Dressed in plaid and fueled by coffee, fans of the early 2000s dramedy, Gilmore Girls, were treated to a surprise on Oct. 5. Thanks to both Netflix’s revival of the show and its sixteenth birthday, over 200 coffee shops around the country and Canada were transformed into a Luke’s Diner, the restaurant the Gilmore girls visited to get their daily coffee fix. The only missing aspect true to the show were the crabby, backwards-cap wearing baristas not guaranteed in every location.
Locally, from 7 a.m. to noon, Palm Beach County fans could visit Clematis Street’s Subculture Coffee and Harold’s Coffee Lounge to dine like a Gilmore. Upon entering the restaurant, it was decorated to resemble a Luke’s, complete with his “no cell phones” sign and other themed items. Coffee cups each had a quote from a character on the side including “This is a jumbo coffee morning. I need coffee in an IV” and “Nothing says coffee like six in the morning” while music from the show played in the background.
“It was a really special experience for my mom and I because we’ve been watching the show since I was born,” theatre junior Skyler Sajewski said. “We watch it over and over again and can pretty much call ourselves experts [on the show]. It was very funny because we dressed up as the characters from the show and people recognized what we were doing. I’ve always wanted to go to a Luke’s Diner, so this is an experience I’ll never forget.”
Gilmore Girls isn’t simply a show, it’s a lifestyle and a religion that will be premiering almost as fast as the Gilmores talk on Netflix Nov. 25.
Below is the full list of cafes in Florida that were transformed into a Luke’s:
- Brew Urban Cafe 537 NW 1st Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311
- Sip Java Co. 638 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
- The Flower Bar 1003 E Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
- Breezy Coffee Shop Café 235 8th Ave. S, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
- Southern Grounds Coffee 200 1st St., Neptune Beach, FL 32266
- Sippers Coffeehouse 7643 Gate Parkway, Suite 101, Jacksonville, FL 32256
- Chamblin’s Uptown Cafe 215 N Laura St., Jacksonville, FL 32256
- Coffee Roasting Co 13130 Biscayne Blvd., North Miami, FL 33181
- DIRT 232 5th St, Miami Beach, FL 33139
- Panther Coffee 3407 Main Highway, Miami, FL 33133
- The Coffee Garden 1817 S Ferncreek Ave., Orlando, FL 32806
- Holy Grain Coffee 6735 Conroy Rd, Ste 109, Orlando, FL 32835
- Felicitous Coffee & Tea House 11706 N 51st St., Temple Terrace, FL 33617
- The Blind Tiger Cafe 1901 E 7th Ave., Tampa, FL 33605
- The Blind Tiger Cafe 6500 N Florida Ave., Tampa, FL 33604
- The Lab 1703 W State St, Tampa, FL 33606
- Subculture Coffee 509 Clematis St., West Palm Beach, FL 33401
- Harold’s Coffee Lounge 509 Northwood Rd., West Palm Beach, FL 33407