Americans Hire $50 Line Sitters for Viral TikTok Food as Dot Cakes Fuel Demand

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 24

$50 for two hours is the starting price New Yorkers are paying professional line sitters to secure viral food items, with Dot Cakes at Butterfield Market driving the latest rush.
TikTok and Instagram have turned long waits into a paid service, line-sitting founder Robert Samuel said, as customers chase scarce, buzzy foods without spending hours in line themselves.
35 line sitters now work for Same Ole Line Dudes, and one customer hired five of them to buy two Dot Cakes of every flavor; extra time costs $25 an hour.
4,900-plus line-sitting taskers are listed on TaskRabbit in New York City, reflecting a broader market for outsourced waiting at restaurants, product launches and food crazes.
Analyst David Henkes said the trend blends social-media-driven novelty with a time squeeze, letting higher-income consumers buy access to exclusive experiences while widening smaller gaps in who gets them.