Fast food is many things to many people — a budget meal, a quick family dinner, a midday snack. But can fast food unite the nation around nostalgia over shared childhood memories?
An eatery called Chain in Los Angeles is betting it can by hosting a series of pop-up festivals offering upscale remakes of the fast food industry’s biggest hits. After a sold-out debut in Los Angeles last year, ChainFEST recently held its first East Coast event in New York City and a second Los Angeles event last month. The events have been drawing as many as 10,000 guests at a time.
The vibe is vintage McDonald’s, intended to bring fans together around memories of favorite chains. “You’re creating this new memory based on an old memory,” Tim Hollingsworth, a Michelin-starred chef and one of ChainFEST’s founders, said at a news conference, as reported by Forbes. “It’s like that full-circle moment.” B.J. Novak, an actor and writer who starred as Ryan Howard in the sitcom “The Office,” is a co-founder.
Hollingsworth isn’t serving the burgers and fries of the 1980s. He developed gourmet versions of fast-food favorites. Domino’s offerings include a new Bougie Pizza. Panda Express features a Blazing Bourbon Chicken. Cracker Barrel dishes Country Fried Steak topped with Dijon cheddar gravy, and White Castle embellishes its 1921 Slider with a “top-secret sauce.” Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuit is topped with lobster poached in butter. And a new gourmet burger from Red Robin offers five spicy sauces.
The ambiance is unique, too, featuring pop-up replicas of many of the restaurants’ vintage interior designs. The Chuck E. Cheese arcade pop-up includes an appearance by Charles Entertainment Cheese himself.
You won’t find any value meals here. Tickets start at $99.99. All-inclusive VIP tickets with bites of everything and an open bar start at $399.99. And reserved seats at the Chef’s Tasting VIP Table, with access to a chain food buffet, start at a mere $1,299.99.
A recent addition from a new sponsor in LA: Free samples at Pepto Bismol’s “fast-relief station.”
