Animated feline phenom Hello Kitty has now opened its first pop-up café in Irvine, California and all the buzz in the news is how fans have flocked to it like cats to a clump of catnip. While there has been a very successful Hello Kitty food truck in operation, this is the first dedicated Hello Kitty store to appear in the US, so it’s a pretty big deal for fans of the Japanese cartoon character!
Here’s everything you need to know about the Kitty café.
How can I pounce on it?
You can get your Kitty fix at the Irvine Spectrum Center shopping mall (670, Spectrum Center Drive), where the temporary café is housed in a pimped out, Kitty-customized shipping container and can seat about 14 to 16 fans iof .
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]There are Hello Kitty-themed restaurants and cafés in Australia, Taiwan, Thailand, and South Korea.[/perfectpullquote]
What treats are they offering?
The cat’s out of the bag, as far as the menu goes: The café serves a limited assortment of cookies, pastries and mini cakes (priced in the range of $4 to $11.50). Signature drinks include strawberry mint lemonade, peach iced tea, and passion fruit tea, as well as coffee ($3 to $5.50 ). You can even buy a Hello Kitty bow-shaped bottle of water as a keepsake – simply purr-fect!
How long are the lines?
From what we’ve gathered, the lines are LONG — over 200 people lined up on July 15 as soon as the café opened, forcing it to temporarily shut down. The wait — which has taken some people two to four hours — might make you feel a bit catty and irritated, but all those cute Kitty-shaped cookies and pastries will make it worth the wait.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Hello Kitty was first introduced to the United States back in 1976.[/perfectpullquote]
Is it permanent?
No. The store will move on to another location in a year’s time. However, Sanrio (the company behind Hello Kitty) is considering building a permanent brick and mortar store located in Irvine.
Have you visited the Hello Kitty Café? Are you a Hello Kitty superfan anxious to visit the café? Share your thoughts and excitement in the comments below!