rules every time I go to work because I wear Black Chinos which are khaki material and is a no-no by company standard. My boss can't tell the difference so she has never said anything but their uniform policy is that strict.

Thanks for the explanation on the in-store cafe situations. I find it interesting how the dynamic works out.

As for the conflict of costume vs. the Starbucks "look", I can understand and see the difference of styles. I also think that a compromise can be reached with a little creative costuming and design work. It'd be a stretch for both sides but something totally unique and interesting as well. Starbucks could identify key elements (signage, color scheme, etc.) that identify their branding but work each element into the surroundings so that it fits. Say for a Main Street USA location: style the shop itself as a masculine environment with lots of darker/warmer woods, less frou-frou, and nice brass accents. Kind of a dapper feel. The baristas could wear the equivalent of the style of outfit the Dapper Dans would wear but with black pants, white shirt, and green vest or apron. Instead of the cap or visor wear a straw hat with a green ribbon around it and a nice Starbucks medallion. If dressing the lady-baristas this way is too much of a stretch that's fine, too. Dress them similar to the ladies in the Confectionary but with a black skirt, white puffed-sleeve top, and green apron. Tomorrowland could feature a sleek Starbucks of the future: lots of stainless, glass, etc. with costumes in the standard color scheme only with contemporary-looking cuts and maybe a metallic-infused fabric. Fantasyland, the sky's the limit! Frontierland could be themed to look like an old saloon with standard bar-keep interpretations of the Starbucks uniform. Adventureland could be fun. Think of a make-shift bar made of bamboo and hand-hewn planks for the surfaces. Costumes could be gauzier, lightweight, looser fabrics & cuts with frayed edges on the sleeves and pant-legs as if the baristas have worn their uniforms out over time. There's definitely ways to incorporate Starbucks' standard look into an interpretation of the theme. I love that sort of thing!

 

[Kramerica]

I seriously hope they get Starbucks in there. Every single trip we HAVE to drive down to Walmart because for some reason he just CAN'T live without his Starbucks coffee.. He gets the bottled stuff there. Enough to last his trip.

 

[wilkeliza]

Thanks for the explanation on the in-store cafe situations. I find it interesting how the dynamic works out.

As for the conflict of costume vs. the Starbucks "look", I can understand and see the difference of styles. I also think that a compromise can be reached with a little creative costuming and design work. It'd be a stretch for both sides but something totally unique and interesting as well. Starbucks could identify key elements (signage, color scheme, etc.) that identify their branding but work each element into the surroundings so that it fits. Say for a Main Street USA location: style the shop itself as a masculine environment with lots of darker/warmer woods, less frou-frou, and nice brass accents. Kind of a dapper feel. The baristas could wear the equivalent of the style of outfit the Dapper Dans would wear but with black pants, white shirt, and green vest or apron. Instead of the cap or visor wear a straw hat with a green ribbon around it and a nice Starbucks medallion. If dressing the lady-baristas this way is too much of a stretch that's fine, too. Dress them similar to the ladies in the Confectionary but with a black skirt, white puffed-sleeve top, and green apron. Tomorrowland could feature a sleek Starbucks of the future: lots of stainless, glass, etc. with costumes in the standard color scheme only with contemporary-looking cuts and maybe a metallic-infused fabric. Fantasyland, the sky's the limit! Frontierland could be themed to look like an old saloon with standard bar-keep interpretations of the Starbucks uniform. Adventureland could be fun. Think of a make-shift bar made of bamboo and hand-hewn planks for the surfaces. Costumes could be gauzier, lightweight, looser fabrics & cuts with frayed edges on the sleeves and pant-legs as if the baristas have worn their uniforms out over time. There's definitely ways to incorporate Starbucks' standard look into an interpretation of the theme. I love that sort of thing!

Wow they should hire you. Seems like everything you suggested keeps the all black/black and white combo that is preferred and then spruces it up to the Disney look.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Wow they should hire you. Seems like everything you suggested keeps the all black/black and white combo that is preferred and then spruces it up to the Disney look.

