Sunday Brunch: A Practical Cafe Serves a
Popular Coffee
by Reuben Gutierrez
16 June 2013
Word on the street is Walt Disney World's Main
Street Bakery is reopening VERY soon for soft openings. While it's
had refurbishments before, this time, the bakery's return will bring
Starbucks brand coffee to the park, creating the first Starbucks for
Disney's Florida resort. The first Starbucks location at the Disney
Theme Parks and Resorts opened in Disney's California Adventure on
the new Buena Vista Street, actually one year ago yesterday.
When plans for Starbucks in Disney World were first
announced, social media and internet forums were abuzz with the
presence of the major 3rd party company in a Disney theme
park. The main concern was how would Starbucks, a very modern, real
world, ubiquitous coffee shop fit into theme parks designed to take
you away from the real world. Starbucks started in the not so
distant past in 1971 Seattle, WA. When announced, the planned
locations for the first two Disney Starbucks were main streets set
in turn of the century small town America and roaring 20's
Hollywood. On June 15, 2012 once the Fiddler, Fifer& Practical Cafe
opened its doors at the end of Buena Vista Street, answering the
question as to how a Starbucks would fare in a park.
Disney Theme Parks are movies made into real life.
For their first Starbucks, the setting is 1920's Hollywood, the
scene is a coffee and sandwich shop, the star is YOU. When I took my
first steps onto that set on the roundabout anchored by the Carthay
Circle Theater, my first thought as I gazed around Hollywood
was''where is the Starbucks?' The Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Cafe
blends in so well to the rest of the scene that you have to really
be looking for the Starbucks' name to know it's there.

Two signs in theme with the rest of the street
bookend the entrance to the Cafe, indicating
Starbucks is here

The vertical sign by the side entrance indicate
this is a Cafe and bakery, not a Starbucks
coffee shop
While the cafe's name is in
reference to the title characters of Walt
Disney's 1933 Silly Symphony
'The Three Little Pigs,' its backstory is
actually about its founders: a trio of musicians
(much like the three little pigs) called the
Silver Lake Sisters who are featured all over
the d'cor of the Cafe. The three sisters have
performed at such venues as the Hollywood Tower
Hotel, which is down the street of the Cafe.
While the backstory is fictitious, the name
'Silver Lake' is actually in reference to the
neighborhood where Walt Disney moved his studio
after it outgrew the property on Kingswell
Avenue in Los Angeles.

This community bulletin board is surrounded by
black and white photographs of the Silver Lake
Sisters. The posts on the board reference other
areas of Buena Vista Street and Hollywood Land.
The Cafe offers a lot more in
both space and menu offerings than what I judged
from the outside. The seating capacity is
comparable to that of many medium sized quick
service locations in Disneyland and Walt Disney
World.

Plenty of seating in a spacious dining area

Counter seating by the windows
The menu is not
limited to Starbucks' pastries and baked goods,
but also includes sandwiches, salads, soups,
Disney pastries, and a breakfast menu. And of
course, you'll also find all of your Starbucks
favorites: Frappuccino, Smoothies, Espresso,
Refreshers, Iced and Regular coffees, Tazo Tea,
and more.

Both Starbucks pastries and Disney pastries and
baked goods are sold here

Some Vanilla beverage specials were featured on
the menu.


Special Disney-Starbucks paper products were
made.

Condiments stations are similar to those found
in Starbucks
The Fiddler, Fifer, & Practical
Cafe is simply a Cafe that features Starbucks
products with a Disney cast trained with the
Starbucks know-how. It fits in perfectly as a
1920s era Cafe in both visuals and
functionality. I was pleased to see how seamless
the experience was in terms of placing a
corporate leader in the coffee industry into the
Disney theme parks; nowhere was there an
in-your-face Starbucks is here campaign. The
signage if anything is informative more so than
advertising, and such a quaint Cafe should be
pleased to inform guests that they serve a
popular and quality brand of coffee and
beverages.

Disney Cast Members fill the roles of baristas.
Their costumes are in theme with the land, not
Starbucks.

Signs posted out front indicate the menu inside,
featuring Starbucks products
With the first Disney-Starbucks
location complete, I have better hopes for the
Starbucks coming to Main Street in the Magic
Kingdom. Buena Vista Street is a significant
improvement to its predecessor, though Main
Street is in a sense sacred territory. These
past few weeks at MK, an old fashioned version
of the Starbucks Logo (the same one seen in the
picture below) has appeared on a hanging sign by
the bakery doors and etched on the glass windows
of the storefront. In comparison to DCA's
Starbucks signage, the MK's signs are
significantly larger and in your face. Keep in
mind though, the brand name advertisement would
not be uncommon on a Main Street, Disney or
anywhere; just take a look at Disneyland's Coke
Corner or your neighborhood delicatessen. The
good thing is the Main Street Bakery's name has
not changed, so the idea of an establishment
serving Starbucks products is still in place
here. The not so distant future will tell us how
Starbucks will fit into turn of the century
America. Hopefully, the experience will be as
seamless and enjoyable as the Starbucks in 1920s
Hollywood.
