Random Craziest Themed Restaurants From ‘90s Themed Restaurant Craz (10 items)

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  (#7) Official All Star Cafe 

  • The Concept: Robert Earl, a co-founder of Planet Hollywood, was responsible for the Official All Star Cafe, a chain of theme restaurants celebrating the wide world of sports. Celebrity athletes were investors in the business, which served traditional sports food. After the success of Planet Hollywood, Earl saw an opportunity to capitalize on that most American of all pastimes: sports. Andre Agassi, Wayne Gretzky, Shaquille O'Neal, and Monica Seles were among the investors. 
  • The Opening: The first Official All Star Cafe opened in New York City in 1995. The gala included the dedication of the restaurant's Charlie Sheen Room. "He has one of the finest collections of baseball memorabilia in the world," Earl told The New York Times.
  • The Decor: Sports memorabilia was the obvious decorating choice for the Official All Star Cafe. The walls were adorned with such iconic monuments as Agassi's ponytail and the first backboard O'Neal ever smashed. The booths resembled oversized baseball gloves.
  • The Merchandise: The ground floor of the New York City location was a 5,000-square-foot merchandise store where diners could purchase items from a massive selection of logo-bearing clothing and other goods.
  • Its Status Today: In 1999, the Cafe's parent company filed for bankruptcy, and locations began closing.
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  (#1) Fashion Cafe 

  • The Concept: The '90s were also the era in which fashion models became superstars, so the union of supermodels and theme restaurants was perhaps the most appropriate marriage of ideas. The premise of Fashion Cafe was similar to Planet Hollywood, except instead of movie-star backers, supermodels promoted the enterprise. The models were not part owners, but paid spokespeople who would receive a portion of the eatery's future profits.
  • The Opening: Fashion Cafe was the brainchild of Italian entrepreneurial brothers Francesco and Tommaso Buti. Tommaso came to New York City from Italy in 1989 and started making connections within the city's real estate and celebrity circles. Recognizing the sudden popularity of runway models, he joined forces with his brother to open the first location in Rockefeller Center in 1995. In the spring of 1995, the gala opening of Fashion Cafe was set up like a red carpet. Among the attendees: "spokesmodels" Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Elle MacPherson, and Claudia Schiffer, as well as Gianni and Donatella Versace, David Copperfield, and Stephen Dorff.
  • The Decor: The restaurant was decorated with some of the fashions once worn by the most popular models of the day. But the emphasis was never really on fashion, as Tommaso admitted before opening night: "With something like this, you cannot go too deeply into fashion. The public is not that educated and not that interested. They want to see more the glamour and the entertainment of fashion."
  • The Merchandise: Fashion Cafe sold plenty of branded merchandise, including $28 t-shirts.
  • Its Status Today: The restaurant was initially quite popular and grew to eight locations around the world. Within three years, however, every single one had closed. In 2000, the Buti brothers faced 51 federal counts each of conspiracy, fraud, and money laundering in their handling of Fashion Cafe's finances.
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  (#2) American Girl Cafe

  • The Concept: Located in select American Girl Place retail locations, American Girl Cafe offers brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. It's billed as doll-friendly dining. The eatery was designed as a way to make a trip to an American Girl store an even more memorable outing.
  • The Opening: The first American Girl Cafe opened at the Chicago, IL, store in 1998.
  • The Decor: The eateries in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago are larger, somewhat frilly affairs, while other locations are known as bistros and are significantly smaller. There are special seats for diners' dolls to join them at the table. 
  • The Merchandise: Only located within American Girl Place retailers, it's all about the AG merchandise at this establishment. You can usually take your doll to eat with you, or bring her to the salon or on a shopping spree. In fact, upon entering, diners are asked, "Did you bring a girl or do you need to borrow one?"
  • Its Status Today: There are 13 American Girl Cafes or bistros in operation as of 2019.
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  (#8) Rainforest Cafe

  • The Concept: Rainforest Cafe gives diners the unique opportunity to eat in a replica of a tropical rainforest. Decked out with foliage, animal figures, mist, and waterfalls, the restaurant features a menu of mostly American (or Americanized) food. Steven Schussler's concept for Rainforest Cafe first took shape as a result of his home makeover, where he turned his house into a faux rainforest. It contained "40 tropical birds, two 150-pound tortoises, a baboon, an iguana and a bevy of tropical fish housed in ten 300-gallon fish tanks," he wrote in his autobiography. He also had real butterflies bred "to determine how long they would survive and whether they would fall in the food."
  • The Opening: The first Rainforest Cafe opened in Minnesota's Mall of America in February 1994. And just like Schussler's house, it contained live animals. Within days, the wait for a table stretched as long as three hours.
  • The Decor: On a regular schedule throughout operating hours, mock thunderstorms break out in the Rainforest Cafe; the lights dim, "lightning" flashes, "thunder" rolls, and the sound of falling rain is pumped through the sound system. In 2000, Landry's Restaurants, Inc. bought the cafe, and the live animals were removed from the dining experience.
  • The Merchandise: Rainforest Cafe-emblazoned merchandise is for sale at every store location. You can also purchase stuffed animals, toys, dinnerware, and "exotic finds."
  • Its Status Today: As of 2019, Rainforest Cafe has 24 locations around the globe.
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  (#10) Planet Hollywood

  • The Concept: The idea for the restaurant was conceived by movie producer Keith Barish, who wanted to create a version of Hard Rock Cafe for film fans. Hard Rock's owner, Robert Earl, loved the idea and took it one step further: movie stars would receive a portion of ownership in exchange for appearing at restaurant openings, which were staged to look like film premieres.
  • The Opening: Planet Hollywood opened its doors in New York City in 1991 with the backing of major movie stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Sylvester Stallone. As envisioned, it was a movie-premiere-style spectacle, with Schwarzenegger, Willis, Stallone, Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg among the supporters. An estimated 10,000 onlookers lined the streets around the restaurant.
  • The Decor: Each restaurant is filled with movie memorabilia, some of which comes from the movies of the celebrity "owners."
  • The Merchandise: Planet Hollywood merchandise is a major moneymaker for the chain. They produce key rings, leather coats, sweatshirts, t-shirts, watches, and much more. 
  • Its Status Today: Despite growing to more than 100 locations, Planet Hollywood started losing money quickly. After the chain's first Las Vegas casino venture failed in 1998, stocks fell, and celebrity backers began jumping ship. As of 2019, only nine locations are still in business.
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  (#4) Mars 2112

  • The Concept: Space travel was the focus of Mars 2112. With a size of 33,000 feet, it was the largest theme restaurant upon opening in 1998. Owner Paschal M. Phelan said Mars 2112 was a "fusion of fun and good food and fantasy."
  • The Opening: The New York City location opened in Times Square in November 1998. In 2000, a second location opened in a mall in Schaumburg, IL. 
  • The Decor: Diners ate amongst alien and spaceship decor.
  • The Merchandise: Of course there was merchandise - mostly apparel and toys with a space travel or alien theme.
  • Its Status Today: In 2011, after the New York location famously refused to let Shaquille O'Neal in because he wasn't dressed properly, there was no going back. The Times Square site closed in 2012, a few months after the Illinois site shuttered.

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