One of the world’s most iconic cats — Sanrio’s Hello Kitty — will make a temporary home at Fashion Place Mall in Murray on Saturday.
The Hello Kitty Cafe truck — one of two touring the United States — will land, selling merchandise featuring the famous cat character, at Fashion Place Mall, 6191 S. State St., Murray, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“It’s just a way for us to reach everyone and not have them come all the way to California,” said Urania Chien, managing partner for the trucks — which are an extension of the Hello Kitty Grand Cafe, in the Sanrio store in Irvine, in California’s Orange County.
At the Irvine location, Chien said, “we serve fresh hot donuts there, and fresh lemonade. In the daytime, it’s an afternoon tea salon, and at night, we have a speakeasy, like a Hello Kitty cocktail bar.”
It is not feasible, Chien said, to pour cocktails or lemonade on the cafe truck — but it will serve rainbow macarons in five flavors, each decorated with Hello Kitty’s signature red bow. The truck also will serve madeleines, mini-cakes and hand-decorated cookies, including a three-piece set and a giant “chef cookie.”
The truck also sells food-adjacent Hello Kitty merchandise, such as lunchboxes, cookie plushes, thermal cups and drink mugs that are only available from the truck.
There is a limit of how many items a customer can buy of some items. Part of that is because of the limited inventory on the truck, Chien said, but also because Sanrio fans tend to be collectors — and often have a budget beyond your average kid’s weekly allowance.
“We always say her fans are from four to forever,” Chien said. “She’s been around for more than 40 years. There are so many Hello Kitty fans across the United States, and they range from all the ages — from millennial moms and even young grandmothers who grew up with her.”
The truck accepts credit cards, but not cash. It will be parked in the mall courtyard, near Red Rock Brewing. You can follow the truck’s route on Facebook (@Hellokittycafetruck), Instagram (@hellokittycafetruck) and Twitter (@HKCafeTruck).
