There’s nothing that excites us like an entertainment franchise, whether that franchise is from a series of films, TV shows, computer games, literature, music or any other medium. Many like to show their admiration for a franchise in the form of collecting merchandise, donning a costume, or creating fan art and fan fiction that’s linked to the franchise of their liking. There is one form of fandom that has become a growing trend, and that’s through food. Recipes have been created to mimic the dishes that stem from a chef’s favourite franchise, and food trends also sparked from various forms of pop culture too.
The idea of thematic dining started in the late 19th century, and the first themed restaurant was a Parisian place entitled Château d’If, which was inspired by the Alexander Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo. The restaurant replicated a dungeon similar to the one featured in the novel so diners can experience being in an environment that’s akin to the novel’s setting. Themed dining started becoming a trend in the following century, often based on generic themes rather than on a specific entertainment canon, but much like what Château d’If used to do, they provided diners with escapism as well as food. The first restaurant based off a specific film was the US chain Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, inspired by the film Forrest Gump. The restaurant made its first appearance in Monterey, California, in 1996 (two years after the film’s release) and the menu consists of dishes revolving around the film’s theme, which was in homage to the character Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue, an African-American soldier who befriended the titular character in the film and was very passionate about shrimp. The menu also has sections referencing other characters, including ‘Jenny’s classics’ (Forrest’s love interest) in the drinks section and many dishes with the name ‘Mama’s’ at the start of the item’s name, of course referencing Forrest’s mama whose wisdom he would pass onto the people that he met. Other restaurants and bars themed around film and TV franchises launched in the following years, such as Star Wars-themed establishment Oga’s Canteen (located within Disneyworld), The Hogwarts Table (located within Warner Bros. Studio), Breaking Bad-themed cafe Heisenberg Breakfast Co., Doctor Who-themed restaurant Pandorica, Batman themed establishment Park Row and so many more. There have also been temporary pop-up establishments that are themed around film and TV references, like a Stranger Things-inspired Scoops Ahoy ice cream tour, Friends-themed Central Perk and many more. Since 2013, pop culture-themed afternoon teas have become viral trends and often generated appeal on social media, with themes including Bridgerton, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Harry Potter. With the culinary industry being such a competitive market, themed restaurants and meals offer establishments a unique selling point to help them compete against other places. It also provides diners escapism, as most experiential dining does. In fact, experiential dining has risen significantly since COVID, echoing the rise of experiential dining during The Great Depression in the 1930’s. This confirms that food, just like with various mediums of entertainment, is often used as a source of escapism, particularly following periods of societal adversity.
There have also been cookbooks and online recipes inspired by pop culture references. One such website, The Geeky Chef, started as a blog in 2008 by Cassandra Reeder with recipes from popular entertainment and the popularity of the site enabled a bestselling cookbook, The Geeky Chef Cookbook, to be released in 2015 and then a series of cookbooks with more specific themed recipes like from Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, X-Men and many more. Reeder started her cooking career working for various culinary establishments before deciding to pursue her passion of recreating recipes seen from pop culture entertainment. Pop culture cookbooks first began in the 1970’s, starting with The Dark Shadows Cookbook by Jody Cameron Malis. Novelty cookery became more popular as the years went on, and the demand for recipes from various pop culture references grew. Cookbooks for franchises such as Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Fallout and Friends have achieved best-selling status, confirming the high demand for novelty recipes. Popular culture isn’t just a great source for recipes, but food trends originated from various references in entertainment canons. A scene from Marvel’s The Avengers sparked a surge in shawarma sales following the film’s release. There was a scene where Tony Stark/Iron Man said to Captain America; “Have you ever tried shawarma? There’s a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don’t know what it is, but I want to try it.” The topic of shawarma resurfaced in a post-credits scene with the superheroes silently eating shawarma at a restaurant following their final battle. The Lebanese restaurant RoRo’s Chicken, based in Los Angeles, saw an 80% increase in sales since The Avengers was released in 2012. Shawarma cart seller Fares Zeideia said in an interview with MTV; “I had my steady customers before that, but a lot of people came out of nowhere.” Establishments that have been featured in screen media can benefit from its appearance. Katz’s Delicatessen featured in an iconic scene from When Harry Met Sally (when Meg Ryan’s Sally simulated an orgasm to Billy Crystal’s Harry, and an elderly diner says overhearing that exchange “I’ll have what she’s having”) and it became a popular tourist destination in New York. The film’s director, the late Rob Reiner, was a regular diner at the restaurant, with the establishment’s social media channels paying tribute to him following his tragic death the previous December.
Popular entertainment can often make a very big impact as far as food is concerned. As well as being a source of novelty recipes, it can also begin food trends and boost business for establishments that have featured in various entertainment mediums. Chefs with a passion for their favourite entertainment franchise often show their passion in the form of a recipe inspired from that particular canon, as The Geeky Chef Since COVID, there has been a higher demand for themed cuisine, as there had been since The Great Depression, another troubled period that had overseen a harsh societal decline. As a society, we often seek escapism when times become tough for us, and food is featured in the equation as it is a means of escapism much like popular entertainment is.
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