Brewers fans flock to Raising Cane's to meet Yelich. Only a few did.

Mark Anderson left his house in Racine shortly after 10 p.m. Nov. 1 to go to Raising Cane's. Instead of driving south to the closer location in Kenosha, he headed north to Greendale, arriving at 11 p.m.

The restaurant did not close until 2 a.m. the next day, so Anderson had ample time to get some food. But he stayed in his car, wanting to wait to order his box combo until the next day. When he could get it from Christian Yelich.

The Milwaukee Brewers captain was slated to appear at Raising Cane's in Greendale, 5250 S. 76th St., for a "victory shift," his latest celebrity appearance after helping the Brewers win their first World Series title on Oct. 28.

Anderson, 34, was not missing this opportunity.

Even if it meant waiting 12 hours for his food. Even if it meant sleeping in his car − or trying to, anyway. Even if it meant leaving his car at 4 a.m. and waiting in line in the cold for seven hours.

Anderson, wearing a World Series sweatshirt and baseball cap, ordered and received his food from Yelich just after 11 a.m. on Nov. 2, perhaps the longest someone has waited for a Cane's meal. Was it worth it?

"Absolutely," he said. "Food's delicious. And…

"… it's Christian Yelich."

Anderson might have been the first to arrive, but he was the second person in line. Mathew Zimmer beat him to the door.

Zimmer, 19, set his alarm for 2:30 a.m., left his house at 3:30 a.m. and arrived at Cane's by 4. He took a chair from the restaurant's outdoor seating area so he didn't have to stand. He wore a Brewers 2026 City Connect jersey with Yelich's name and number on the back, and a Cheesehead top hat which sat atop a Brewers cap underneath.

"I wanted to get the chance to meet Christian Yelich," Zimmer said. "You're meeting a world champion."

At 11:11 a.m., after Yelich did a news conference and filmed promotional content for Raising Cane's, Zimmer did. The first person to order from Yelich, Zimmer got a box combo with a lemonade. He made his way to the back of the restaurant and took his first bites. This was the first time he ever ate Cane's in his life, and he got it from Yelich.

"It's perfect," Zimmer said. "Two-for-one."

After getting his meal, Zimmer showed Yelich a video from the Brewers championship parade three days prior. In it, Zimmer got Yelich's attention as he drove past on a bus and threw the designated hitter his phone. Yelich caught it, flipped the camera around and took a selfie video before finding Zimmer in the crowd − thanks to the top hat − and tossing the phone back.

Yelich remembered the interaction, telling Zimmer he was the only person he did that with.

Only five fans got served by Yelich, who spent more time filming content

Zimmer and Anderson were the most dedicated people, but not the only ones who showed up early. Before 7 a.m., there were over 20 fans in line. Shortly after 9 a.m., more than 100 people were waiting, the number growing with each passing minute.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel asked Raising Cane's Senior Manager of Public Relations Amy Utley how many would actually get served by Yelich. She guessed 10. In reality, the number was five.

Yelich arrived shortly after 10 a.m. to a raucous but patient crowd.

When he got out of his car, peoples' phones shot up into the air and they started cheering like they'd just seen him hit a home run. In a Raising Cane's shirt and backwards hat, Yelich walked past a stage and through a makeshift tunnel of fans who were ready with high-fives and cheers.

"We love you!" one person screamed as he entered the restaurant.

As people continued waiting outside, inside Cane's, Yelich signed baseballs, pennants, jerseys, posters and bats before addressing a gaggle of reporters for around 10 minutes. Then, he acted in what appeared to be a commercial − something he has some recent experience in after appearing on Saturday Night Live on Halloween − for another 20 minutes, saying scripted lines as he took bites from meals.

After serving five customers inside, Yelich moved to the drive-through, where he served three others. Standing around after they got their food, the Journal Sentinel tried to interview them. They told a reporter they were not fans, but influencers selected by Cane's to attend.

Then, Yelich took the stage and addressed the other 100 or so people in attendance. He gave a quick speech, thanking people for their support throughout the season and for coming out to Cane's. When he was done, he started signing autographs.

Liam Dinh, who showed up at 9 a.m., got Yelich's signature on a Raising Cane's poster and on his World Series championship hat, underneath the brim. Aidan Melendez, who'd been waiting since 7:30 a.m., got Yelich to sign his poster and a baseball.

"This is a dream come true," Melendez said. "I was not thinking Yelich was going to actually sign my ball. This is crazy. I'm out of words."

Eli Mouradian got both a baseball and Christian Yelich baseball card signed by No. 22.

"All the Brewers are so cool," Mouradian said.

Some fans upset with event after not being able to meet Yelich

As happy as Dinh, Melendez and Mouradian were, not everyone who went to the event shared their enthusiasm.

Raising Cane's advertised the event as a celebratory shift after the Brewers World Series title, in which Yelich would address media, capture content throughout the restaurant and serve fans food. The ones he couldn't serve, the media release read, Yelich would address from the stage.

"It will be a fun way for Brewers fans to get together to keep the celebration going following (the) parade!" the release read.

Fans responded by showing up early in droves, hoping to meet Yelich. Most left disappointed.

"Waited in line for over 6 hours, and only 5 people were actually able to go in and get food from yelich. All I got was a 3 second video of him walking inside. Canes was just doing a commercial with him and had people show up to make it look better," @chris_torres__ commented on Instagram after the event.

"Do better @raisingcanes."

@mairimmmm.g on Instagram agreed, replying, "YUPPPPPPP."

Another person at the event called it a "disaster" in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, before implying she was one of the lucky few because she got to high-five Yelich.

The Journal Sentinel reached out to both accounts to see if they wanted to provide any more information about their experiences. The Journal Sentinel also asked Utley for comment on peoples' responses to the amount of fan interaction and is awaiting a response.

After signing fans' merch and memorabilia for a couple minutes, Yelich went back into the restaurant to leave. Security guards escorted him out a side door and into his car, as more fans tried and failed to get his autograph.

Jack Albright covers West Allis, Greenfield, Greendale, Hales Corners and West Milwaukee. He can be reached at JAlbright@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers fans flock to Raising Cane's to meet Yelich. Only a few did.