Theme restaurant

Jekyll and Hyde Club

A theme restaurant is a type of restaurant that uses theming to attract diners by creating a memorable experience. Theme restaurants have a unifying or dominant subject or concept, and utilize architecture, decor, special effects, and other techniques, often to create exotic environments that are not normally associated with dining because they are inaccessible, no longer exist, are fictional or supernatural, or taboo. The theme may be further extended through the naming and choices of food, though food is usually secondary to entertaining guests.

Classification

Most restaurants have an inherent “theme” based on the origin or type of cuisine served. Many restaurants have a distinct style of decor, and create a specific ambiance for the comfort of their clientele. But not all restaurants are considered theme restaurants. Diners choose restaurants first and foremost based on type of food. Conversely, theme restaurants attract customers primarily by promising unique experiences.

Popular chain restaurants in the United States such as Applebee's and Bennigan's, despite having distinct and consistent styles, are not usually considered theme restaurants, since they attract patrons primarily with the food they serve.

While food is usually less important than experience, some theme restaurants use food to reinforce their themes. For example, restaurants themed to 1950s America frequently have jukeboxes from that era, but some also limit their menus to hamburgers and french fries, as would have been common at the time. The food at theme restaurants is often common in order to have broad appeal, but may be given colorful names to further the theme. For example, the Planet Hollywood in London offers specialty cocktails named after movies.

In some cases, customers may visit a theme restaurant only to shop or be entertained, without intending to eat. Theme restaurants have the potential for high profits in a relatively short period of time, in part by selling merchandise. Though arguably a type of theme restaurant, dinner theater restaurants are usually classified separately, despite consumers choosing them primarily for entertainment.

Irish pubs and other similar ethnic restaurants that originated in a particular country but are now found around the world are considered theme restaurants by some, as they use theming to re-create an "authentic" experience.

Origins

Chains of tiki bars started opening in the United States in the mid to late 1930s.

In the late 1950s, David Tallichet began opening restaurants decorated as Polynesian islands, New England fishing villages, and World War II era French farmhouses (barricaded with sandbags to protect against German bombardment). His Proud Bird restaurant at the Los Angeles International Airport had headphones at each table so that diners could listen to control-tower chatter. Almost all of his restaurants were in Southern California. His company, Specialty Restaurants, grew to revenues of $185 million at its peak in 1980.

Trends

The early 21st-century closings of several Planet Hollywood and Jekyll & Hyde Club locations suggest a decline in popularity. Theme restaurants often depend on tourist business, since the theme soon becomes stale to locals, and the focus is not necessarily on good food and service. Certain tourist destinations such as the Mall of America or Orlando, Florida have better chances of supporting theme restaurants. Theme restaurants are commonplace at theme parks, such as Universal Studios. Themed restaurants have gained significant traction in the 21st-century cruise industry, wherein cruise lines include many aboard each ship as an amenity for tourists.

List of notable theme restaurants

#

• 94th Aero Squadron Restaurants – World War I-era biplane and relics, Van Nuys and San Diego, California

A

• Alhambra Dinner Theatre – dinner theaters, Jacksonville, Florida
• American Girl – American Girl Doll theme, New York
• The Australian Bar and Restaurant – sports bar, New York City
• Australian Outback Spectacular – Australiana dinner and show package featuring many Australian animals, songs and bush tucker

B

• Barcade – classic arcade, Brooklyn New York
• Battle of the Dance – dinner theater, Anaheim, California
• Belle of Louisville – Steamboat, Louisville, Kentucky
• Blindekuh two restaurants in Basel and Zürich where patrons are served in the dark.
• Binghamton (ferryboat) – a retired ferryboat that operated from 1905 to 1967, New Jersey
• Blue Bayou Restaurants – Disneyland in Anaheim, California, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland, in Chiba, Japan
• Bubba Gump Shrimp Company – The film Forrest Gump (the first theme restaurant inspired by a film)
• Buns and Guns – war detail, Beirut, Lebanon

