(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — As "brat summer" comes to an end, a coffee shop in Central Illinois is buzzing with excitement after getting a visit from the "brat" queen herself last week.
Ty Paluska says seeing a celebrity in his Peoria, Illinois coffee shop, Intuition Coffee, was not on his 2024 bingo card.
"Everyone that wasn't working thought it was a joke,” Paluska said.
Paluska described the moment his baristas told him that English singer-songwriter and founder of "brat summer" Charli XCX was at Intuition Coffee.
"And then I checked our security cameras, and I was like, and realized that it was not a joke.... She came in just ordered an avocado toast and a cold brew and sat down like a normal person."
Paluska said she was in town rehearsing for her "Sweat Tour," which she's co-headlining with Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan, who also made an appearance at the shop a couple of times.
He says the staff made it a point not to post about the "brat" icon on social media until after she left Peoria.
"Our team was, like, amazing enough to like, give her the respect to not post anything about it. I think they all just wanted to respect her privacy in hopes that she might keep coming back. And sure enough, she came back five days in a row."
The singer took time to thank the staff for respecting her privacy.
"She was like, ‘Thank you for not posting this everywhere, and like letting me just come and enjoy myself.’ So I think she definitely appreciated the fact that we were trying to keep, you know, low profile."
He says he's hoping that good service pays off.
"A bunch of our team is going to see her play in Chicago on the 30th and there everyone is dreaming about her giving a shout out to her barista, or something."
Customers can now order the “BRAT Toast” – the avocado toast – which was renamed to commemorate the shop’s brush with fame.
Charli XCX and Sivan are performing in Chicago on Sept. 30.
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