Lady M Cakes Opens, Then Closes Due to Insane Lines

By Betty Richardson

Layered cakes and notoriously long lines – two things that come to mind when we think about New York dessert export Lady M. Following the success of their boutiques in Hong Kong and Taiwan, they've cut the ribbon on their first Mainland branch in the basement of Lujiazui's glitzy IFC mall. 

Open for just three days, Shanghai's eager beavers are already lining up in droves for a taste of Lady M's mille crêpes (literally, 20 gossamer thin layers of pancake cemented with flavored cream). 

But thanks to the insanely long lines, the shop was forced to shut down this afternoon.

According to The Paper, local police stopped by the shop at around 3.30pm today because not enough crowd control measures appeared to be in place. For safety and security reasons, the shop was then ordered to close, with police reportedly telling the owners they couldn't operate until proper security measures were put in place.

While the closure is said to be temporary, it's unclear if the shop will open up again tomorrow.

Being extremely disinclined to wait hours for a single piece of cake, your That's correspondents have taken the easy route and done some detective work on Chinese listing app/website Dianping to unearth the essentials on Lady M's opening, along with some amusing anecdotes from the poor souls who have actually been and got the badge. One reviewer remarked that if he wanted to come for afternoon tea, then he'd "better arrive by 8am" – tempting!

1. There's a line of over 40 people before the store opens at 10am. (That reviewer didn't get their takeout cakes until 11.50am.) One potential customer who had been waiting for over five hours since 8am earlier this morning grew so impatient that she eventually gave up her spot, The Paper reports.

2. There are two lines: a slower-moving one for dining in; and a faster one for take out. Both lines stretch into the Lujiazui metro station. 

Image via Dianping

3. If you want your cake to take out, you're only allowed to buy six pieces of it. 

4. There are 12 different kinds available for purchase, including cheesecakes, sponges and Lady M's signature mille crêpes. Matcha mille crêpe seems to be the current favorite. 

5. Each slice costs RMB75. 

6. The line closes at 1pm (this rule may only apply for the initial opening period.) Some Dianping reviewers are particularly displeased about this one. 

7. But don't worry, because there are already scalpers selling slices of cake minus the wait. For a price, mind you. Some huangniu are charging as much as RMB90 to wait in line for you, The Paper reports.

Want the scalpers to buy the cake for you too, while they're at it? That'll set you back RMB180 per slice, and RMB160 per slice if you buy three. Some scalpers have been lining up as early as 3am to guarantee their spot in the queue."

Sounds like we need to schedule our Lady M visit after the initial opening rush has died down. Or just go eat the matcha mille crêpe at Chikalicious. 

Lady M. LG2-22, Shanghai IFC Mall, 8 Shiji Dadao, by Dongtai Lu 世纪大道8号国金中心商场,LG2-22,近东台路

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