Was it worth the hype?
Starting in 2014, the Hello Kitty Cafe Trucks, an offshoot of the Hello Kitty Cafes featured across the West Coast of the United States and Canada, have become a nationwide spectacle for Sanrio fans to behold.
These trucks travel on three routes along the east and west coasts, as well as the central United States. For one day only, these trucks stop in a city and sell Hello Kitty merchandise, ranging from snacks to blankets and water bottles.
After missing the Tyson’s Corner stop several times, my friend and I decided that this was our chance to finally experience the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck in all its glory.
Cute Trip Ideas: Hello Kitty Cafe Truck
The truck was open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. that Saturday, and we arrived a little bit before 1 p.m. My friend’s outlook on how the experience would go was a far more optimistic one than mine.
They were anticipating simply walking up to the truck, getting our merch, and then going about our day at the mall. However, due to my tendency to expect the worst, I had a vision much worse hovering in the back of my mind.
In the back of my mind, I was worried our entire day would be devoted to wasting away in the line for the truck, with all the cute merch gone by the time we reached the front of the line.
As we were driving up to park, I saw a long line, with no Hello Kitty truck in sight, and my heart sank further. My friend insisted that there was no way that was the line, but I had a feeling that it definitely was.
It was.
However, neither of those outcomes ended up happening. While we weren’t able to just walk right up to the truck, we didn’t spend the entire day waiting; we only ended up waiting about two hours.
If you end up going to the truck, I would recommend having a line buddy if you can. Being able to take a break from the line and walk around or grab food was one of the main ways our friend and I were able to stay sane while we were waiting.
2024 marked Hello Kitty’s 50th Anniversary, so much of the merch was themed around that milestone. In addition, there was also merchandise celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the Hello Kitty Cafe Trucks themselves, also in 2024.
While you can’t go to an experience like this and expect the prices to be budget-friendly, the prices of some items still caused me to raise an eyebrow. There was a “giant” cookie, only marginally larger than the average cookie, that was being sold for $16, a hoodie that was being sold for $70, and a tote bag for $40. If you’re wondering how much money you should expect to spend, I would budget the same amount you would for a concert.
I was tempted to buy the giant cookie, but ended up buying one of their 50th anniversary shirts for $30. While I can’t give a review on the taste of the cookie, I will say that the shirt is incredibly comfortable. I’ve worn it to bed almost every night since I got it last weekend.
It’s also worth mentioning that the workers were very nice. The Hello Kitty Truck gets a ten out of ten for customer service.
In a fit of irony, the line was gone by the time we made it to the front. However, despite the fact that I spent a good chunk of my Saturday afternoon in line for a t-shirt, I would say that the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck is worth it if you’re a big fan of, well, Hello Kitty.
If you have time to kill and one of the trucks is coming to a city near you, the whimsy of the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck is a nice experience overall.