Awww, thanks! All it takes is a little creativity. Mostly both sides need to be willing to compromise and work together to produce something fun that meets everyone's needs. :wave:

 

[cornandacobb]

So you think Starbucks should get rid of all the branding work they have spent over 20 years achieving just to get a contract with Disney. Unless they have their signature look in the park setting you would never know you were at a Starbucks thus loosing what your company is. That just seems foolish. Since Howard came back on as CEO of Starbucks they are trying to stop doing things just because of the money and protect their image.

Well, by agreement I meant discussion and agreement. Find something that works for both sides. Bend when you need to bend.
Again, I see no need for Starbucks cafes in the parks...just their coffee. Would an agreement entail baristas in attire?
That wouldn't be tarnishing their image in the least.
If Starbucks' concern is not having fully operational stores, then forget about it altogether.
I can't imagine full fledged Starbucks in the parks. No need for that. Just open one in DD instead.

Were the McDonald's kiosks run by McDonald's? Do they still exist? From what I recall, they didn't look like mini McDonalds.

 

[Mickey_777]

I think it goes without saying that Starbucks coffee/espresso is better than whatever they are serving at Disney parks. As long as it's themed appropriately inside and out with MSUSA style signage. I wouldn't want the standar starbucks logo on main street.

 

[wm49rs]

MiceAge's take on Starbucks coming to DCA:

The long saga of TDA executives trying to get Starbucks into the Anaheim parks is now over three years old, but it’s the closest to being public now than it’s ever been. After an initial deal fell apart in ’09, TDA has been doing a slow-motion dance with the Starbucks corporate team up in Seattle since 2011. Just as we’d reported back in ’09, the major sticking points still revolve around the training of Disney Cast Members who would be operating Starbucks’ equipment and using their proprietary materials and processes to create your drink.

The problem isn’t helped by some rather big egos on Disney’s part, with Disney’s negotiating teams made up of people who have very little or absolutely no experience with the front-line Cast Members working in the parks. Starbucks didn’t become one of the biggest business success stories of the last 25 years for nothing, and after sensing that the Disney team assigned to the deal didn’t really know what the in-park customer experience was like, Starbucks sent reconnaissance spies into Disneyland to observe how the Cast Members operate and behave when they are working the espresso machines at Disney’s existing park coffee shops.

The observations the Starbucks folks made and reported back to headquarters in Seattle were pretty discouraging, and it was clear to the Starbucks team that the Anaheim Cast Members had received very poor training, or no apparent training at all, on how to create a quality espresso drink. Disney had been approaching the training and operating of the espresso machines no differently than it approaches the operation of a deep fryer or a soft serve machine. And as the coffee culture grew over the last 20 years more and more Disneyland visitors can no longer stomach the coffee flavored swill served to them, especially the more demanding tourists from the Pacific Northwest where coffee is king and a badly made Latte can be spotted from 10 feet.

It doesn’t help that the Foods division at Disneyland suffers from one of the highest turnover rates of all theme park departments with the very youngest CM’s hired in at 17. The front-line leadership at the smaller locations with an espresso machine is often just 6 to 8 months out of their orientation day by the time they are supervising these Disneyland locations (often before they’ve graduated from high school). Disney’s restaurant leadership is so green that it’s not unusual for the HR team to scramble with newly minted salaried restaurant managers at the Disneyland Resort because they aren’t yet 21 and legally can’t manage the DCA restaurants that serve alcohol.

Compared to the dramatically lower turnover rate at the average Starbucks (how long has your favorite barista worked at your local store?), and Starbucks’ near-religious approach to their expert training and sharp corporate culture, the poorly trained front-line Disneyland Cast Members and the weak supervision that TDA provides for them were a constant stumbling block to getting a deal done between Starbucks and Disneyland.

