SPECIALITY AND THEMED RESTAURANTS

Urmil RathodInstitute Of Hotel Management(IHM)-Ahmedabad,India

CONCEPT OF THEMED RESTAURANTS

•The restaurants in which the concept takes priority and influences the architecture, food, music, and overall 'feel' is called a themed restaurant.

•These restaurants attract customers based solely on the premise of the theme itself.

•The restaurant is built around an idea emphasizing fun and fantasy, glamour ,romance,music, sports, abstract ideas, etc.

•Creative as well as culinary expertise is needed for the successful functioning of such an establishment.

HISTORY OF THEMED RESTAURANTS

•First theme restaurants were opened in Parisian cafés and cabarets which opened in Montmartre in later 19th century.

•They were built around a particular concept and created an environment which added something more to a mere eating and drinking place.

The initiative…

•Café du Bagne (Coffee from prison)established in 1885 by Maxime Lisbonne, a former prisoner, replicated a prison eating hall. Waiters were dressed as real convicts.

•The L’Abbaye de Thélème, a restaurant with a medieval theme, dressed it servers as monks and nuns.

Café du Bagne

The Prison era…

• ‘The Chateau d’ If’(Castle of Yew)of 1890s was also designed to resemble the prison by the same name in Dumas’s magnum opus ‘The Count of Monte Cristo.’

•Many believed it to be an imitation of Café du Bagne

The Feline Touch…

• At Au Chat Noir(The Black Cat) operated in 1895, was decorated with a wall frieze of black cats…

• Many of its counterparts then opened in NY and San Francisco.

• Many of Montmartre café’s decorated their interiors with paintings and décor whose subject included infanticide, crucifixion and assassination, but in 1894 the Café of Death opened furnished with coffins serving as tables which was later called ‘Cabaret du Neant’(the restaurant of nothingness)

• In USA early theme restaurants were inspired by Parisian café’s. One of the famous firsts were beefsteak dungeon in NY and Pirate's Den in Greenwich village.

Restaurant of nothingness…

The Gates of Hell…

CONCEPT OF SPECIALITY RESTAURANT•Speciality restaurants are restaurants in which

the concept of the cuisine/food is given priority over everything else.

• It is not necessary that the ambience of this type of restaurant will be fascinating. It may be a informal dining area or a luxurious restaurant.

•The main thing is the cuisine/food which is served. It is special in its own way.

•Generally, unlike theme restaurants, it doesn’t require a lot of investment to establish and maintain restaurant.

•Specialty restaurants are known for its unique and delicious cuisine/food to be served rather than any other aspects.

‘BurGR’ by the well-known Gordon Ramsey is one such speciality restaurant which excels in making one of a kind burgers…

Some fantastic and

unusual theme restaurants

‘Ithaa’ The Maldives

•An initiative by Conrad Hotels at Rangali Island-Maldives

•World’s 1st undersea restaurant.

•This is completely submerged allowing a panoramic view of the amazing underwater creatures.

•The culinary speciality is obviously-seafood.

RED STAR IN ISRAEL

An Aquarium themed restaurant in the desert of Israel provides a complete contrast to the sand dunes.

Cannibalistic restaurant-Tokyo

Eat from body itself !!

The ‘body’ is made of dough on a hospital gurney

The blood of the ‘corpse’ is merely red sauce

The menu ranges from sushi to the more traditional noodles and rice.

•The first toilet-themed restaurant was inaugurated in Taipei, Taiwan.

•The food is usually served in a toilet shaped dish whereas the consumer sits on a commode himself.

• Their culinary speciality-excrement shaped ice-cream.

Modern Toilet Restaurant

•On customer request-an animation of humanoid feces urinating in a commode…and you have the cherry on top.

The Disaster Café in Lloret de Mar,

Spain

• Adrenaline junkies pay to experience a simulated 7.8 quake while they enjoy a tasty meal.

•The flatware and hollow ware are specially attached onto the tables to prevent spillage.

