For the past 20 minutes, an hour and a half after my arrival, I was talking to a 6-foot-8-inch 30-something Brooklynite named Fred, who had a neck beard and sported a Karen O shirt....

Next time you are scrambling for a chair during Kimmel Market Place’s lunch rush, or scooping the fourth hunk of sherbet onto a cone at Lipton, listen up — you may find your...