Cheetos-Inspired Restaurant Is a Hit Among Orange-Fingered Fans

David Shifren likes Cheetos. No, David Shifren really, really, really loves Cheetos. On a Thursday night, standing on the sidewalk in Tribeca, the 37-year-old lawyer was wearing an orange T-shirt, a cheetah-print hat, and a cheetah-print tail—proof of his all-consuming passion for what he described as “cheesy, crunchy deliciousness.”

He’d just emerged from the Spotted Cheetah, the Cheetos-sponsored restaurant that was finishing out the final night of its three-day run as a popup this week. With a comfort-food menu developed by Food Network personality Anne Burrell, the Spotted Cheetah was serving Cheetos-crusted fried pickles, spicy Cheetos nachos, white cheddar Mac ‘n’ Cheetos, “dangerously cheesy” meatballs, and Cheetos Sweetos crusted cheesecake. When news broke of the popup’s existence, the online reservation system filled up almost instantly, with 1,000 people rumored to be on a wait list.