Hard rock Cafe

•175 Hard Rock locations in 53 countries•8 cafés in India• Walls with  rock and rock memorabilia.•Started in London •Biggest in Orlando.

DANS LE NOIR?(In the Dark)

PARIS

•A unique concept of ‘dining in the dark’.

•Customers dine in pitch black atmosphere to enhance their senses…and hence, enjoy the ‘real and enhanced’ taste of food.

•Customers assisted by virtually impaired staff upon entry itself…into a dark room.

Whale Belly Dark Restaurant-Beijing

•The same ‘dining in the dark’ concept exists in the capital of China .

•The staff here assists the diners wearing specialized ‘night vision’ goggles.

Donnie Dirks Zombie Den-Minneapolis

•Situated in Minneapolis, a perfect place for a zombie apocalypse…

•Inspired by the movie ‘Shawn of the dead’…it is a real life experience the fans would literally DIE for !!

A continuation of the zombie experience…

Giger Bar ,Chur-Switzerland

•The interior of the bars are themed along the lines of the film “Alien”

• Owned by H.R Giger- a Swiss surrealist painter, sculptor and set designer of the movie.

•The entrance is similar to the entrance of the Spaceship as in the movie.Giger Bar ,Chur-Switzerland

•There are two Giger bars, one in Chur and the other in Gruyeres.

The Eternity

• This aptly called restaurant ‘placed’ in Ukraine.

• For a realistic experience, the macabre customers can go through a paraphernalia of funeral related items before ordering a sinister sounding dish.

•The chef’s recommendation-a dish known as ‘lets meet in heaven’.

•It is the World’s largest coffin

The volcanic Igloo !!• The ‘Hoto Fudo Noodle

restaurant’ located near the active volcano Mt.Fujiama has a contrasting theme of being igloo shaped !!

• The term ‘hoto’ refers to a traditional noodle dish.

• The customers can feel the rumblings beneath the volcano while eating the speciality-’the hoto soup’.

The Robo Cafe

• Made by the ever innovative Korean company ITM Technologies.

• Accepts orders verbally and/or via a touch screen.

•The menu includes whole of the Korean cuisine.

•Apart from being the predecessor of ‘the terminator’ this ARM requires zero tip !

The non-humane restaurant – ‘s Baggers

• The German town of Nuremberg has this unique café.

• The unique gravity-propelled restaurant known as ‘Baggers’

•The customers order via a computer from their table.

•Food is pushed from the kitchen located below the roof to glide along the rails attached to each table…and gravity delivers it !!

‘The Ganja Gourmet’

• It is the only medical marijuana dispensary-eatery in Denver, Colorado.

* The food is ONLY served IF the customer has a medical cannabis id card.

• A wide choice-salads, pizza, lasagna and desserts-all cooked with marijuana.

• There is also a ‘bud bar’ where you can get whichever strain of marijuana you desire.

Barbie Cafe-Taiwan

• World’s first Barbie themed restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan.

• This is a hot favorite restaurant for guys proposing their future life partners…especially since the girls don’t refuse when having a good time !!

• The food comprises of a fusion of pastries and baked goods and some Korean items.

•You can find the waitresses dressed as Barbies and the stewards dressed as Kens !! Picture perfect it is…if you get over the alarming use of pink !!

THE ICE BAR-DUBAI

• Almost everything at the restaurant is sculpted out of ice. Guest will sit on ice benches or chairs, eat at ice tables, out of ice plates, drink from ice glasses served from a bar made office.

The restaurant, which will serve cold cuts, cheese, juices, ice creams and mocktails, can accommodate 40 guests.

FOODAHOLIC AHMEDABAD

The Great Kebab Factory…..

Dine like Mowgli- The Jungle Bhookh !

Aeroplate-sans the hostess sadly…

Le chowk-Street food in a mall !

Vishalla-Village in a platter…

Dine under the stars…

Dine amidst the legends-Elvis, Lennon, Beatles and Blue Swede

THANK YOU !