In a nationwide marketing scheme, Netflix turned coffee shops in every state into a Luke’s Diner from the hit show “Gilmore Girls” in preparation for the release of the nostalgic new show.
On Oct. 5, the popular streaming site took to the streets to get the word out, or more precisely, get the coffee out. Over 200 coffee shops across the entire nation handed out free coffee to the first 200-250 customers between 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
Fargo was lucky enough to get two Luke’s Diners. Both Red Raven Espresso Parlor and 20 Below Coffee were “Gilmore Girls”-themed for a couple of hours, thrilling both devoted fans and casual watchers alike.
Each pop-up Luke’s Diner had several key components to complete the look. Luke’s signs, Luke’s aprons, Luke’s backwards caps and Luke’s coffee cups, covered in “Gilmore Girls” quotes commemorated the special occasion. All of these elements were crafted to give cafégoers the feeling of being in the remote Connecticut town Star’s Hollow, sipping coffee with that special someone.
According to 20 Below Coffee, the event was extremely successful. They sold out of the 250 signature free cups by 10:00 a.m. and customer traffic was through the roof as coffee flew across the counter and pastries were sold as fast as they could be baked.
This event wasn’t only successful for the business though, several coffee and “Gilmore Girls” fans shared their excitement over social media. College students brought their friends and moms brought their daughters to revel in the novelty that is Luke’s Diner.
Danyel Mae (@DanyelSchneider) took to Twitter and said, “It was so great to see the community up early and out on this cold morning awaiting a cup of coffee from ‘#LukesDiner’ #ilovefargo.”
Jennifer Sinski (@jennifersinski) tweeted, “Whoever at Netflix/their agency that thought of the #LukesDiner promo should get a raise for 100% understanding what millennial women want.”
Netflix’s “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” details the lives of the original “Gilmore Girls” characters several years after the series ended. Lorelei, Rory and Luke will all return along with a slew of familiar characters when the show premiers on Netflix Nov. 25.