Though unreported in The Daily Northwestern police blotter, cereal theft has long plagued campus dining halls. Students craving a quick fix smuggle mixes of their favorite brands for consumption after-hours.
One company is cashing in on such cereal fanatics. Cereality Cereal Bar & Caf�, 100 S. Wacker Dr., the newest adventure in concept dining, opened its third franchise in Chicago’s business district last week after successful locations at Arizona State University and the University of Pennsylvania. The fast-food joint offers comfort food in more than 30 flavors and an assortment of toppings and hopes to prove that Trix aren’t “just for kids.”
A sign in the store window says, “95% of Americans like cereal. 57% like sex. We’ve got cereal.”
Communication junior and self-proclaimed “plain cereal fan” Lauren Lindner found exactly what she liked at Cereality.
“I liked sitting by the Chicago River, eating Cheerios,” she said.
Medill junior Gemma Mangione also said she enjoyed the new restaurant.
“Cereal is healthier than your average muffin or bagel,” she said. “It’s a good breakfast place and convenient for businesspeople.”
For less than the cost of a dining-hall block meal, customers can dine either “Our Way,” with store-recommended mixes, or “Your Way,” creating their own concoctions with hot or cold cereal options.
Customers who prefer healthy foods might try the “Life Experience” (Life cereal, fresh bananas, almonds and honey), and those with a sweet tooth can order the “Devil Made Me Do It” (Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms laced with chocolate malt balls).
“I was torn between ‘Devil Made Me Do It’ and ‘PB+B Crunch’ (Cap’n Crunch, Peanut Butter Bumpers, raisins, bananas and chocolate), but I chose ‘PB+B’ since I can eat peanut butter anytime of the day, ” Mangione said.
And beyond bowls, Cereality also offers a variety of baked items, parfaits and cereal-enriched smoothies called “slurrealities.”
“My favorite cereal is Honey Bunches of Oats — before it gets soggy,” said Communication senior Lizzie Levin. “Maybe if it were in a smoothie it wouldn’t get soggy. I generally put Apple Jacks in my soft serve frozen yogurt.”
Pajama-clad Cereologists prepare the goods while customers recline and watch Saturday morning cartoons on plasma screen TVs.
Cereality is open from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. It can be reached by El from the Wells stop on the Brown, Green and Orange lines.
Reach Lindsay Meck at [email protected].
