Recently it was announced that Disneyland and Walt Disney World would be receiving Starbucks locations, both inside and outside the parks. Some might say that this is just simple price gouging, but I would argue that this is a blessing. As we all know, Disney is the master of many things, but not everything. A good cup of coffee has eluded Disney for decades. The parks' coffee is trite and embittered, giving it a reheated quality to it. Let Disney focus on the important stuff and contract out with Starbucks, they are coffee professionals. Disney should only continue to make their own coffee if they can invest in it heavily and make it a priority, which they won't do.Adding Starbucks adds points throughout the park and resort where the guest can take a few moments and unwind. It provides a sense of home and comfort along with the strong kick of caffeine. The Starbucks brand is strong, so Disney should use it sparingly, but this arrangement can create long term partnerships that would be beneficial to all. Imagine if Disney brand coffee was sold in every Starbucks location...it could easily happen. Imagine if you can drink your coffee through a Mickey Mouse ceramic coffee cup...it does happen.
The point here is that Disney and Starbucks are two strong brands that can use one another to better and grow their own companies. Disney cannot master every business and other aspects of the business suffer when it tries to. Coffee is a niche business, let the masters do it. If the terms aren't adequate, then find their closest competitors. There are a lot of coffee companies, but there's only one Disney.
