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Disney Springs Discussion

When I say that's not what it is... the predominant purpose for going to a mall is to shop. There are a ton more predominant purposes for going to Springs. They sell visitor traffic to their tenants as top of market, yet there's a good deal of difference in the number of true shoppers at an Aventura or Sawgrass than at Springs.

Prior to the conversion to Springs, every operating participant location was either the #1 or #2 store in that company's portfolio. Post-Springs, that has held true for dining locations; it has not for the "mall" type third party retail stores. Probably why Apple told them, nah we're good.

The fact that there hasn't been retail turnover in big stores is kinda pointless when they're all still under their original leases. And all three things you mentioned are retail to food conversions (M&Ms less so, but a decent amount of what they sell is candy).
I mean, I get what you’re saying, but don’t agree it really means much. If anything, it just means they’re adapting to what their consumers want.
 
M&M Store open:

m-m-store-opening-day-1-2.jpg

m-m-store-opening-day-5.jpg



 
There's a story on the downfall of Ample Hills that just came out (long story short, they went too big, too fast, taking on locations with outrageous yearly rents). But also within the story, we got what I think is actually the first concrete number for Disney Spring rent. The Ample Hills DS locations was to be their most expensive location (more than double the cost of a Times Square location), costing them $375,000. The location of where Ample Hills was supposed to go wasn't even all that good, either. Nowhere near what I would consider one of the prime locations in DS. So if they were going to pay $375K for a small corner ice cream store, then you can only imagine what the prime real estate would run you.

 
Beatrix - which is supposed to replace Bongos (now demolished) - was rumored to have been cancelled, but supposedly the restaurant and Disney have agreed on a construction pause during the pandemic.

From the article:
Cara Yaffe, Divisional Director of Marketing & Communications for Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, said that “the Beatrix project in Disney Springs has not been canceled”. Yaffe noted that Disney and Beatrix agreed to delay the start of construction on the project as a result of the pandemic, and that a restart date has not been determined.

 
Beatrix - which is supposed to replace Bongos (now demolished) - was rumored to have been cancelled, but supposedly the restaurant and Disney have agreed on a construction pause during the pandemic.

From the article:
Cara Yaffe, Divisional Director of Marketing & Communications for Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, said that “the Beatrix project in Disney Springs has not been canceled”. Yaffe noted that Disney and Beatrix agreed to delay the start of construction on the project as a result of the pandemic, and that a restart date has not been determined.


Indefinite pause while they turn the area into green space -- so maybe it will get built after they get around to finishing David Copperfield's Magic Underground.
 
I looked at their site and the flavors seem extremely strange.

It's a mix of relatively normal flavors (along with "olive oil" that people swear by) and rotating gimmicky flavors. Disney seems the perfect place for that, give tourists an option for a one-of-a-kind flavor they can instagram for the folks back home. Disney Food Blog just got new content every week.

End of the day, it's a gimmick, but sometimes it helps to have a gimmick to stand out. Think like Cowfish.
 
It's a mix of relatively normal flavors (along with "olive oil" that people swear by) and rotating gimmicky flavors. Disney seems the perfect place for that, give tourists an option for a one-of-a-kind flavor they can instagram for the folks back home. Disney Food Blog just got new content every week.

End of the day, it's a gimmick, but sometimes it helps to have a gimmick to stand out. Think like Cowfish.
Or like Voodoo.
 
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