I went to Mimi's

I won’t bury the lede: Mimi’s was good.

Here’s what was in my cup: approximately 11 ounces of signature tart and chocolate froyo topped with rainbow sprinkles, cookie dough, Nutella, and pistachio cream. Simple. For $13 ($1.20/ounce) that could be yours, too.

Mimi’s is reminiscent of the 16 Handles and Pinkberry trips I grew up taking as a kid. They’re reinforcing (not bringing back, because real froyo fans never stopped going to 16 Handles) the self-serve frozen yogurt tactic, sporting six (or eight? I can’t remember exactly) flavors and an assortment of toppings ranging from sauces—Nutella, olive oil, honey, peanut butter, if Nutella and peanut butter can be considered sauces—to fruits like kiwi, strawberries, and blueberries, to classic toppings like chocolate chips, Oreos, and brownie bites. They have something for everyone, which is why there’s a line out the door for it.

I’ll get into more on lines in a second. First, I’ll tell you again: Mimi’s was good. The tart flavor (obviously their most popular) was great, and I liked it more than the chocolate flavor, which says a lot if you know how much I like chocolate. I’d go back just to get the tart. (I’ll note here that I’ve also tried Culture’s flavored frozen yogurt, and I think what Mimi’s does better is capture the flavor they say the froyo is. Culture’s Nutella didn’t really taste like Nutella; Mimi’s chocolate definitely tasted like chocolate.) My topping choices were simple because I think if you do frozen yogurt well enough, we shouldn’t need to drown it under the toppings. The Nutella was good, because it’s Nutella. The pistachio cream was nice but would be better if there was a crunchy element to it (throw some pistachios in there!); the cookie dough was smooth and creamy, which I enjoyed. Like I said, Mimi’s was good. Was it groundbreaking? I don’t think so. But I’d go back.

And sure, I’d wait in the line. And if you wouldn’t, that’s okay. Let’s talk about it.

I’ve come across countless videos on the internet about the so-called “line epidemic” plaguing New York City right now. Sure, tons of restaurants and casual food establishments are turning up lines of people spanning whole city blocks and turning corners. Sure, sometimes it really is pretty crazy.

But really, New York City has always had lines. At hot dog carts, outside Broadway shows, at Supreme on Bowery, for artist album signings at Complex. For restaurants small, large, casual, fine dining. I stand by my previous remarks that apps like Resy and OpenTable have ruined the reservation scene and created an urgency where there is not one, and I agree that there are hundreds of small local businesses that deserve to have lines around their entrances, too. But, in truth, many places that end up with lines are also small businesses. Yes, there are the mainstream ones that need less love than they’re getting, but some of the local shops are getting love from lines, too.

Still, waiting in line on the roped-off corner of Lafayette Street, I heard multiple passersby saying things like “This is crazy” and “It better be that good” as they walked blocks beyond Mimi’s, probably never to go inside. Even after I’d finished my froyo and thrown the cup away, I entered the B train station and overhead a woman talking to her friend: “It’s like, it’s a yogurt shop. Come on, guys. You don’t need yogurt that bad.”

And maybe she’s right. Or, maybe she doesn’t need yogurt that bad. And maybe someone waiting in line—maybe even me!—did. (And let’s be real, most people who complain about the lines aren’t then going to a local shop to offset the effects of the line epidemic. They’re complaining for complaining’s sake.)

Maybe I am just having a beautiful day and feeling unbothered and loving my life, but the discourse on the “line epidemic” in New York City strikes me as, simply put, hater energy. People want something to be mad about, so they’re mad about the lines.

The beauty of a line, though, is that you get to choose if you want to get on it.

So, if you think it’s crazy to wait on line outside of Mimi’s, then just don’t. Let the people who want to wait on the lines wait without making it seem like they’re single-handedly ruining the world and food culture by doing it.

New York City’s food culture has been changed and ruined time and time again by hundreds of gentrifiers and transplants and people with no respect for the culture. I understand, and I actively complain about it.

And also, I waited on the line at Mimi’s for less than 10 minutes. Why? Because I wanted frozen yogurt and also wanted a beautiful end to a beautiful day. And you know what, I got it. Can’t we just let people have that?

A line screams the opposite of urgency: People have the time to wait. In a city full of people always in a rush, that’s invaluable.

If you have a problem with the lines in New York City, I get it. And also, just don’t wait in them. There is an abundance in this city—of food, of lines, of people who want to eat. The lines can coexist with the people who hate them. There’s a duality in that way. We can let everyone love the things they want to love, and also, we can do our part to highlight the businesses that need it.

In that vein, I’ll share a small ice cream shop I really love: Jane’s Ice Cream in Prospect Park South. It’s attached to my favorite coffee shop and has great flavors and is very affordable.

You know what else it has? A line of moms and dads and kids flowing in from the dance studio down the street. Duality.