Luke’s Diner in Pittsburgh: Where ‘Gilmore Girls’ fans can get coffee coffee coffee

It’s *free* from 7 a.m. to noon at Bookshelf Cafe and Big Dog Coffee.

MJ Slaby

Oct. 04, 2016, 4:15 p.m.

Chrissy Gipko didn’t know what to expect when she heard that she could get coffee from Luke’s Diner in Pittsburgh.

Neither did her friend and fellow “Gilmore Girls” fan Tara McElfresh. But as fans of the fast-talking, coffee-fueled mother-daughter duo, they were excited.

Like any “Gilmore Girls” Netflix reboot news, buzz about the one-day, pop-up coffee shops across the country serving Luke’s coffee swirled on Facebook. Links were shared. Friends tagged each other with “!!!” and questions followed.

Was it real? What could they expect? Would Luke Danes — aka Scott Patterson — actually be there in his plaid shirt and backwards baseball cap? Spoiler alert: No Luke IRL.

While Netflix — which selected the locations according to local coffee shop managers — is keeping event details as secret as the Life and Death Brigade, here’s what we know so far:

Yes. This is real.
Tomorrow — Oct. 5 — is the 16th anniversary of the first episode of “Gilmore Girls.” And, yes, that means the pilot is now as old as Rory was in that episode. It’s also the day that more than 200 coffee shops across the country will transform into Luke’s Diner, essentially creating the franchise that Richard pitched on the golf course.
In Pittsburgh, there are two Luke’s locations — Bookshelf Cafe, 1806 Chislett St. (Morningside), and Big Dog Coffee, 2717 Sarah St. (South Side Flats).
From 7 a.m. to noon there will be free coffee (while supplies last) and Gilmore-themed coffee sleeves. And possibly a few surprise prizes, too.

Jamie Dunlap, manager of Big Dog Coffee, and Jeremy Schillinger, owner of Bookshelf Cafe, said they’ve been fielding questions from fans asking to know more. But, they told The Incline, they’ve got to keep many details under wraps.

Schillinger said he knew the show was popular, but not how popular until after the event was announced.

McElfresh, 39 of Moringside, was one of the fans that called Bookshelf Cafe with questions, and although there aren’t tons of details available, she plans to go with her 12-year-old daughter Neila, who watched the series via Netflix with her mom. (Plus, McElfresh has to report back to and take pictures for Gipko, 35 of Squirrel Hill, who can’t make it.)

“Gilmore Girls” aired from 2000 to 2007. When the series was added to Netflix in October 2014, Gipko and McElfresh each re-watched the series, often catching up to each other’s binge watching.

Since they first watched, both women said they’d become moms and now related to mom Lorelai more, but said they still loved the show for its characters and their witty and fast dialogue.

Each has her own hopes for the reboot.

Gipko said she’s glad to see the actors say in interviews that it’s not important who Rory ends up with (although personally Gipko is OK if it’s Jess but will be bummed if it’s Dean.) The more important thing is where Rory is in her life, Gipko said.

Plus, McElfresh said it would be perfect timing for Rory’s work to relate to Hillary Clinton’s campaign. (Spoiler alert! In the series finale, journalist Rory prepares to cover then Sen. Barack Obama’s bid for president.)

Regardless of what actually happens in the reboot, the friends said they’ve already shuffled their day-after-Thanksgiving plans to watch the new episodes ASAP. (The new episodes come to Netflix on Nov. 25.)

And that includes not having a turkey coma from the day before, Gipko laughed.