But with Starbucks willing to jump through hoops to provide the right training to the bumbling yet pompous Disneyland team, the deal has been falling in to place over this past winter. With an unusually dramatic flair, the plan to bring Starbucks to Disney property in Anaheim was given a top-secret code name back in 2011, dubbed “Project Orange”. Although the word on just exactly what Project Orange is up to has been spreading quickly through Anaheim’s Food & Beverage team in recent weeks.

The first in-park Starbucks is now slated to open this June on Buena Vista Street with the re-launched Disney California Adventure. Starbucks will take up residence in the Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Café, as an odd hybrid of a regular Starbucks and a Disney-run operation. While the Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Café (dubbed the Pig Café by Anaheim’s Foods group) will maintain all the great 1920’s theming and architecture already shown to the public, subtle Starbucks logos in rubbed brass and period-appropriate signage will be added near the entrance doors. It won’t scream Starbucks with green awnings and bright logos like your neighborhood location, but once anyone gets within sight of the front door they’ll be able to spot the logo and tell that it’s a Starbucks. (Now you know why Bob Iger decreed that the huge tree already planted in front of the Pig Café be moved over a few feet at big expense, as he knows this new corporate alliance needs to go well and the subtle Starbucks logos can’t be too hidden.)

Once inside the Pig Café, the restaurant will operate like a traditional Starbucks during the morning hours just after the park opens. It’s at that time of day that the four separate espresso machines each staffed by a Starbucks-trained barista will be going full blast (where most of Starbucks’ “big” stores only have two machines), and the refrigerated cases near the front will offer a selection of Starbucks own grab-n-go breakfast and pastry items. Later in the day the location will switch over solely to a Disney created menu for lunch and dinner options, while Starbucks espresso drinks will still be offered through park closing. Over a hundred seats at a few dozen tables inside and out at the Pig Café should soak up most of the lunch and dinner crowd, although it’s expected that the morning business will be mostly to-go orders as people stream into the park and head to Cars Land with their Venti Latte and Danish.

While DCA jumps head first into the theme park Starbucks business, neither TDA nor Burbank thinks it should end there. The refurbished food locations on Main Street USA at Disneyland are also in the sights of TDA’s Project Orange team for the future, but the Pig Café location will be the first to open this June. Starbucks, for their part, is more hesitant and will be keeping a close eye on the Pig Café this June to make sure their product is being served correctly before they agree to more theme park locations.

http://miceage.micechat.com/mc/mc041812a.htm

 

[COProgressFan]

MiceAge's take on Starbucks coming to DCA:

The long saga of TDA executives trying to get Starbucks into the Anaheim parks is now over three years old, but it’s the closest to being public now than it’s ever been. After an initial deal fell apart in ’09, TDA has been doing a slow-motion dance with the Starbucks corporate team up in Seattle since 2011. Just as we’d reported back in ’09, the major sticking points still revolve around the training of Disney Cast Members who would be operating Starbucks’ equipment and using their proprietary materials and processes to create your drink.

The problem isn’t helped by some rather big egos on Disney’s part, with Disney’s negotiating teams made up of people who have very little or absolutely no experience with the front-line Cast Members working in the parks. Starbucks didn’t become one of the biggest business success stories of the last 25 years for nothing, and after sensing that the Disney team assigned to the deal didn’t really know what the in-park customer experience was like, Starbucks sent reconnaissance spies into Disneyland to observe how the Cast Members operate and behave when they are working the espresso machines at Disney’s existing park coffee shops.

The observations the Starbucks folks made and reported back to headquarters in Seattle were pretty discouraging, and it was clear to the Starbucks team that the Anaheim Cast Members had received very poor training, or no apparent training at all, on how to create a quality espresso drink. Disney had been approaching the training and operating of the espresso machines no differently than it approaches the operation of a deep fryer or a soft serve machine. And as the coffee culture grew over the last 20 years more and more Disneyland visitors can no longer stomach the coffee flavored swill served to them, especially the more demanding tourists from the Pacific Northwest where coffee is king and a badly made Latte can be spotted from 10 feet.

