![]() ![]() Jose Montaner put on his dinner show for years before attracting enough investors to open a location outside Walt Disney World in Florida in 1983. ![]() The North American theme restaurant chain Medieval Times was actually started on the small island of Mallorca, Spain in the 1970s. The restaurant featured animatronic animals that Bushnell claims were inspired by the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland. Cheese's, opened in San Jose, California in 1977. ![]() Another fan of Disneyland, Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell, integrated food, entertainment, and an arcade into the first Chuck E. His company went on to open dozens of restaurants, with themes ranging from New England fishing villages and French farmhouses to aviation and World War II. As theming became more popular, the word was applied to other types of attractions, including "theme restaurant" and "themed hotels."ĭavid Tallichet took inspiration from Disneyland when he opened his first theme restaurant The Reef in Long Beach, California. The term "theme park" came into use circa 1960, likely to describe the many parks built across the United States and around the world following Disneyland's success. Though not the first theme park, the opening of Disneyland in 1955 popularized the idea of an amusement park combining multiple named areas (“lands”) with different themes. Tiki culture became very popular in 1950s America, and Polynesian themed restaurants had spread to London by the early 1960s, and further into Europe and Asia by the 1970s. Around the same time, another archetypal bar, Trader Vic's, was created by Victor Bergeron in Oakland, California. Along with a neighbor, he collected old fishing nets, driftwood, and other ephemera from local beaches, and added bamboo and masks to theme his restaurant and evoke the South Pacific and Polynesian culture. Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt opened Don the Beachcomber, generally recognized as the first tiki bar, in Los Angeles in the 1930s. Restaurants such as Clifton's Cafeteria also started playing with grand decorations based on non-traditional "kitschy" themes, and movies helped fuel the desire by the average American to travel the Pacific. Beginning in the 1920s, a number of novelty architecture buildings were constructed in and around Hollywood, including the famous Brown Derby restaurants and Bulldog Cafe. This theming was largely a response to the growing popularity of the automobile, as the buildings themselves became advertisements aimed at passing motorists. In the early twentieth century, so-called “programmatic” or “mimetic” style structures became popular for restaurants, including buildings shaped like vehicles, animals, and even the food they served. Similar restaurants soon opened in New York City. In the 1890s, at least three different elaborately themed nightclubs were operating in Paris, using themes of death, hell, and heaven. In the late 1800s, restaurants began using theming to differentiate themselves from increasing competition. By the early nineteenth century, they had been introduced in America. Modern restaurants date to back to eighteenth century France. 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. Theme restaurants have the potential for high profits in a relatively short period of time, in part by selling merchandise. In some cases, customers may visit a theme restaurant only to shop or be entertained, without intending to eat. For example, the Planet Hollywood in London offers specialty cocktails named after movies. 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, 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. While food is usually less important than experience, some theme restaurants use food to reinforce their themes. 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. Conversely, theme restaurants attract customers primarily by promising unique experiences. Diners choose restaurants first and foremost based on type of food. But not all restaurants are considered theme restaurants. ![]() Some have a unique location or are housed in a unique building. Many restaurants have a distinct style of decor, and create a specific ambiance for the comfort of their clientele. Most restaurants have an inherent “theme” based on the origin or type of cuisine served. ![]()
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