The Dreamsicle Cream Soda is served, seat-belted in, in a convertible car at the Malibu Barbie Cafe pop-up experience at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Shari L. Gross/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS
Becky Brown is on the themed pop-up circuit. As a chef, it’s an unusual path, but a creatively lucrative one.
“I’ve done a ‘Harry Potter’ dinner. I’ve done a ‘Game of Thrones’-themed dinner. I’ve done ‘Bridgerton.’ I don’t really know how I ended up getting into this,” said the Los Angeles-based “Master Chef” alum.
Still, she’s delighted to be cooking in TV Land.
“I love it because I get an opportunity to do something new and it really flexes my creative muscles,” Brown said. “With a lot of restaurants, you have a set menu and you just do it over and over again, and you kind of perfect it, but I love doing something fresh and different.”
And there’s nothing fresher than a 64-year-old doll. With Barbie-mania in full force thanks to Greta Gerwig’s summer blockbuster movie — and a positive, love-yourself reframing of Barbie’s role in young girls’ lives — Minneapolis is one of three cities breaking the fourth wall by allowing fans not just to play with toys, but to eat like one.
And what better place to do it than in a mall?
Malibu Barbie Cafe opened at the Mall of America in October, and will run through mid-January, after successful limited runs in New York and Chicago. With a very pink, California-inspired menu by Brown, the cafe gives Barbie fans the chance to dine in a details-heavy Barbie World. (In other words, there are tons of selfie options.)
“We’re bringing Malibu to Minnesota, engaging that California lifestyle,” said Michael Corrigan, a spokesman for Bucket Listers, the production company behind the pop-up.
This is the largest of the three Malibu Barbie Cafes, coming in at 13,000 square feet over three levels on the outer edge of Nickelodeon Universe, a bubble-gum wonderland among the roller coasters.
There’s a small roller rink and it costs only $1 on top of the meal/admission to go for a spin, with all proceeds going to the YWCA Minneapolis’ Girls Inc. program. Photo spaces abound, but are strategically placed around the rooms, away from the tables so Instagrammers don’t disturb diners. There’s a hot pink swing chair, a full-size Barbie box, an exhibit on the history of Barbie, lots of references to “beach” and, of course, a gift shop with exclusive merchandise.
Inspirational messages like “Confidence is the best accessory” are imprinted on bathroom walls and throughout the cafe.
“Details matter,” Corrigan said. “As times have changed it’s important that everyone see themselves as Barbie.”
Then there’s the food, raising the question: If Barbie could eat, what would she have?
“Malibu Barbie is very accepting. She’s very fun. She knows that she wants to have a great meal, but also wants to be approachable for everybody,” Brown said. “When we were creating the menu, we were creating this updated dinner vibe a little bit, but with a California touch.”
An entree is included in the price of admission, and runs the gamut from pink confetti pancakes and a Mission-style breakfast burrito to a double smashburger (topped in a pink “secret” sauce) and a vegan cauliflower bowl. The menu can be augmented with a la carte offerings such as fruit skewers with yogurt dip, and beet hummus in Barbie’s favorite color. Glitter is used liberally as a garnish.
Desserts are large-format, including a Barbie yacht that has colorful cupcakes instead of plastic passengers. A convertible is the vessel for an orange Dreamsicle float.
