Kindness On The Menu: What Brands Can Learn From La La Land x Mickey & Friends Collaboration

Forbes

2 days ago

As back-to-school nerves set in and the emotions of returning to the playground run high in many households, compassion becomes more than a virtue, it becomes essential. One U.S.-based coffee chain has embedded it into its brand DNA from the start, in a way that feels genuine, timely, and commercially astute.
This week, La La Land Kind Café just announced its first-ever Kids' Menu, created in partnership with Disney's Mickey & Friends and rolling out across its 23 locations in Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and Nashville from August 19. On paper, it's a lighthearted collaboration: mini drinks in pastel colours, petite slices of toast, and a Pluto-inspired pup cup for four-legged friends. In practice, it's a masterclass in how to align product, purpose, and cultural moment.
The brand already stands apart for more than its signature yellow cups. La La Land's founding purpose is to promote kindness and community while supporting young people transitioning out of the foster care system, not through charity alone, but by providing paid internships, mentorship, and long-term skills. It's a 'teach a person to fish' philosophy that has built both loyalty and a strong, values-led narrative.
At the heart of La La Land Kind Café is founder and CEO François Reihani, a social entrepreneur whose vision stretches far beyond foam art and Instagrammable 'normalize kindness' mugs. Reihani's journey began at 20 with a successful restaurant in Dallas, but his real calling emerged when he attended a meeting with CASA and heard firsthand the challenges faced by youth aging out of foster care. Moved by those stories, he launched the 'We Are One Project' in 2017 and then, in 2019, opened the first café as a training ground for mentorship, paid internships, housing support, therapy, and life skills. His goal? Not merely to employ, but to empower and to design a business so replicable another brand could copy it for good. His philosophy is simple but powerful: growth matters only if it starts with heart.
By bringing Mickey & Friends into that space, the café is tapping into something both nostalgic and universal: the comfort of familiar characters, the reassurance of a safe and friendly place, and the shared joy of treating children to an experience that feels special but accessible. For parents, it's an easy 'yes' the coffee is for them, the fun is for their children, and the brand ethos feels good to support.
The timing is no accident. Back-to-school season is emotionally loaded, particularly for younger children and their families. It's a moment when the tone of the year is being set and when messages about kindness, inclusion, and friendship have maximum resonance. In the United States, one in five students report being bullied, according to PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center. Brands that understand the emotional context of this season, and respond with genuine, values-driven initiatives, create not just transactions but trust.
The campaign also integrates exclusivity and share-ability, from the limited-edition Mickey & Friends reusable coffee cups for the first 300 guests at each location on August 22, to 'Be Kind' tote bags and plush toys, to QR-code-enabled in-store displays at select sites. It's a reminder that while purpose is the heart of the offer, retail theatre still matters: people want a reason to show up, stay, and share the experience.
In a marketplace where brands often overcomplicate 'purpose', La La Land has kept it simple: a clear value (kindness), a tangible action (mentorship and support for foster youth), and an activation that appeals to multiple audiences without diluting the core message. The Disney partnership amplifies the reach but doesn't overpower the brand's identity and in the process, creates a blueprint for how other businesses can show up in culturally relevant ways.
Because kindness is not seasonal. But at a time of year when young people are negotiating new friendships, new routines, and new challenges, it's worth remembering that brands can do more than sell. They can help set the tone, one coffee, one conversation, and one act of kindness at a time.