Theme restaurants are restaurants in which the concept of the restaurant takes priority over everything else, influencing the architecture, food, music, and overall 'feel' of the restaurant. The food usually takes a backseat to the presentation of the theme, and these restaurants attract customers solely on the premise of the theme itself.
Popular chain restaurants such as Applebee's or Bennigans – despite having a distinct and consistent style throughout their locations – would not be considered to be theme restaurants by most people. Theme restaurants have an instantly recognizable, easily articulable concept that can be summed up in a few words at most, an almost cartoonish exaggeration of an idea. The popular Rainforest Cafe restaurants have the obvious theme of a "Tropical Rainforest". Medieval Times has its theme of "Medieval Europe". The Jekyll & Hyde Club evokes an atmosphere of Jack the Ripper and Victorian horror novels. Some theme restaurants use controversial images, contexts, or ideas. The most notorious of them was Hitler's Cross, in Mumbai, India which was renamed to Cross Cafe in August 2006.
Chains of tiki bars started opening in the United States in the mid to late 1930s.
In the late 1950s, David Tallichet began opening restaurants decorated as Polynesian islands, New England fishing villages and World War II era French farmhouses (barricaded with sandbags to protect against German bombardment). His Proud Bird restaurant at the Los Angeles International Airport had headphones at each table so that diners could listen to control-tower chatter. Almost all of his restaurants were in Southern California. His company, Specialty Restaurants, grew to revenues of $185 million at its peak in 1980.
The early 21st-century closings of several Planet Hollywood and Jekyll & Hyde Club locations suggest a decline in popularity. Theme restaurants often depend on tourist business, since the theme soon becomes stale to locals, and the focus is not necessarily on good food and service. Certain tourist destinations such as the Mall of America or Orlando, Florida have better chances of supporting theme restaurants. Theme restaurants are commonplace at theme parks, such as Universal Studios.
94th Aero Squadron Restaurants – World War I-era biplane and relics, Van Nuys and San Diego, CaliforniaAlhambra Dinner Theatre – dinner theaters, Jacksonville, FloridaAmerican Girl - American Girl Doll theme, New YorkThe Australian Bar and Restaurant - sports bar, New York CityAustralian Outback Spectacular - Australiana dinner and show package featuring many Australian animals, songs and bush tuckerBarcade - classic arcade, Brooklyn New YorkBattle of the Dance - dinner theater, Anaheim, CaliforniaBelle of Louisville – Steamboat, Louisville, KentuckyBlindekuh two restaurants in Basel and Zürich where patrons are served in the dark.Binghamton (ferryboat) - a retired ferryboat that operated from 1905 to 1967, New JerseyBlue Bayou Restaurants - Disneyland in Anaheim, California, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland, in Chiba, JapanBubba Gump Shrimp Company – The film Forrest Gump (the first theme restaurant inspired by a film)Buns and Guns – war detail, Beirut, LebanonThe Cannery – Waterfront cannery, Newport Beach, CaliforniaCaptain John's Harbour Boat Restaurant - Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Casa Bonita - Theme park restaurant Lakewood, ColoradoCheeseburger in Paradise - cheesebuger heaven, Myrtle Beach South CarolinaChuck E. Cheese's (formerly Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre and Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza), games raffle, theatre various areaCity Tavern – Colonial tavern, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaClifton's Cafeteria - World largest cafeteria, Los AngelesCold Spring Tavern – Stagecoach stop, Santa Barbara, CaliforniaColonial Inn – Colonial tavern, Concord, Massachusetts, USColonial Tramcar Restaurant - a restaurant which operates from a converted fleet of three vintage trams, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Colonial