Americans are paying people to wait in line for TikTok-famous food

People desperate to try viral food items are going so far as to pay others to wait in line for them at shops and restaurants.

Line sitting, also called line waiting or line standing, has been a common practice in big cities like Los Angeles and New York, where people pay others to wait in line for tickets, the latest iPhone or a table at a popular restaurant, Eater reported.

The practice is more popular now than ever because of social media, Robert Samuel, a professional line sitter and founder of the professional line-waiting company Same Ole Line Dudes in New York, told Eater.

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"It’s always been a thing, but I think social media makes it bigger than it used to be," Samuel said. 

"That's why there's more people out there doing it. I blame TikTok more than any other platform."

One of the earliest viral food crazes to fuel Samuel's business was the cronut – a revolutionary pastry that combines a croissant with a doughnut.

"We had a client who wanted to impress these businesspeople visiting from Japan," he told Eater. "They wanted to close a deal with something they'd never seen before, and I guess that was cronuts. They sent six of our [line sitters] to get a dozen, because you can only buy so many per person at a time."

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Today, Samuel said Same Ole Line Dudes employs about 35 line sitters who take requests in New York and beyond "for anything that requires a wait."

Dot cakes from Manhattan's Butterfield Market have taken social media by storm. They're single-serving cakes topped with a thick layer of icing and covered with tiny sprinkles called nonpareils.

The colorful cakes have become a viral sensation on TikTok and Instagram, with customers posting videos of long lines outside the Upper East Side grocery store.

"We had a customer who wanted two [dot cakes] of every flavor, so she hired five line sitters," Samuel told Eater.

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Same Ole Line Dudes requires customers to book a minimum of two hours for $50. It charges $25 for each additional hour and $15 for a half-hour add-on, according to the company's website. Rates vary depending on inclement weather, rush orders and the type of service.

TaskRabbit is another company that connects people with line sitters, and there are more than 4,900 line-sitting "taskers" available in New York City, Eater reported.

"People are chasing the high of novel new things and experiences, and food always seems to be at the center of that, particularly when there's an exclusivity angle to it," David Henkes, senior principal and head of strategic partnerships for Chicago-based food service consultant firm Technomic, told Fox News Digital.

"Largely, I suspect, due to social media, but regardless, this trend of line sitting reflects this continued consumer demand for newness, while also exposing the realities of the economy today," Henkes added.

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"People are time-strapped and, particularly [those with] higher incomes, are willing to pay more for experiences but don't want to go through the hassle of waiting. Obviously, not everyone can afford sitters, so this is really mostly for those with money but not time, widening small gaps in access to cool experiences."