The Foods That Became Famous After Appearing on TV

Television has a funny way of sneaking into the kitchen. A character takes one bite of something on screen, the scene goes viral, and suddenly grocery stores and bakeries can’t keep up with demand.

Some of these foods were already around for decades before their big moment. Others were barely known outside a single city or country, until a hit show put them in front of millions of viewers at once.

Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes

In a 2000 episode of Sex and the City, Carrie and Miranda sat outside Magnolia Bakery in Manhattan’s West Village, chatting over frosted cupcakes. That short scene turned the small bakery into a destination almost overnight.

Lines stretched down Bleecker Street, and tour buses began making stops. The moment is widely credited with kicking off the cupcake craze of the 2000s, when specialty cupcake shops popped up in cities across the country.

Chocolate Babka

Seinfeld fans know babka thanks to the 1994 episode “The Dinner Party.” Jerry and Elaine scramble to bring a chocolate babka to a party, only to settle for a cinnamon one that Elaine famously calls the “lesser babka.”

The swirled, buttery Eastern European bread had long been a staple in Jewish bakeries. After the episode, it gained a much wider following, and chocolate babka still shows up on bakery menus with nods to the show.

Cherry Pie

When Twin Peaks premiered in 1990, FBI agent Dale Cooper couldn’t stop raving about the cherry pie and “damn fine” coffee at the town’s local diner. His enthusiasm turned a simple slice of pie into a symbol of the show.

The real diner used for filming in North Bend, Washington, became a pilgrimage site for fans. Visitors still travel there to order pie and coffee in honor of Agent Cooper.

Eggo Waffles

In Stranger Things, Eleven’s love for Eggo frozen waffles became one of the show’s most memorable running jokes. Fans quickly started buying boxes for watch parties and recreating her favorite snack at home.

The show gave the brand a big burst of nostalgia and attention. Kellogg’s later leaned into the connection with marketing tie-ins, and the waffles found a whole new generation of fans.

Italian Beef Sandwiches

The Bear, which premiered in 2022, follows a chef running his family’s Chicago sandwich shop. The show’s focus on Chicago’s classic Italian beef, thinly sliced roast beef soaked in seasoned juice and piled onto a roll with peppers, sparked fresh interest far beyond the city.

Mr. Beef, the real Chicago shop used for exterior shots, saw crowds of fans lining up to try the sandwich. Restaurants in other cities also began adding Italian beef to their menus.

Dalgona Candy

Squid Game introduced the world to dalgona, a crunchy Korean honeycomb candy made from melted sugar and baking soda. In the show, players had to carve out a shape stamped into the candy without breaking it.

After the series became a global hit in 2021, people everywhere tried making the candy at home. Street vendors in Seoul reported huge spikes in customers wanting to try the challenge themselves.

Dalgona Coffee

The whipped coffee trend of early 2020 also traces back to television. On a South Korean TV show, actor Jung Il-woo tried a frothy coffee drink and compared its taste to dalgona candy, giving it the name that stuck.

Weeks later, with millions stuck at home during the pandemic, the drink exploded on social media. Whipping instant coffee, sugar, and hot water into a fluffy cream and spooning it over milk became a worldwide quarantine ritual.

Pink Sprinkled Donuts

Homer Simpson’s love of donuts made the pink-frosted, sprinkle-covered version an instant cartoon icon. The bright pink donut became one of the most recognizable foods in TV history.

In 2007, to promote The Simpsons Movie, 7-Eleven turned several stores into real-life Kwik-E-Marts and sold pink sprinkled donuts. Fans lined up for the chance to grab one, and the design remains a bakery favorite today.