Cereal out of a (fancy) shoebox: New York's latest food trend (wasteful packaging alert!)

[Liberal_in_LA]

Lots of wasteful packaging for two minutes of eating!

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A fashion retailer in – where else? – Brooklyn is turning the classic student staple of all-day cereal into a moneyspinner at a minimum $6 a pop

Cereal for dinner is comfort food. It’s a go-to for college students, anyone in the midst of a Netflix binge, and it’s a savior on days when it’s too cold to bother going to the store. It’s the easiest meal to make: just add milk. And yet this standard snack has somehow become New York’s latest food trend.

Kith Treats, the newly opened “cereal bar” in Brooklyn, is a spartan, all-white dessert cafe stuck on to the front of the high-end athletic wear and shoe store, Kith. The hip streetwear shop features a glass cabinet of sneakers atop tennis balls, and sells its own apparel line, Kith, alongside brands like Timberland, Nike and Asics.

Kith Treats presents its cereal with the same attention to detail as it does its shoes: with plenty of design flourishes. Cocoa Puffs and Frosted Flakes are sold in little silver packets. They come packaged in a shoebox, with a glass bottle of milk, that you can eat out of with a special spoon-cum-straw.

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Patrons can make their own box for $6 and choose up to two cereals ($7 for three) and one of the milk options – toppings are an additional 75 cents each. Customers can also try one of the Kith Treats combination specials, named after musicians, artists and pro BMX riders. I got the Bam Bam to go, which was designed by the rapper Action Bronson. And by designed, I mean the combination of Rice Krispies Treats, Cookie Crisp, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Kit Kat, Oreo and Marshmallow Charms was dreamed up and priced at $9.25. I also tried the Cereal Swirl, which is ice cream with crushed-up Lucky Charms and marshmallows in it ($5.50). It was delicious, like a grownup McFlurry. The barista (cerealista?) tells me a lot of the people who come in later in the day opt for the ice cream over the cereal.

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http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/aug/29/cereal-shoebox-new-york-latest-food-trend

[Lorien]

1. I guess that you really can sell *anything* to the trend conscious

what's next? Fancy packages of pork rinds and Doritos? Upscale Ramen noodles and Kraft macaroni and cheese? There really are a dozen suckers born every minute!

[LiberalElite]

3. Isn't it special? Aren't THEY special?

Well, no, they're idiots.

[MisterP]

13. don't give 'em any ideas! that's the only economy these hipsters have

[LiberalElite]

2. "A fool and his money are soon parted"

I rest my case.

[hobbit709]

15. That begs the question. How did the fool get money in the first place.

[surrealAmerican]

4. This is not a new idea.

Somebody tried to open a cereal bar here, I think about ten years ago. It didn't last more than a couple of months.

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. I have seen cereal bars where the customer eats from a bowl at the bar

This special packaging deal is new

[Gidney N Cloyd]

7. If we're talking Chicago, I kind of remember that.

I got some press attention and then thbbtt!

[surrealAmerican]

10. Yeah, that's the one.

... lots of press, a few locations, and it just plain failed.

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. 2.00 for the cereal and milk, the rest for the clever marketing.

A fool and his money, etc.

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. reminds me of something that would be served on airplane

Everything in its own lil package.

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. NYC Cereal Bar Selling $6 Servings Of Cereal You Can Buy For $5 A Box At The Store

http://consumerist.com/2015/08/26/nyc-cereal-bar-selling-6-servings-of-cereal-you-can-buy-for-5-a-box-at-the-store/

[frylock]

11. Looks like something Patrick Bateman might enjoy.

[Drahthaardogs]

12. How is cereal comfort food?

What do these people eat? I am Italo -American. We celebrate food. This is kind of sad.

[Adrahil]

14. I love cereal... Great snack!

But I'd never buy one of these... ihave a selection and roll my own.

[smirkymonkey]

16. Me too. Also half-Italian. I don't even like cereal.

Is this what they grew up on? Comfort food is pasta, or if I am really lazy a sandwich. But cereal? I didn't even like it as a kid.