C

• The Cannery – Waterfront cannery, Newport Beach, California
• Captain John's Harbour Boat Restaurant – Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• Casa Bonita – Theme park restaurant Lakewood, Colorado
• Cheeseburger in Paradise – cheesebuger heaven, Myrtle Beach South Carolina
• Chuck E. Cheese's (formerly Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre and Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza), games raffle, theatre various area
• City Tavern – Colonial tavern, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Clifton's Cafeteria – World largest cafeteria, Los Angeles
• Cold Spring Tavern – Stagecoach stop, Santa Barbara, California
• Colonial Inn – Colonial tavern, Concord, Massachusetts, US
• Colonial Tramcar Restaurant – a restaurant which operates from a converted fleet of three vintage trams, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
• Colonial Williamsburg – Several colonial taverns in a restored colonial city, Williamsburg, Virginia, US
• Comet Pizza – rec room theme, Washington D.C., U.S.
• Coyote Ugly Saloon – Based on the movie Coyote Ugly, New York City

D

• Dans le Noir – Dining in the dark, Clerkenwell, London
• Delta King – Steamboat, Sacramento, California
• Delta Queen – Steamboat, Chattanooga, Tennessee, US
• Derby Dinner Playhouse – dinner theater, Clarksville, Indiana, US
• The Dinner Detective [3] – dinner theater, a nationwide theatrical production company based within the United States
• Desert Star Theater – Historic dinner theater, located in Murray, Utah, US
• Dive! – was a 300-seat restaurant Beverly Hills, California
• Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede – American patriotic
• Don the Beachcomber – tiki restaurants, Various Locations
• Drury Lane Theatre dinner theater, Oakbrook Terrace Illinois, US

E

Ellen's Stardust Diner

• The Edison – Powerplant, Los Angeles
• Ellen's Stardust Diner – 1950s diner
• Encore Dinner Theatre – dinner theater, Tustin, California

F

• Family Fun Center and Bullwinkle's Restaurant – features animated robotic performances by Bullwinkle and Rocky, Tukwila, Washington, US
• Fashion Cafe – featuring celebrity models, New York City
• Firehouse Subs = in a firehouse, Myrtle Beach, US
• Fulton Theatre – dinner theater, located at West 46th Street in New York City for a few months in 1911 under the name Folies-Bergere; demolished

G

• Gaslight Theatre – dinner theater, Enid, Oklahoma, US

H

• Harald – Viking age Finland
• Hard Rock Cafe – Rock music Universal City California, Florida and Las Vegas.
• Heart Attack Grill – Hospital
• Hell Pizza – Hell theme is used in the menu, New Zealand
• Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village – Various historically themed restaurants, Dearborn, Michigan, US
• Hillbilly Hot Dogs – roadside hot dog stand and tourist attraction, located near Huntington, West Virginia
• Hitler's Cross aka Cross Cafe – history, Mumbai, India
• Hog's Breath Cafe is an Australian and international chain of steak house restaurants
• H.R. Giger Bar – visual effects from the film Alien. Various Locations, Switzerland

I

• Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks (also known as Islands) – beach theme, various locations, California
• Ithaa – undersea restaurant 5 metres below sea level in the Maldives

J

The facade of the Jekyll & Hyde Club at its Times Square location

• Jacob Wirth Restaurant – Historic building, Boston, US
• Jekyll & Hyde Club – Victorian English, (Manhattan), New York
• Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville – Tropical beach
• Joe's Crab Shack – beach theme, various locations
• Johnny Rockets – 1950s diner
• Jumbo Kingdom – Hong Kong

K

• Kayabukiya Tavern – Monkeys act as your wait staff, Utsunomiya, Japan

L

• La Comedia Dinner Theatre – dinner theater, Springboro, Ohio, US
• L&L Hawaiian Barbecue – Hawaii theme, Honolulu, Hawaii, US
• Laurie Beechman Theatre – in the basement of the West Bank Cafe at 407 West 42nd Street in the Manhattan Plaza apartment complex just west of Times Square New York City
• Longfellow's Wayside Inn – Colonial inn, Sudbury, Massachusetts, US
• LongHorn Steakhouse – Orlando, Florida

M

• Mad Mex Fresh Mexican Grill – Lucha libre themed, Sydney and New Zealand
• Mai-Kai Restaurant – tiki themed, 3599 North Federal Highway in Oakland Park, Florida
• Mars 2112 – aliens & space, New York
• Max Brenner – chocolate addicted theme, New York
• Medieval Times – medieval days, various areas in the US
• Michie Tavern – Colonial tavern, Charlottesville, Virginia, US
• The Mill at Sonning – converted from an 18th-century flour mill, it's located on an island in the River Thames at Sonning Eye in the English county of Oxfordshire
• Modern Toilet Restaurant – a bathroom-themed restaurant, Taipei, Taiwan
• Montana's Cookhouse – a lodge/wilderness setting that tries to provide guests with an escape to simpler times, Vaughan, Ontario
• Montana Mike's – Big Steak Country, (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas)
• Moshulu – Four-masted bark (sailing ship), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• MS Normac – is a floating restaurant boat that was launched as a fire tug named the James R. Elliot. Port Huron, Michigan
• MV Sydney 2000 – cruise ship dining, Sydney Harbour
• The Murder Mystery Company – Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan with shows in over 30 cities across the United States
• Mystic Seaport – Nautical-themed restaurants, Mystic, Connecticut, US

N

• Natchez – Steamboat, New Orleans, Louisiana, US

O

• Official All Star Café – not a typical sport bar, New York, Cancun and Las Vegas. From 1997 until 2001
• One If By Land, Two If By Sea Restaurant – movie inspired, New York
• Outback Steakhouse – an Australian-themed, Tampa, Florida with over 950 locations in 23 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia

P

• Peanut Butter & Co. everything on the menu prepared with peanut butter, New York (Manhattan), 1998–2016
• Planet Hollywood – The film industry
• Portillo's Restaurants – 1920s Chicago and other themes
• PS Lincoln Castle – was a coal-fired side-wheel paddle steamer, under permanent dock in Alexandra Dock Grimsby
• PS Tattershall Castle – a floating pub and restaurant., River Humber for the London and North Eastern Railway

R

The Rainforest Cafe at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

• Rainforest Cafe – Rainforest; various locations in Houston, Texas, US
• Rick's Café Casablanca – inspired by the movie Casablanca; Casablanca, Morocco
• Ricky's Sports Theatre and Grill – an Oakland Raiders themed sports bar; San Leandro, California, US
• Rimsky-Korsakoffee House – haunted cafe bar; Portland, Oregon, US
• Riverside Inn – dinner theater, in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
• The Rugby Club (rebranded as The Rugby Club Sydney) – Rugby Union-themed, Sydney, Australia
• Rustar Floating Restaurant – floating dining; Dubai, United Arab Emirates

S

SS South Steyne at Darling Harbour

• Safe House Restaurant – Secret agents and espionage
• Sports Box – sports theme, Mumbai; Noida; Indore; Siliguri; Bangalore, India
• Señor Frog's – infamous party scene, throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, South America and the United States
• Serendipity 3 – dessert heaven, New York City
• Sherman – General Frank M. Coxe is a steam ferry, California's San Francisco Bay
• Shoeless Joe's – a sports-themed restaurant, Ontario, Canada
• Silver Star Cafe – railway carriage, Port Hedland, Western Australia
• Space Aliens Grill & Bar – outer space themed restaurants, Bismarck, North Dakota, US
• Spaghetti Warehouse – Italian restaurants, each built around a trolley-car
• SPiN – a chain of table tennis restaurants and bars
• Star Seafood Floating Restaurant – boat dining, Sha Tin, China
• Stir Crazy Thane – an Oriental kitchen Restaurant, Thane, Maharashtra, India
• SS South Steyne – a floating restaurant moored at Darling Harbour, Australia

T

• Tam O'Shanter – Scottish, Los Angeles
• T-Rex – prehistoric themed restaurant in Kansas City, KS, US and Disney Springs outside of Orlando, FL, US
• Teatro ZinZanni – a circus dinner theater that began in Seattle, Washington. It has since expanded to a Pier 29 on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California.
• Texas de Brazil – combinations of Brazil & Texas dining, Dallas, Texas
• Texas Roadhouse – a Western theme, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
• Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery – a Celtic themed sports, Tempe, Arizona, United States
• Toilet Restaurant – Taiwan
• Trader Vic's – beach themed, Emeryville, California
• TS Queen Mary – ship dining, William Denny shipyard at Dumbarton, UK
• Twin Peaks – a hooters type of sports bar, Addison, Texas, United States

U

• USAT General Frank M. Coxe – floating restaurant, California's San Francisco Bay

V

• Voodoo Doughnut – an independent doughnut shop, Portland, Oregon, US

W

• Walkabout (pub chain) – an Australian themed, United Kingdom
• Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre – Frederick, Maryland, US
• WCW Nitro Grill – an American professional wrestling steak house restaurant, Las Vegas
• Wingstop Restaurants – aviation-themed, Garland, Texas, US
• The World (WWE) – pro wrestling theme, Times Square in New York,

See also

• Lists of restaurants