It doesn’t help that the Foods division at Disneyland suffers from one of the highest turnover rates of all theme park departments with the very youngest CM’s hired in at 17. The front-line leadership at the smaller locations with an espresso machine is often just 6 to 8 months out of their orientation day by the time they are supervising these Disneyland locations (often before they’ve graduated from high school). Disney’s restaurant leadership is so green that it’s not unusual for the HR team to scramble with newly minted salaried restaurant managers at the Disneyland Resort because they aren’t yet 21 and legally can’t manage the DCA restaurants that serve alcohol.

Compared to the dramatically lower turnover rate at the average Starbucks (how long has your favorite barista worked at your local store?), and Starbucks’ near-religious approach to their expert training and sharp corporate culture, the poorly trained front-line Disneyland Cast Members and the weak supervision that TDA provides for them were a constant stumbling block to getting a deal done between Starbucks and Disneyland.

But with Starbucks willing to jump through hoops to provide the right training to the bumbling yet pompous Disneyland team, the deal has been falling in to place over this past winter. With an unusually dramatic flair, the plan to bring Starbucks to Disney property in Anaheim was given a top-secret code name back in 2011, dubbed “Project Orange”. Although the word on just exactly what Project Orange is up to has been spreading quickly through Anaheim’s Food & Beverage team in recent weeks.

The first in-park Starbucks is now slated to open this June on Buena Vista Street with the re-launched Disney California Adventure. Starbucks will take up residence in the Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Café, as an odd hybrid of a regular Starbucks and a Disney-run operation. While the Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Café (dubbed the Pig Café by Anaheim’s Foods group) will maintain all the great 1920’s theming and architecture already shown to the public, subtle Starbucks logos in rubbed brass and period-appropriate signage will be added near the entrance doors. It won’t scream Starbucks with green awnings and bright logos like your neighborhood location, but once anyone gets within sight of the front door they’ll be able to spot the logo and tell that it’s a Starbucks. (Now you know why Bob Iger decreed that the huge tree already planted in front of the Pig Café be moved over a few feet at big expense, as he knows this new corporate alliance needs to go well and the subtle Starbucks logos can’t be too hidden.)

Once inside the Pig Café, the restaurant will operate like a traditional Starbucks during the morning hours just after the park opens. It’s at that time of day that the four separate espresso machines each staffed by a Starbucks-trained barista will be going full blast (where most of Starbucks’ “big” stores only have two machines), and the refrigerated cases near the front will offer a selection of Starbucks own grab-n-go breakfast and pastry items. Later in the day the location will switch over solely to a Disney created menu for lunch and dinner options, while Starbucks espresso drinks will still be offered through park closing. Over a hundred seats at a few dozen tables inside and out at the Pig Café should soak up most of the lunch and dinner crowd, although it’s expected that the morning business will be mostly to-go orders as people stream into the park and head to Cars Land with their Venti Latte and Danish.

While DCA jumps head first into the theme park Starbucks business, neither TDA nor Burbank thinks it should end there. The refurbished food locations on Main Street USA at Disneyland are also in the sights of TDA’s Project Orange team for the future, but the Pig Café location will be the first to open this June. Starbucks, for their part, is more hesitant and will be keeping a close eye on the Pig Café this June to make sure their product is being served correctly before they agree to more theme park locations.

http://miceage.micechat.com/mc/mc041812a.htm

An agreement would likely be lucrative for both Disney and Starbucks. However, it seems as if both companies need to work together to implement something that will work for both parties. I sense that egos are certainly involved on both sides. It seems like they've tentatively gotten something worked out finally. I hope it goes well.

Bottom line, the coffee served in Disney parks is disgusting and guests are clamoring for better options. With a better coffee product, guests win, and sales go up. And while a Starbucks in DCA is a good start, they really need to start serving something better throughout DL and WDW, not just in one location.