A gaggle of Gilmore Girls fans swarmed to a Little Rock coffee shop Wednesday morning for a one-time-only chance to visit the show's homey hangout spot, Luke's Diner.
Like more than 200 places across the country, Andina Cafe & Coffee Roastery at 433 E. 3rd St. temporarily transformed into the diner to serve free 12-ounce cups of coffee from 7 a.m. until noon.
Netflix is footing the bill to promote the anticipated series reboot, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, set to stream on the site in November.
Though the original show ended more than eight years ago, the fandom lives on. Several people donned backwards baseball caps and flannels to pay homage to the surly diner owner, Luke Danes. A cluster of friends near the front of the line woke up at 5.am. to drive 50 minutes from Harding University to get there, said 22-year-old Hannah Wagner.
Sipping coffee at Luke's is "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Wagner said. She said she because became obsessed with the show after watching it every day after school.
Erin Valentine and her mother, Shari, said they chose to come because they bonded over Gilmore Girls when Erin went off to college. The series, which focuses on a close-knit mother and daughter, often prompted conversations between them, Erin said, especially about the show's numerous heartthrob boyfriends.
Jack Grundfest, one of the only men in a crowd of dozens of women, said he showed up because his 28-year-old niece asked him. She's a major fan who lives in Washington, D.C., and could not make it to a Luke's near her, Grundfest said, so he's snapping pictures and reporting back.
For some, the appeal was as simple as free coffee and a chance to relive a show they loved. Felicia Spencer said she remembers watching the series when she was younger and wanting to go to Luke's Diner.
"I liked how he did business," Spencer said.
