In just two days, I made a whirlwind tour through Disney Springs and EPCOT, hopping between bakeries, snack stands and candy counters like it was my own personal tasting safari.
It was a whistle-stop sugar sprint, but that short journey revealed something much bigger than the treats themselves. Disney doesn’t just serve sweets. The fantasyland behemoth serves up story, scale and culture, all wrapped in caramel and delivered with the precision of a Broadway show.
From oversized cookies that feel like collector’s items to caramel corn that smells like your childhood kitchen, everything at Disney is deliberate. Every snack is layered not just with flavour, but with intention. You’re not just eating something delicious; you’re stepping into a narrative, becoming part of a brand experience designed to be savoured, photographed, and remembered.
And it works. Whether it’s the immersive moody mystique of Gideon’s Bakehouse or the warm, buttery nostalgia of Karamell-Küche, these aren’t just food stops. They’re stages. Each bite comes with backstory, aesthetic and atmosphere and somehow, they still manage to nail the fundamentals: quality, consistency and joy. So let’s talk about cookies, culture, and the real reason Disney’s treats hit different.
The snack-lover’s Shangri-La
Disney Springs isn’t just a retail district. It’s a culinary catwalk where cinnamon sugar meets corporate synergy and buttercream gets the five-star treatment. It’s here that Disney’s bakery strategy takes centrestage, serving up nostalgia, exclusivity and pure indulgence.
My first stop: Gideon’s Bakehouse. You can smell it before you see it - warm chocolate, roasted coffee, sugar working overtime. The storefront looks like a haunted library and the line of eager snackers wraps around the building for good reason.
Founded in 2016 by Steve Lewis with just $800 and a single cookie recipe, Gideon’s has transformed into a cult phenomenon. The half-pound cookies take over 24 hours to make and each bite is pure theatrical decadence. I went for a Coffee Cake delight, a limited edition Pistachio Toffee number and the Cold Brew cookie (only available first thing in the morning, while stocks last), which was easily the best thing I drank all day.
Gideon’s is more than a bakery: it’s a mood. The branding is rich and immersive, the flavours are bold and bizarre (in the best way) and the staff are genuinely excited to be part of the story. It’s small-batch magic scaled up with the precision of a Broadway production.
Where to find the best breakfast
Early morning in EPCOT? Head straight for Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie in the France quarter. It opens before most of the World Showcase and offers a calm, Parisian escape.
I ordered a mini Quiche Lorraine, a crusty baguette and a café crème. Sitting outside in the Florida humidity (albeit it was only 10am), I almost convinced myself I was in Montmartre.
This bakery is a dream: éclairs, tarts, macarons, croissants - every item executed with finesse. Disney flew in French artisans to train the team and the results are unmistakable. This isn’t just themed food: it’s the real deal.
Is Disney’s caramel game underrated? Absolutely. One word: Karamell-Küche.
Tucked in the Germany Pavilion, this cozy caramel kitchen is co-branded with Werther’s Original and it’s a sensory marketing masterclass. You walk in and the smell alone - warm, buttery, nostalgic - pulls you in like a sugar-coated tractor beam.
Inside, you can watch cast members hand-dip apples, swirl caramel into popcorn and layer gooey clusters by hand. I left with a bag of warm caramel corn and a new appreciation for how Disney turns a scent into a story and a sale.
And all this happened between bites of a cronut from Joffrey’s at Magic Kingdom, fat cheeseburger egg rolls from the Egg Roll Wagon, and hot, crispy churros from Tiffins Restaurant at Animal Kingdom.
Sadly, I didn’t have time to get to the much-hyped brisket grilled cheese from Woody’s Lunch Box or the glazed almonds and the carrot cake whoopie pie. To be honest, my stomach thanked my lucky stars I’d run out of time.
The real magic? A culture of care
While the snacks wowed me, what really stuck with me came from the the American Bakers Association’s 2025 Convention - the real reason I was in Orlando.
Zoe Bishop, senior facilitator at the Disney Institute, pulled back the curtain on what really makes Disney tick at ABA’s NextGen Brunch. And surprise: it’s not just butter and sugar. It’s people.
Every Disney cast member is immersed in a carefully cultivated culture from day one. They’re not just hired for skill, but for potential and purpose. Training is constant, feedback is expected and leadership sets the tone through example.
What makes it special? It’s the brand promise, yes but more so, the employee engagement. These are people who want to go the extra mile. Culture isn’t just company lingo: it’s defined by how people behave when no one’s watching. That’s why Disney doesn’t just hire, it selects. Cultural immersion is built into the process to increase the chances of finding best-fit employees who carry the magic.
The real care comes from within. Managers are trained to recognise not just output, but potential. The ethos is clear: care for your employees as much as your customers. Recognition is vital. And it’s never a quick fix - it’s a movable feast of continual improvement, built to inspire desirable behaviour at scale.
Bishop’s insights were echoed the next day by ABA’s keynote speaker Simon T Bailey, former sales director at the Disney Institute, who unpacked how to build resilience and innovation within a team. No matter what role you’re cast in (and yes, every employee is a ‘cast member’) there’s a deep pride in simply being part of the Mouse House. You don’t always choose your exact role, but Disney takes care to place you somewhere you can thrive. That culture of belonging runs deep.
What every business can learn from Disney’s empire
Disney’s treats aren’t just products: they’re experiences. And whether you run a bakery or a global brand, there are lessons to take home:
- Culture is behaviour. It’s not what’s printed on the walls. It’s what happens in the hallway.
- Hire for purpose, not just skill. You can teach technical tasks. Passion is harder to instil.
- Details matter. From aroma to tone of voice to how a cookie is handed over, every moment counts.
- Leadership sets the tone. Culture is caught, not taught. Show people, don’t just tell them.
Disney World in a bite
Walt Disney World officially opened on 1 October 1971 near Orlando, Florida. Sprawled across 28,000 acres, it’s bigger than San Francisco.
EPCOT opened in 1982 as the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, a vision of a utopian city that’s evolved into a celebration of culture and science.
To make it all possible, Disney created the Reedy Creek Improvement District in 1967, granting the company unique municipal-like powers to control land and infrastructure - an empire built for storytelling.
Today, Disney World operates over 300 dining outlets, with more than 350 chefs. Each year, it dishes out 300,000 pounds of popcorn; 10 million hamburgers; 6 million hot dogs; 9 million pounds of fries; 1.6 million turkey legs; and untold millions of cupcakes, cookies, churros and Dole Whips. Visitors also gulp back 13 million bottles of water and 75 million Coca-Colas annually.
Food isn’t just a footnote at Disney - it’s part of the fantasy.
Final thoughts from my sugar-soaked soul
I came to Disney thinking I’d do a snack crawl. What I got was a masterclass in experience design, employee engagement and brand consistency - all served between bites of cookies, quiche and caramel.
So yes, the food is good. But what makes it unforgettable is how Disney layers purpose, care and creativity into every step of the process. When a cookie becomes a character and a caramel apple makes you feel seen - that’s not just dessert. That’s culture. And that’s why I’ll still be reliving my experience for years to come.