Why every hot new Chicago opening comes with a line
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The line outside the new Hello Kitty Cafe off Michigan Avenue. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios
When every other Instagram reel or TikTok post features stylized, scrumptious videos of pastries, ice cream and matcha lattes, it sparks instant FOMO, which then leads us to the newest spot to lose hours of our lives.
The big picture: The world's largest Hello Kitty Café is the latest big opening to join this phenomenon. Nearly two weeks after it opened, a long line still snakes around Wacker Drive almost to Michigan Avenue at 2pm on a Tuesday.
- Add bakeries Bad Butter, Guillotine and Del Sur, PopUp Bagels, Gus' Sip & Dip and Afro Joe's as spots where you can expect a wait.
State of play: Businesses have learned that part of getting noticed is inviting influencers and social media mavens to openings and previews to build the buzz.
- "Algorithms distribute influencer content more widely than native brand content because consumers naturally engage more with people than with brands," Northwestern professor Jacqueline Babb tells me.
- "As long as digital platforms are where we discover and engage with brands, we will see creators and influencers."
Plus, we want to belong, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Babb pointed to Hello Kitty's opening as a community coming together over their fandom.
💭 My thought bubble: I feel a kinship with my linemates, and the time is more enjoyable when we're chatting as we shuffle along.
- During a recent 90-minute Saturday-morning wait at Bad Butter, the customer in front of me said she didn't mind the line because, as an amateur baker, she's willing to wait for well-made pastries. She knew they would be good; she had waited in line on opening day.
- My other linemate was picking up items for her boyfriend's birthday. She was visiting from Madison and said she missed hot spots in Chicago where you can, well, wait in line.
So the big question is, is it worth the wait? Obviously, there are many variables to consider. Would I wait outside on a freezing day? Depends on the croissant.
- But on a nice summer day, getting to experience some great new place and make a few friends along the way is not a bad way to pass the time.
How to skip the line
- Pre-orders: Bad Butter says they'll add pre-ordering soon, something Kasama, another notoriously long line, does now.
- Arrive early: At Del Sur, Thursday or Friday mornings starting at 8 is when the wait is about 20 minutes or less, but their expansion to the space next door may also help.
- Lunch and weekdays: Gus Sip n' Dip tells me the best times to skip the line are weekends for lunch. They open at noon on Friday and Saturday. Fat Peach Bakery's decadent desserts and pastries draw long lines, but I swung by on a Thursday around noon and snagged a strawberry milk croissant and a raspberry cinnamon roll with espresso cream cheese frosting that changed my life.
- Early bird special: On weekdays, arrive as close to 4pm open time as possible, Gus' Sip & Dip says. This also helps at Pizz'amici in West Town, where I got a table recently around 5:15pm on a Thursday, and at Armitage Alehouse, where it is notoriously tough to get a reservation.
- Know what you want: Don't hold up the line by being indecisive. Get it all! Just kidding, don't do that either. Less than a week after it opened, Guillotine limited each customer to four pastries to likely avoid angry scowls when someone reaches the front only to find the super tasty pain suisse sold out — mon dieu!