The U.S. DOES have a rainforest, just not a tropical one. The Pacific Northwest is considered a rain forest by most, if not all, scientists of various disciplines.
@@robertmittoniii5427 you’re not wrong, but because it isn’t part of the contiguous U.S. a lot of people don’t count it. I’m 50/50 on whether to count it or not.
I went to Mars 2112 in August 2001. It was so cool and one of the most memorable experiences from visiting NYC. Couldn’t for the life of me remember the name of restaurant so thank you for the nostalgia!!!
Shaq can eat anywhere the heck he wants to! If I was a restaurant manager and Shaq showed up with his big appetite, he'd get the best table in the house. One Shaq sized meal could cover the staff's salary for the night.😊
I'm really glad that you're finally mentioning Dive! The funny thing about WWF New York/The World is that it wasn't the only wrestling themed eatery out there. Over at Excalibur in Las Vegas was the WCW Nitro Grill... Which would have had Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan themed menu items, ironically.
Good content. Entertaining. Little Caesars in Michigan in the late 80s was awesome. It was a giant playground and many interactive things everywhere, plus costumed characters. Magic Time Machine was one of my all time favorite places to go as a kid and preteen.
One of the Rain Forest Cafe locations now has a rain forest themed dark ride connected to the Rain Forest location. Another tip for future subjects is Casa Bonita. Every location of Casa Bonita has been closed down but very recently The Casa Bonita location near Denver Colorado has reopened under new ownership. The people from South Park are the new owners.
Having Captain Crunch Chicken Strips at Planet Hollywood as a kid was definitely a highlight of my childhood. To the point where now as an adult I periodically will make my own similar but a bit tweaked version and anyone who ive ever had try them always start out thinking it will be weird or not taste good end up enjoying them. Its the mix of sweet and savory flavors that go so well together that it makes you wonder why more restaurants don't try similar recipes.
Dive was located in the Century City mall in LA in 1993 when I worked at the Willams-Sonoma in the same mall. We went to Dive when it first opened to check it out and the food was so bad we all left feeling “seasick”😂
Regarding Bubba Gump Shrimp Company: They BLEW IT when they chose beverage distributors! There's a scene in the movie where Gump drinks a lot...and I mean A LOT...of Dr. Pepper. Yes...this is before the scene where he tells JFK he needs to use the facilities. Problem is...Dr. Pepper is NOT sold at BGSC. You'd think they would do so and include that little detail, even if it's a minor one!
They were really popular in the 90s as seen in this video. NASCAR had restaurants, movies had restaurants WWF and WCW had restaurants Nickelodeon etc it certainly was fun when we were kids 😂😂
I loved Mars 2112! My friends parents took us there as kids and it was so amazing as a young child. I remember waking down the stairs and going in and being in awe! Another one I remembered had huge giant chairs and couches to sit in, but I forgot the name! And of course Jekyll and Hyde was so cool with way the walls opened! Themed restaurants were awesome! Although I can’t tell you how any of the meals were… I’m sure we liked other places better in NYC.
I ate at the Bubba Gump restaurant in Monterey in 1998. I remember they had the check for Bubba's family on display. As a kid I thought it was pretty neat.
I've been to a Rainforest Cafe, Bubba Gumps (in New Orleans), and a few other themed restaurants (including several Hard Rock Cafes). One of my favorites was the T-Rex Cafe, which is owned by the same people who own Rainforest Cafe. There was a huge T-Rex at the entrance, several large aquariums, and lots of dinosaur themed items. The best part has to be the Build a Dino store, which is a spin off of Build a Bear workshop.
Out of the ones on your list, I have only been to the Rainforest Cafe. However, I have also been to The Cave, The Mai Kai, Capone's and The Bubble Room. Those were a lot of fun. In The Cave, each table was a private alcove that looked like you were sitting in your own private cave. The waiters and waitresses were dressed like cave people. The dishes were very meat based. The Mai Kai looked like you were at a Polynesian destination and all the dishes were Polynesian style. There were live shows and music. Capone's is set up like a speakeasy. When you make your reservation, you are given a password and a special knock. When you get to the door, you have to do the secret knock, a little window slides open like you see in the old-time movies & then you say the password. The waiters and waitresses are all dressed straight out of prohibition era. There is a stage show from that time with music and dance. The police even come and raid the joint but get paid off (or at least they accepted the bribe the night I was there). The Bubble Room was a very eclectic mish-mash of weirdness. The waiters and waitresses are dressed as Bubble Scouts. The restaurants have a couple of different small rooms and each room has a different look and theme to it. Unfortunately, it was hurt by hurricane Ian and is currently being restored. It is being rebuilt though. It is a Captiva Island staple to see though. I absolutely love their bubble bread. I wish I had the recipe!
