Inside the First Hello Kitty Cafe in America

40 minutes earlier, our photo director made a lunch run at a nearby sandwich shop, and the middle aged dad behind us nearly lost it when a gentleman in a pink hat said they were out of sprinkle cakes.

But back to the $9 pie we’re currently buying. It’s wonderfully mediocre, save for the addition of a little cartoon cat peering up at us. We are, after all, at the Hello Kitty Cafe — a temporary pop-up in Irvine, California slinging food and drinks branded with the beloved Sanrio character and her friends. The pop up joins a list of similar establishments happening worldwide including Japan and Hong Kong.

To understand the hype behind this truck, all you need to do is look at the numbers. The anthropomorphic white cate was created by Yuko Shimizu for Japanese company Sanrio in 1974. The character made her debut on a simple coin purse and quickly became a staple of kawaii in Japanese culture. By the time she reached 40 years old in 2014, Hello Kitty was worth $7 billion a year. And while originally targeted at pre-adolescent females, the brand now encompasses adults willing to wait in lines like they’re about to drop the next Jordans.

Except instead of Nikes we’re copping pastel macarons spray painted with the faces of Hello Kitty and her squad.

The cafe itself, is expertly decked out. Everything from the tables to the employees singing “have a sweet day!” exudes the character’s signature cuteness.

While the pop up has set shop in Southern California, there’s word that the pink truck-cafe will be making its rounds across the US. If you’re a fan, get ready to shell out a few extra dollars as Hello Kitty makes her national conquest of cute.

This post was was originally published on 7DeadlyMag, your guide to sex, kush, music, food and travel news.