Coffee shops around the country transformed today into real-life Luke’s Diners, the crotchety diner from cult favorite show Gilmore Girls. As part of the Netflix revival of the popular show, the streaming service rebranded cafes in every state into Luke’s Diners, and the Bay Area was lucky enough to receive five Luke’s.
In San Francisco, Palio Cafe in the Financial District, two shops in Oakland, and two in San Jose had lines stretching down the street upon opening. Here’s what went down.
1. Free coffee was offered at all locations, and the cups had Lorelai coffee quotes and adorable Luke’s sleeves.
2. Authentic Luke’s memorabilia decorated the shops, include a Luke’s sign, a “no cell phones” warning, and some lucky shops even received a life-size cardboard cutout of Luke. Unfortunately SF was not one of those lucky few.
3. Though the pop-ups ran until noon, most shops ran out of cups hours before then and had to cut the event short. That’s because many showed up hours before the shops opened at 7 a.m. to ensure a coveted spot, with lines stretching down the street.
4. Coffee shop employees (Oakland’s Awaken employees are pictured here) embraced the Gilmore Girls lifestyle, donning Luke’s aprons and the signature Luke plaid shirt.
5. Fans at the Beverly Hills location in Los Angeles were lucky enough to get a visit from Luke himself. Grr.
For a walk around the San Francisco pop-up, check out this video.