Disney parks in FL had probably a dozen themed restaurants in the 90's. A 50's style diner theme. A movie Monster theme. Rainforest was at Animal Kingdom.
Been to Planet Hollywood and Rainforest Cafe, and they were okay. But most of these themed restaurants were just a way to sell mediocre food at excessively high prices. And they ruined what was a unique and cool concept that the Hard Rock Cafe developed on its own.
I've been to the Rainforest Cafe a few times when I was a young girl and, out of all the times I've been there, I've only had the places signature dessert, the Volcano, once.
I love themed restaurants. I feel like businesses these days are too cheap to invest into fun ambiences like that anymore. You'll see a place pop up from time to time, but its rare.
Should have had Bugaboo Creek in there because my mom took me to one and it was one of the most bizarre food experiences I have ever had. They had real wall mounted animals all over the place and hidden around were ones that weren't real, but animatronic and they would talk and move around... very unsettling.
I remember visiting Planet Hollywood in Niagara Falls and Hard Rock in Toronto before they both shut down and closed up, I still enjoy walking through the gift shop of Rainforest Cafe in Niagara Fall whenever I visited
I want to open a Mongolian Stir Fry called something like Dragon Bowl, that is themed around Dragon Ball and the massive amounts of food that Goku eats.
I've lived in North Dakota for almost 47 years (44 in Fargo and three in Bismarck). Imagine my surprise when I heard Space Aliens restaurant on here! I've been to the Fargo one a few times. It is a very unique and fun restaurant.
I spent my childhood on Long Island and was also obsessed with Broadway musicals as a kid. Every time we went into the City, I begged my parents to take me to Mars 2112. They only obliged once. 🤣
How can you deny Shaq entry to an space/alien theme restaurant when you have people walking around in costumes???? I can definitely see why that joint closed.
@1:46 That icon is from the 1902 film A Trip To The Moon by Georges Méliès. (Awesome film!) The music video "Tonight Tonight" by The Smashing Pumpkins (1996) was based off the film. Parts of the film and Georges Méliès's biography are in the film Hugo (2011).
I don't think the problem is that it isn't voiced by the "Weird History Guy", it's more that the scripts are written to his voice and delivery. She has a good, clear, welcoming voice. The writers just need to learn to write to it.
I ate at most of those places. DIVE had the best food, in my opinion. I'm sad that the theme restaurant fad has ended, the gift shops were always the best part.
Mars 2112 was the absolute BEST. Food was very mid though. But my foster sisters had their sweet 16 there. The elevator down to the restaurant was a ride that felt like you were going on a space ship to mars and it was so fun! I miss when restaurants were themed.
In the 70s, there was a theme restaurant in St. Louis called Noah's Ark. We stopped there several times on road trips from KC to Detroit when I was a kid.
10:07 In the part about the Rainforest Cafe, you quip "despite the fact that the US has no rainforests". Actually, in Washington State, (where I live,) there is a rainforest! The Hoh Rainforest lies on the west side of the Olympic National Park.
Fun episode! I wish the Dive restaurant was still around, that sounds so cool! 💦🐠🐟I remember going to Planet Hollywood when I was little and seeing a statue of Arnold in his terminator outfit! It was crazy! 😧Always loved Rainforest Cafe and Bubba Gumps! I have been to both of them multiple times mostly at Mall of America since we went there a lot for vacation! I remember seeing the animatronic gator at the entrance at Rainforest Cafe and thinking it was real since it seemed real life like! Great memories! 🦐🦎🦍Good to know there is a good amount left of the restaurants in the US, definitely will go to them again! Great memories! 😊💗💗💗🤩🤩🤩🥳🥳🥳
Contrary to your claim, the Olympic Rain Forest is in the United States. Just because it's temperate and not tropical doesn't mean it's not in the club!!!
I want to open a Mongolian Stir Fry called something like Dragon Bowl, that is themed around Dragon Ball Z and the massive amounts of food that Goku eats, (which seems to be Mongolian Stir Fry.)
Rainforest Cafe always seemed like a cool idea when I was a kid but every time I forgot about the fact that they smelled like damp rot which kind of killed the dining atmosphere
Oh boy! The Bubba Gump Shrimp! Loorrdddd boys, I used to throw fish for them when the catch came in. It's on John's Pass, Madeira Beach FL, in the tourist trap. Y'all forgot the Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament! Love this channel though.
