PHILADELPHIA — The Cereologist smiles at the line of customers. In her green baseball cap and royal-blue pajamas that say "Captain of Crunch," she is poised for action.
Behind her are white glass-paneled kitchen cabinets filled with boxes of Cheerios, Life, Corn Flakes, Cocoa Puffs and other familiar brands. In front of her, in black plastic tubs, is an array of cereal toppings, from the traditional (golden raisins, dried raspberries, bananas, almonds) to the unexpected (honey-roasted sunflower seeds, triple-chocolate chips, malted milk balls).
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Tuesday December 07, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 39 words Type of Material: Correction
Cereal restaurant -- An article in Friday's Calendar section about Cereality Cereal Bar & Cafe said a pilot store opened in August 2003 at the University of Arizona in Tempe. The store was at Arizona State University in Tempe.
"Hi," she says to a customer, "my name is Sheila. How do you like your cereal?"
This is lunch rush on Wednesday -- the grand-opening of Cereality Cereal Bar & Cafe, which bills itself as the first restaurant in the country dedicated to selling cereal and cereal snacks. Forget sandwiches or salads. At $2.95 a bowl, these University of Pennsylvania students want their midday cereal fix.
In a space designed to look like home -- if your home features a flat-screen television showing cartoons and light fixtures resembling milk bottles -- customers have a choice of more than 30 cereal brands and 36 toppings. They come with an assortment of sugars and milks (including soy and chocolate- flavored, which cost extra). And they're available in cereal bars, snack mixes, granolas, parfaits and cereal-based smoothies called "Slurrealities." Customers can order a special combo or design their own.
A mathematician might be able to figure out all the possible permutations. But most people just get their usual -- perhaps with a twist.
"I'm a Life cereal addict," says Ryan McComb, who has ordered the "Life Experience," which is topped with sliced almonds, bananas and honey. "I eat six bowls of cereal a day." McComb, 22, who is preparing for dental school, later revises his estimate to "four or five." He has left his "Cereal Killer" T-shirt at home.
Philip Gommels, 21, a Penn junior majoring in politics, philosophy and economics, also has a favorite cereal. "I was intimidated by all the mixes," he says. "I don't know about mixing cereals. I got to go with straight Lucky Charms."
"I guess this is breakfast," says Seth Pross, 21, a junior biology major, who is drinking a Slurreality. "I don't usually have breakfast because I wake up pretty late. It doesn't really work out usually. Because this is on the way to some of my classes, I think I might be able to drop in and grab a bowl of cereal."
