Gal’s girls turned out in force for a watch party celebrating the hottest reality show of the summer: “Love Island USA.”
While the Season 8 Islanders and late-arriving “bombshells” remain cut off from the outside world in a Fiji villa with no phones or social media, one Venice, California, café is cashing in on the frenzy.
Saba Surf Cafe, owned by Season 8 contestant Gal Tshnieder, drew more than 100 “Love Island USA” fans who lined up for coffee, merch and a communal viewing of the hit dating series, with lines stretching out the door.
“I’m super excited to be here. I’d heard about the coffee shop before because I have a few friends that live in the area and I’ve been meaning to come down here and check it out,” Claire Belhamer, who made the hour-long trek all the way from Pasadena, told The California Post.
“And as soon as I watched the show and heard Gal describe it, I knew exactly what coffee shop it was, and I saw that they had watch parties.”
For those not in the know, the reality dating competition follows single “Islanders” living in an isolated, luxurious villa to find romance. To stay on the show, contestants must “couple up,” surviving regular recouplings and bombshell arrivals before winning a cash prize of up to $100,000 based on public votes.
The hit reality phenomenon pits young singles against a gauntlet of temptations, games, and elimination ceremonies. Tshnieder, or as America knows him, Gal, entered the villa as one of the temptations for the girls.
“I definitely started watching Love Island, saw Gal on there, and looked up the coffee shop and was like, that’s 15 minutes from my place. I should go check it out,” Rachael Chang said. “I mean, that’s pretty good publicity right there.”
The California-based surf lifestyle brand and cafe is co-owned by Tshnieder and his ex-girlfriend, Laura Quintana. They operate a flagship surf shop and coffee bar located at 12912 Venice Blvd. in West Los Angeles. The brand originally began as an online and local surf wax business in 2022 before expanding into a broader retail and community hub.
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The show — and the clips circulating online after Tshnieder mentioned it — have generated significant buzz, prompting The Post to stop by and see it firsthand.
A watch party overlapped with a night market Thursday featuring a range of sponsors, including prebiotic soda brand Olipop and beauty companies such as E.L.F., which handed out free products to attendees.
“I knew I had to be here today. I love it,” Belhamer said. “I was watching it alone on my couch at home before, and so this is just a much more fun vibe. Like everyone’s yaying and booing, and it’s a blast.”
The viewing party happened in the backyard with a makeshift bedsheet screen, a projector, and some blankets laid out on the astro-turf ground.
The coffee shop itself is a modest space with surfboards hanging on the walls, merchandise spread out across the aisles, as well as coffee and matcha products. The crowd was overwhelmingly female and, as one fan described it, “boyfriends of girls who watch”— a minority among the audience. There was also a photo booth with pictures of all the employees and founders, including Tshnieder.
The coffee shop also seemed to bring in people who do not necessarily watch the show.
“I’ve only seen edits and clips on TikTok,” MJ O’Keefe, who, like others, waited in line for 20 to 30 minutes for coffee, told the Post. “I’ve always, seen so much hype with Love Island. Knowing, the coffee owner is on it — it’s really cool.”
Unlike the Islanders who have been on there since the start of the summer, Gal’s entry was just a few weeks ago.
“I feel like he hasn’t maybe made as big of an impact as some of the others, so still waiting to see on Gal. Like, the verdict’s out,” Chang, a avid watched, said.
While his initial California-surfer aesthetic won viewers over, he has been struggling heavily in the villa due to his controversial handling of his romantic connections, sparking major backlash from both fans and his own family.
After reassuring his partner, Jen, that he wanted to build something real, Gal decided he wanted to explore things with Kenzie, another blonde islander. When he sat Jen down to end their connection, he flipped the narrative, accused her of being “aggressive,” and ended things abruptly.
In response, the employees of Saba Surf and Coffee made a video in solidarity with Jen, offering free drinks to anyone with the same name.
“I’m going to be honest. I think going for Kenzie was a little shady. Justice for our girl Jen, but we’ll see what happens,” Emma Rudder, a Venice resident who described herself as a fan of the coffee shop before the show, told the Post.
Gal’s own siblings created a comedic Instagram account (@galloveisland) solely to roast his behavior in the villa.
An organizer with the event told the Post customers have doubled in number since Gal’s appearance.
“I’m glad to see they’re getting some hype and some business because they have great coffee,” Rudder said. “I definitely think they’re getting some hype because of the show, but they were always pretty popping before. They do some really great events here.”
The finale, featuring four finale couples, is set to air on Sunday, July 12, on Peacock. Until then, this little Venice coffee shop is making the most of Gal’s screen time — and the wave of fans it’s bringing through the door.
The post Venice cafe owned by ‘Love Island’ Bombshell contestant sees huge customer spike with watch parties and night markets appeared first on New York Post.
