Not So Wordless Wednesday: Saving the Main Street Bakery

You can ask any of my friends, family members or coworkers. They will tell you the truth: I am obsessed with coffee. I've been drinking espresso since I was a kid (thanks to my Poppy) and I routinely pay for good coffee rather than sampling the acid inducer my office tries to pass off as coffee.

So when I initially heard about Starbucks coming to Disney Parks I was thrilled. Lets be honest: Nescafe just didn't cut it when you needed a jolt from a good cup of joe. I assumed the Starbucks partnership would be just like the old McDonald's partnership - they would put a few stands up in each park that featured Starbucks signature beverages and possibly serve Starbucks coffee in table service restaurants. This is fabulous, I thought.

That is, until the news was leaked that Starbucks would replace the Main Street Bakery. It took a while to process this because my dreams of giggling while riding Splash Mountain until 4am with a venti no whip caramel frappuccino in my hand were powerful.

Hold up! The place that is all about the theming and back story is adding a Starbucks to Main Street U.S.A.? Someone please explain to me how Starbucks fits in with early-20th-century small-town America! I soon realized that my love for a good Disney backstory outweighed my love for coffee.

Of course we happened to be at Walt Disney World when this news was announced. We also happened to be in the Magic Kingdom for Extra Magic Hours. As adults we take full advantage of EMH. We took a long nap during the day and went to the Magic Kingdom at 10pm.

By 2am, we were heading (slowing) down Main Street and noticed the line for the Bakery was out the door. We decided to pick out (very healthy) breakfast for the next morning. While in line we were chatting with a Cast Member who must not be named. I said to her, "Please tell me the rumors aren't true." She looked at me and said she only knew what she read on the Internet and like us, was devastated. She grew up with Disney and made a stop into the bakery every trip. And that is the biggest shame of this partnership news: generations of traditions will be tossed out the window for a corporate giant to swoop in.

Out of a show of solidarity we ordered four gooey, warm and delicious cinnamon buns to go. (Ok, it may have been more than solidarity that pushed us to order. Have you seen the way they need to use two spatulas to lift these babies?)

For good measure we stopped at City Hall Guest Relations to voice our displeasure with the news. The cast members said that the bakery will remain and Starbucks will operate inside. I have my doubts but I will withhold further judgement until after the work is completed. They did say the cinnamon buns will now be served in Gaston's tavern in the New Fantasyland. I can tell you first hand that they are NOTHING like the cinnamon buns pictured above.

Nonetheless, this marks another sad day for Disney tradition. There is upgrading and improving and then there is destroying. If Starbucks replaces the Main Street Bakery this would easily fall under destroying.

Thanks for letting me dramatic and wordy on this "wordless" Wednesday!