If you’re a fan of Hello Kitty, you must check out the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck Experience!
I have been a huge fan of Hello Kitty (Sanrio) since my Valley Elementary School Days. S/o out all of my Valley Vikings! Those of you from Birmingham may remember a place called Christy’s Pals in the Riverchase Galleria back in the late 80’s maybe early 90’s. That’s where we would get all of our Hello Kitty/Sanrio essentials.
Those cute little transparent boxes that we would place at the corner of our desk, erasers, pencils, notepads, you name it! That’s also where my love for all things Sanrio began (My Melody, Little Twin Stars, Keroppi)…but my whole heart has always been for Hello Kitty! So much so, one year at cheer camp I decorated my room Hello Kitty. That also filtered over to my college years in the dorm.
When I found out the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck was making a stop in my city (Birmingham, AL), I knew I had to make a stop!
A little about the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck:
The original Hello Kitty Cafe Truck, launched at Hello Kitty Con 2014, began as a sweet idea to offer super cute treats to fans in Southern California. Today, there are two Hello Kitty Cafe Trucks bringing smiles and treats to fans and friends across the US!
There is a difference between the actual Hello Kitty Cafe Truck, Hello Kitty Cafe, and the Hello Kitty Grand Cafe.
The HK Grand Cafe menu features baked and seasonal goodies (cookies, cakes, donuts), hot and cold drinks, merch, and a seating area. There is also a room called The Bow Room (THE cutest) where you can enjoy Afternoon Tea and Cocktail Service.
The HK Cafe features baked and seasonal goodies (cookies, cakes, donuts), and hot and cold drinks.
If you’re in California, you get the full experience including the Mini Cafe at Victoria Gardens, Pop-Up Container at Fashion Valley, and the Mini Cafe at Santana Row. You can follow the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck here and find out the scheduled stops here.
The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck Stop in Birmingham
I just thought I would share my honest opinion of my Hello Kitty Cafe Truck experience. First of all, I thought it was going to be a true café truck with hot coffee, tea, bagels, lattes, frappuccinos, muffins, and more. Not the case. This was partly my fault because I should have done my research to know the difference first.
I’ll share the cons first:
- No Hello Kitty sighting: don’t expect for Hello Kitty to pop out of the truck to greet you or serve you a hot cup of cocoa. Perhaps it varies from state to state (based on Instagram photos), but she did not come to our Birmingham stop. You can keep hope alive for the kiddos just in case she does make an appearance. There were, however, children expressing their disappointment about them not being able to see Hello Kitty in the
flesh“fur”. That quickly changed once they made it to the front of the line where they got to pick out all sorts of fun treats and merchandise to show their friends. - Longest line ever. I waited in line for well over an hour. I enjoyed seeing so many kids dressed from head to toe in their Hello Kitty fashions (including sparkly “pink” headbands and Hello Kitty boots). I was prepared to wait.
- No hot and cold drinks, only bottled water. They only had a few baked treats.
- Sold OUT of items way too soon. Within 30 minutes, items were already sold out.
PROS
The truck was super cute and Hello Kitty never disappoints when it comes to merch! They had t-shirts, water bottles, bags, etc.
I settled on a super cute coffee mug with a bow handle and water bottles. The treats were too expensive and way too cute to eat. Just being honest. They did give me a cute complimentary pin as well as stickers.
That was my experience! Would I stop at the HK truck again? Only if the line was less than 5 minutes long and I just want to pick up some cute merchandise. I do plan on visiting the Grand Cafe when I’m in California. If you’re gonna do it…might as well do it big, right?
Have you visited the Hello Kitty Cafe or a Hello Kitty Cafe Truck stop? I would love to hear about your experience!
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