Cheez-It Stop: A Cheddar Cracker Oasis
June 7, 2023
A Cheez-It pop-up stand has taken over a gas station in Joshua Tree. For one week (June 5th-June 11th), the desert is becoming a cheddar cracker oasis. This must be the summer road trip that the Cheez-It social media accounts have been hyping up the past few weeks. Appropriately named Cheez-It Stop, this is a must see stop for any cheddar cracker enthusiast.
At the entrance is a sign showing off the snack’s new slogan, “Want it. Need it. Cheez-It.”. Cacti surrounding the sign have been topped with Cheez-It crackers. There must be a protective coating on those crackers to withstand the wind that is common around the area. A guest’s hat flew off her head while I was there but the crackers remained still.
Yellow diamonds cover the edges of the sidewalk. On closer inspection each diamond is actually a painting of a Cheez-It cracker. These paintings are scattered throughout the walls and fixtures of the rest stop.
Visitors are immediately greeted with a map and a series of Cheez-it themed benches to enjoy a snack. I should have checked the napkins at the tables to see if there was anything printed on them. The napkin holders were designed to look like Cheez-It crackers.
Immediately to the right of the entrance is an information desk handing out brown paper bags with Cheez-It themed stickers plastered on them. The bags are to be used on the highlight of the experience, the Cheez-It Pump. Beyond the information desk is a van that doubles as a photo booth. For the sake of the privacy of people waiting in line, I did not take any pictures of the photo booth.
Wait times were not an issue at Cheez-It Stop. There was a steady flow of guests. Perhaps Cheez-It Stop was a bigger success than the PR team was expecting. Although the shop containing Cheez-It merchandise looked full, it was apparent that most of the inventory had been wiped out. A sheet of paper near the cash register had a list of items with 10 items marked as sold out. On the bright side, most of the merchandise is available online, but it would have been nice to pick up a key chain, bandanna and shot glass.
Thankfully, the exclusive Cheez-It Stop shirt was still in stock. It features a pack of wolves howling at a giant Cheez-It cracker instead of the moon. With word spreading about Cheez-It Stop and people driving in from Texas and Arizona, I hope that there is a new shipment of merch to get through the weekend. Rumor has it that hard to find Cheez-It flavors were also supposed to be available for purchase, but all I found were standard boxes.
Walking out of the store and facing Twentynine Palms Highway you can see Big Josh, a twenty-foot-tall statue that is a fixture of the gas station, holding a gas pump that has been painted red. The Cheez-It logo is prominently displayed on the center of it. Prop cars are at the gas pumps. A van at the corner of the gas station is parked next to the best part about Cheez-It Stop, the Cheez-It Pump.
The Cheez-It Pump is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a giant pump that dispenses bags of Cheez-It crackers. This is where those paper bags that the information desk comes into play. The pump attendant will catch the bags that shoot out and even toss in a few extra bags. Depending on how many people you drive up to Cheez-It Stop with you may be leaving with a box worth of crackers for free.
Actually, aside from the merchandise available for sale, the experience was free. No charge for the photo booth. Free parking. No fee to enter. Cheez-It Stop is a great time and worth checking out if you can make the drive out there. It is open from 10 AM - 6 PM until Sunday, June 11th. Set your GPS destination with this address, 61943 Twentynine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree, CA 92252.
Here are some additional photos from inside the store:
