Theme restaurant
Theme restaurants are restaurants in which the concept of the restaurant takes priority over everything else, influencing the architecture, food, music, and overall 'feel' of the restaurant. The food usually takes a backseat to the presentation of the theme, and these restaurants attract customers solely on the premise of the theme itself.
Popular chain restaurants such as Applebee's or Bennigans – despite having a distinct and consistent style throughout their locations – would not be considered to be theme restaurants by most people. Theme restaurants have an instantly recognizable, easily articulable concept that can be summed up in a few words at most, an almost cartoonish exaggeration of an idea. The popular Rainforest Cafe restaurants have the obvious theme of a "Tropical Rainforest". Medieval Times has its theme of "Medieval Europe". The Jekyll & Hyde Club evokes an atmosphere of Jack the Ripper and Victorian horror novels. Some theme restaurants use controversial images, contexts, or ideas. The most notorious of them was Hitler's Cross, in Mumbai, India which was renamed to Cross Cafe in August 2006.
One strange but famous theme restaurant in Berlin, Germany is called "Das Klo" (German for "The Toilet"); it depicts the insides of a toilet.
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, Jekyll & Hyde Club, Wilderness Cafe, and Bugaboo Creek 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.
List of theme restaurants
#
- 94th Aero Squadron Restaurants – World War I-era biplane and relics, Van Nuys and San Diego,CA
A
- The Airplane Restaurant – Boeing KC-97, Colorado Springs, CO
- Alhambra Dinner Theatre – dinner theaters, Jacksonville, Florida
- Alice's Tea Cup - Storybook time, New York (Manhattan), New York
- An Evening Dinner Theatre - dinner theaters, Elmsford, NY
- Arabian Nights - show coupled with a dining experience, Kissimmee, Florida
- Asti - New York (opera memorabilia.)
- Autopub - car museum, New York NY
- 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,
- B.E.D. - dine in bed SF CA & FL
- Beef & Boards Dinner Theater - dinner theaters, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Belle of Louisville – Steamboat, Louisville, KY
- Bikini Baristas - beach theme, Vietnam
- Binghamton (ferryboat) - a retired ferryboat that operated from 1905 to 1967, New Jersey
- Blue Bayou - Disneyland in Anaheim, California, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland, in Chiba, Japan
- Bounce Farringdon - a large social venue that boasts 17 ping pong tables. Holborn, London
- Bubba Gump Shrimp Company – The film Forrest Gump (the first theme restaurant inspired by a film)
- The Bubble Room Restaurant - memorabilia from the 30 to the 60s, Captiva, Florida
- The Buckhorn Exchange – Wild game, oldest restaurant in Denver, CO
- Buns and Guns – war detail, Beirut, Lebanon
C
- Cabbages and Condoms waiters wears condoms on heads and condom art, – Bangkok, Thailand
- Cafe '50s - 50's style Santa Monica CA
- Calico Cat Café - cat place, Tokyo Japan
- Camaje Bistro and Lounge - dining in the dark, 85 MacDougal Street NY
- Campeones Restaurant - boxing themed restaurant owned by Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. in Mesa, Arizona
- The Cannery – Waterfront cannery, Newport Beach, CA
- Cannibalistic Restaurant - Sushi served in a body-shaped container, Japan
- Captain John's Harbour Boat Restaurant - Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Casa Bonita Restaurant - Theme park restaurant Lakewood, Colorado
- Cave Restaurant - Eating in a cave Richland, Missouri
- Cheeseburger in Paradise - cheesebuger heaven, Myrtle Beach SC
- Chuck E. Cheese's (formerly Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre and Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza), games raffle, theatre various area
- Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse - dinner theater, Rock Island, Illinois
- City Tavern – Colonial tavern, Philadelphia, PA
- Clearman's Northwoods Inn – Log cabin in the woods, Covina, La Mirada and San Gabriel, CA
- Clifton's Cafeteria - World largest cafeteria, LA CA
- Clinic Bar, - The hospital-themed, Clarke Quay, Singapore
- Clo Wine Bar - Hi-Tech, New york city
- Cold Spring Tavern – Stagecoach stop, Santa Barbara, CA
- Colonial Inn – Colonial tavern, Concord, MA
- The 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, VA
- Comedy Cabana - comedy club, Myrtle Beach
- The Coyote Ugly Saloon - Based on the movie Coyote Ugly, NYC NY
- Christon Café – Christianity themed, Tokyo, Japan
D
- Dans Le Noir - Dining in the dark, Clerkenwell, London
- Death Themed Restaurant – Eating in a very large casket, Truskavets, Ukraine
- Delta King – Steamboat, Sacramento, CA
- Delta Queen – Steamboat, Chattanooga, TN
- Devil Island Prison Restaurant - scary place China
- Dinner in a Hospital - Taipei
- Derby Dinner Playhouse – dinner theater, Clarksville, Indiana
- The Dinner Detective [3] – dinner theater, a nationwide theatrical production company based within the United States
- Disaster Café - A 7.8 earthquake restaurant, Lloret de Mar, Spain
- Desert Star Theater – Historic dinner theater, located in Murray, Utah
- Dive! - was a 300-seat restaurant Beverly Hills, CA
- Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede – American patriotic
- Don the Beachcomer - tiki restaurants, Various Locations
- Dracula's Cabaret Restaurant - a theater restaurants,Australian & one other restaurant in Melbourne
- Dirty Dick's Theatre Restaurant – dinner theaters, Australian chain of theme restaurants
- Drury Lane Theatre dinner theater, Oakbrook Terrace IL
- Duvet - dine in bed NY NY
E
- Ed Debevic's – 1950s diner
- The Edison – Powerplant, Los Angeles, CA
- Ellen's Stardust Diner – 1950s diner
- Camp 18 Restaurant – Logging camp, Elsie, OR
- Encore Dinner Theatre – dinner theater, Tustin, California
- Eyecandy Bar - high tech world, Mandalay Bay in Las Vega
F
- Family Fun Center and Bullwinkle's Restaurant - features animated robotic performances by Bullwinkle and Rocky, Tukwila, Washington
- Fashion Cafe - featuring celebrity models, New York City
- Firehouse Subs = in a firehouse, Myrtle Beach
- Five Crowns – English Tudor, Corona del Mar, CA
- Flight 151 - quasi-dive bar,aviation themed, New york
- Footlights Theatre Restaurant – dinner theater, Australian chain of theme restaurants
- Forum of the 12 Caesars - inspired by series Mad Men
- 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
- Gardens Of Taxco - West Hollywood CA
- Gaslight Theatre – dinner theater, Enid, Oklahoma
- Geisha House - Hollywood CA
- Graveyard Restaurant – Eating with the dead, Ahmadabad, India
- Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim, California
H
- Harald - Viking age Finland
- Hard Rock Cafe – Rock music Universal City CA & FL in Nev 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, MI
- Hillbilly Hot Dogs - roadside hot dog stand and tourist attraction, located near Huntington, West Virginia
- Hitler’s Cross aka Cross Cafe – history, Mumbai, India
- Hobbit House – run by little people, Manila, Philippines
- Hog's Breath Cafe (also known as Hog's Breath Saloon) is an Australian and international chain of steak house restaurants
- Hospital Restaurant - Latvia
- H.R. Giger Bar - visual effects for the film Alien. Various Locations, Switzerland
I
- Ice Restaurant - Dubai
- In The Dark Restaurant - London
- Inamo - Interactive concept, London’s Soho
- Instructables Restaurant - You could really design and build it all by yourself.downloaded from instructables.com
- Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks (also known as Islands) - beach theme, various locations, ca
J
- Jackson Hole Playhouse - dinner theater, Jackson, Wyoming
- Jacob Wirth Restaurant – Historic building, Boston, MA
- Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville – Tropical beach
- Joy Swift's Original Murder Weekends - dinner theater, headquartered in Liverpool with shows in six cities across the United Kingdom
- Jumbo Kingdom - Hong Kong
- Jurassic Project - Jurassic era, Industry CA
- Jekyll & Hyde Club – Victorian English, (Manhattan), New York
L
- La Comedia Dinner Theatre – dinner theater, Springboro, Ohio
- L&L Hawaiian Barbecue - Hawaii theme, Honolulu, Hawaii
- 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 NY
- The Lockup - Haunted dining, Tokyo, Japan
- Longfellow's Wayside Inn – Colonial inn, Sudbury, MA
- Longhorn Steakhouse - Orlando, Florida
K
- Kayabukiya Tavern - Monkeys act as your wait staff, Utsunomiya, Japan
- Keith & Margo's Murder Mystery Dinners - Weekly dinners in Westwood Saturday nights where victims and perpetrators hide among dinersLos Angeles ca
- Kettuvallam - a houseboat type, in Kerala, India
M
- Mad Mex Fresh Mexican Grill - Lucha libre themed, Sydney & New Zealand
- Madonna Inn Resort & Spa - San Luis Obispo, California
- Mai-Kai Restaurant - tiki themed, 3599 North Federal Highway in Oakland Park, Florida
- Mao-Era Red Guards Restaurant – Nanning, China
- Mars 2112 - aliens & space, NY
- The Medieval Banquet medieval dining, East Smithfield, London
- Medieval Times - medieval days, various areas
- Michie Tavern – Colonial tavern, Charlottesville, VA
- ''Mike Fink'' Restaurant – Steam towboat, Covington, KY
- 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
- Mining Camp Restaurant – Mining, Apache Jct., AZ
- Miracle of Science - of science which food is, Cambridge
- Modern Toilet – It's 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)
- Mundo Global Tapas - an iPad as the menu for customers to browse and order from, North Sydney
- Moshulu – Four-masted bark (sailing ship), Philadelphia, PA
- Motown Café - music, NY NY
- MS Normac - is a floating restaurant boat that was launched as a fire tug named the James R. Elliot. Port Huron, Michigan
- M.V. Ganga Vihar - Tourism Department, Patna as a major attraction
- MV Sydney 2000 - cruise ship dining, Sydney Harbour
- Murder is Served - located in West Monroe, LA. Northeast Louisiana's premier dinner theatre establishment
- 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, CT
N
- Natchez – Steamboat, New Orleans, LA
- NBA City - basketball, Orlando, Florida
- Ninga - ninga headquarters NY
- New Theatre Restaurant – dinner theater, Overland Park, Kansas
O
- Official All Star Cafe - not a typical sport bar, Times Square in New York City Cancun and at the Showcase Mall on the Las Vegas Strip.[3][4] From 1997 until 2001
- One If By Land Two If By Sea - movie inspire, 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
- Oxygen Lounge - airy place, Tarzana
P
- Pacific Dining Car – Railroad, Los Angeles and Santa Monica, CA
- Peanut Butter & Co. Sandwich Shop - everything on the menu is prepared with peanut butter, New York (Manhattan), New York
- Peep - being watched, 177 Prince Street NY
- Pirate’s Dinner Adventure - eating with songs of the pirate era, Buena Park, California
- Pitch-Black Restaurant – dark dining, Beijing, China
- Planet Hollywood – The film industry
- Pomona Valley Mining Company – Mining, Pomona, CA
- Portillo's Restaurants – 1920's Chicago and other themes
- The Progress Bar - a great take on the annoying Windows feature ??
- Proud Bird Restaurant & Museum – Historic aircraft, Los Angeles, CA
- 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
- Purnabramha [2]- The Largest Maharashtrian Restra in Bangalore , Karanataka India
Q
- Quark’s Bar - Star Trek's Theme, Las Vegas Hilton
R
- Rainforest Cafe – Rainforest; various locations in Houston, Texas, USA
- Rectum Bar - inside an actual rectum, Vienna
- The Red Sea Star - an underwater restaurant, bar and observatory located 16 feet below the Red Sea; Ein Bokek, Israel
- 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, USA
- Rimsky-Korsakoffee House - haunted cafe bar; Portland, Oregon, USA
- Riverside Inn – dinner theater, located in Cambridge Springs, Crawford County, Pennsylvania, it's listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
- Robot-Staffed Restaurant – Nuremberg, Germany
- Robotic Restaurant - mini Robots as your waiters, Korea
- The Rugby Club (rebranded as The Rugby Club Sydney) - Rugby Union-themed, Sydney, Australia
- Rustar Floating Restaurant - floating dining; Dubai, United Arab Emirates
S
- Safe House Restaurant – Secret agents and espionage
- Sarastro - An impressive opera themed restaurant, Covent Garden, London
- SBX aka Sports Box - sports theme, Mumbai; Noida; Indore; Siliguri; Bangalore
- Sea Witch - nautical themed, new york
- Señor Frog's - infamous party scene, throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, South America and the United States
- Sherman - General Frank M. Coxe is a steam ferry, California's San Francisco Bay
- Shoeless Joe's - a sports-themed restaurant, Ontario, Canada
- Showboat Dinner Theatre - dinner theater, St. Petersburg, Florida, a popular Tampa Bay venue in the 1970s–1980s, featuring popular stars of stage and screen, such as Dorothy Lamour, Hayden Rorke, Cesar Romero, and Myrna Loy
- Sliver Restaurant - May Give You Splinters on a wooden design art, ??
- Silver Star Cafe - railway carriage, Port Hedland, Western Australia
- Space Aliens Grill & Bar - outer space themed restaurants, Bismarck, North Dakota
- 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, CA
- T-REX Cafe at Downtown Disney - be amazed to dine by dino, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
- Teatro ZinZanni – dinner theater, a circus dinner theater that began in the neighborhood of Lower Queen Anne in Seattle, Washington.[2] It has since expanded to a site on the waterfront at 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
- Tinseltown - Hollywood era, Clerkenwell, London
- Titanic Theatre Restaurant – dinner theater, Australia
- Toby's Dinner Theatre – dinner theater, Columbia, Maryland
- Toilet Restaurant - Taiwan
- Trader Vic's - beach themed, Emeryville, California
- The Trailer Park Lounge - ??, New York New YOrk
- TS Queen Mary - ship dining, William Denny shipyard at Dumbarton
- Twin Peaks (restaurant chain) - a hooters type of sports bar, Addison, Texas,United States
- Tyler's Tender - train themed restaurant Schererville, Indiana
U
- Underwater Restaurant - completely underwater Maldives
- USAT General Frank M. Coxe - floating restaurant, California's San Francisco Bay
V
- Vampire Café – Vamp dining, Tokyo, Japan
- Voodoo Doughnut - an independent doughnut shop, Portland, Oregon
W
- Walkabout (pub chain) - an Australian themed, United Kingdom
- The Warehouse Restaurant – Warehouse theme, Marina del Rey, CA
- Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre – Frederick, Maryland
- WCW Nitro Grill - an American professional wrestling steak house restaurant, Las Vegas
- Westchester Broadway Theatre - dinner theater, Elmsford, NY
- Wingstop Restaurants, Inc - aviation-themed, Garland, Texas,
- Westchester Broadway Theatre -dinner theater, Elmsford, NY
- The World (WWE) - pro wreeatling theme, Times Square in New York, New York, in the Paramount Theatre building on the corner of Broadway and 43rd Street.
Z
- The Zetor Restaurant - a Helsinki restaurant created in to pay tribute to a Czech tractor manufacturer, Helsinki, Finland
See also
References
- ^ "The Feast is Red – Beijing's Revolutionary Restaurants". thebeijinger.com.
- ^ http://www.purnabramha.com