The Long Lines of NYC

**Brian Lehrer** (0:10)
Brian Lehrer on WNYC. And to end the show today, let's talk about lines, not the ones from Geometry Class. The ones snaking down the sidewalks all over town as we wait to buy whatever has been deemed unmissable this week, be it frozen yogurt or pizza or what have you. New Yorkers have always stood online, and remember we say online in New York, not in line, for something or other, but lately the lines seem more numerous.
And to those not on TikTok, probably more random. This phenomenon happens to be the cover story of this week's New York Magazine, and its author, features writer Brock Colyar, joins me now to talk about why this is happening and why the wait might not be about what you get to purchase at the end, at least not solely about that, or as much as having waited for it. Hey Brock, welcome back to the show.

**Brock Colyar** (1:03)
Hi Brian, thanks so much for having me.

**Brian Lehrer** (1:05)
So your cover story this week asks, what are we waiting for? Could you rattle off some of the many lines you joined in reporting this story? What's hot?

**Brock Colyar** (1:14)
Oh my gosh, there are so many lines across the city. People are waiting for frozen yogurt. The frozen yogurt lines are really the strongest this summer, but also pizza and katsu sandwiches and ice cream and Swedish candy. I mean, it seems like almost everywhere you turn in the city, especially across the Brooklyn waterfront and downtown, people are waiting in a million lines for a million different viral snacks.

**Brian Lehrer** (1:42)
So listeners, tell us your waiting online story. What were you last online for? For something special? Not at the post office or the DMV, something special, right? What led you to wait for frozen yogurt or whatever it is, when maybe those aren't the most exotic things in the world? 212-433-WNYC, tell us your waiting online story. Or maybe you work at a place where there weren't always these lines, but all of a sudden, holy moly, it's going around the corner.
212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692, call or text with your waiting online stories. What's TikTok's role in this?

**Brock Colyar** (2:28)
I mean, I think TikTok basically functions these days kind of like how Yelp used to function. I think a lot of people use it as kind of a guide to what they should be eating or drinking in the city, and it can really blow these places up. I talked to several business owners who own businesses that are kind of known for their lines, and it's a mixed blessing. I mean, I think on the one hand, if a TikTok is made about your business, it means that you can make good business. I talked to the owner of Butterfield Market on the Upper East Side who sold 40,000 cups of frozen yogurt in the month of June alone.
So there's perks to TikTok, and of course, it can also be a bit of a hassle. So many of these businesses have had to learn how to manage the lines. I talked to one business who got so overwhelmed, they had to ask the creator of a TikTok about them to take TikTok down because they simply could not meet demand. So TikTok, I think, is really powering so much of this.

**Brian Lehrer** (3:35)
Yeah, and even Saturday Night Live did a skit about our lines. Here's the 30-second bit.

**Brock Colyar** (3:54)
Isn't New York amazing?

**SPEAKER_4** (3:55)
Where else can you look up trends on TikTok and then go?

**Brian Lehrer** (4:15)
Tells the story, right, kind of? Yes.

**Brock Colyar** (4:17)
Yes.

**Brian Lehrer** (4:18)
Well, while it mocks it.

**Brock Colyar** (4:20)
Yes, I talked to Chloe Feynman, whose idea it was to make that video, and you know, what was funny to me is, you know, the kind of gist of that skit is at the end, you've waited all this time for kind of an OK dollar slice of pizza, and something I enjoyed that she told me is that she actually loves all of these lines, and she thinks all the product at the end of them is usually worth it. So I do think that was one discrepancy between my story and the skit.

**Brian Lehrer** (4:49)
That's funny. Well, what about for a meh dollar slice of pizza? Or you mentioned Butterfield Market. That was going to be my anecdote, because I happened to pass by there recently, and I saw a long line for frozen yogurt.
And my theory was it had something to do with the Dubai chocolate topping that they were offering as one of the options. But I mean, it's not like frozen yogurt is anything new. So what is it? Is it that a food influencer on TikTok says, hey, I was at this place, and I had this thing, and it was really good, and suddenly people are flocking there for that reason?