Local coffee shops across the country were transformed into Luke’s Diner, a restaurant from hit TV series “Gilmore Girls,” in a Netflix-sponsored event October 5.
The promotion served two purposes: to celebrate the 16th anniversary of the original show, and to advertise the Netflix revival “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” which will be released Nov. 25 of this year.
Higher Ground Coffee in Salt Lake City was one of the establishments to get a makeover. When they opened their doors they already had a long line of people. Customers halfway through the line reported that they been there about half an hour before opening, but the girls at the front had been there since 5 a.m. The event was from 7 a.m. to noon, and those in front wanted to ensure they were able to participate. Despite the widespread excitement about the event evident across the internet, many people seemed to walk away feeling disappointed.
Several Higher Ground attendee’s wished that there had been more to offer than a photo opportunity for Instagram and a cup of coffee. There was no show-related merchandise or entertainment available.
“It was a little disappointing. I guess I expected a little more,” said Sandra Laber, an exchange student from Austria. “Still, the coffee sleeves are really cute, and it was fun while it lasted.”
Netflix provided each store with a number of props and promotional material.
Before entering the shop, those waiting in line posed with a Luke’s Diner sign attached to the window.
Once inside, guests received their drinks in a cup with a sleeve bearing the Luke’s Diner logo and the title and release date of the revival.
The cup itself had a quote from the show on it. A quick scroll through the hashtag #LukesDiner on social media showed that each store’s cups contained a different quote. The fan favorite appeared to be the baristas, or rather their clothing. They were each dressed to match the gruff diner owner from the show, Luke Danes who is played by Scott Patterson.
These costumes were made up of backwards baseball caps, flannel shirts, and aprons printed with the logo. They were much cheerier than their fictional boss Luke, greeting every customer with “Welcome to Luke’s!” The event hashtag was trending on Twitter all day Wednesday, showing “Gilmore Girls” fans across the country posing with their coffee in hand. Some stores received a cardboard cutout of the diner owner holding a sign of rules for his diner. Others, still got more into the spirit of things, and played the show’s theme song for the people in line.
While the Luke’s Diner event was an excellent idea, perhaps more thought and enthusiasm should go into any Netflix-sponsored events in the future.