Williamsburg – Several colonial taverns in a restored colonial city, Williamsburg, Virginia, USComet Pizza - rec room theme, Washington D.C., U.S.Coyote Ugly Saloon - Based on the movie Coyote Ugly, New York CityDans le Noir - Dining in the dark, Clerkenwell, LondonDelta King – Steamboat, Sacramento, CaliforniaDelta Queen – Steamboat, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USDerby Dinner Playhouse – dinner theater, Clarksville, Indiana, USThe Dinner Detective [3] – dinner theater, a nationwide theatrical production company based within the United StatesDesert Star Theater – Historic dinner theater, located in Murray, Utah, USDive! - was a 300-seat restaurant Beverly Hills, CaliforniaDolly Parton's Dixie Stampede – American patrioticDon the Beachcomber - tiki restaurants, Various LocationsDrury Lane Theatre dinner theater, Oakbrook Terrace Illinois, USThe Edison – Powerplant, Los AngelesEllen's Stardust Diner – 1950s dinerEncore Dinner Theatre – dinner theater, Tustin, CaliforniaFamily Fun Center and Bullwinkle's Restaurant - features animated robotic performances by Bullwinkle and Rocky, Tukwila, Washington, USFashion Cafe - featuring celebrity models, New York CityFirehouse Subs = in a firehouse, Myrtle Beach, USFulton Theatre – dinner theater, located at West 46th Street in New York City for a few months in 1911 under the name Folies-Bergere; demolishedGaslight Theatre – dinner theater, Enid, Oklahoma, USHarald - Viking age FinlandHard Rock Cafe – Rock music Universal City California, Florida and Las Vegas.Heart Attack Grill – HospitalHell Pizza - Hell theme is used in the menu, New ZealandHenry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village – Various historically themed restaurants, Dearborn, Michigan, USHillbilly Hot Dogs - roadside hot dog stand and tourist attraction, located near Huntington, West VirginiaHitler's Cross aka Cross Cafe – history, Mumbai, IndiaHog's Breath Cafe is an Australian and international chain of steak house restaurantsH.R. Giger Bar - visual effects from the film Alien. Various Locations, SwitzerlandIslands Fine Burgers & Drinks (also known as Islands) - beach theme, various locations, CaliforniaIthaa - undersea restaurant 5 metres below sea level in the MaldivesJacob Wirth Restaurant – Historic building, Boston, USJimmy Buffett's Margaritaville – Tropical beachJumbo Kingdom - Hong KongJekyll & Hyde Club – Victorian English, (Manhattan), New YorkKayabukiya Tavern - Monkeys act as your wait staff, Utsunomiya, JapanLa Comedia Dinner Theatre – dinner theater, Springboro, Ohio, USL&L Hawaiian Barbecue - Hawaii theme, Honolulu, Hawaii, USLaurie Beechman Theatre – in the basement of the West Bank Cafe at 407 West 42nd Street in the Manhattan Plaza apartment complex just west of Times Square New York CityLongfellow's Wayside Inn – Colonial inn, Sudbury, Massachusetts, USLongHorn Steakhouse - Orlando, FloridaMad Mex Fresh Mexican Grill - Lucha libre themed, Sydney and New ZealandMai-Kai Restaurant - tiki themed, 3599 North Federal Highway in Oakland Park, FloridaMars 2112 - aliens & space, New YorkMax Brenner - chocolate addicted theme, New YorkMedieval Times - medieval days, various areas in the USMichie Tavern – Colonial tavern, Charlottesville, Virginia, USThe Mill at Sonning – converted from an 18th-century flour mill, it's located on an island in the River Thames at Sonning Eye in the English county of OxfordshireModern Toilet Restaurant – a bathroom-themed restaurant, Taipei, TaiwanMontana's Cookhouse - a lodge/wilderness setting that tries to provide guests with an escape to simpler times, Vaughan, OntarioMontana Mike's - Big Steak Country, (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas)Moshulu – Four-masted bark (sailing ship), Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaMS Normac - is a floating restaurant boat that was launched as a fire tug named the James R. Elliot. Port Huron, MichiganMV Sydney 2000 - cruise ship dining, Sydney HarbourThe Murder Mystery Company – Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan with shows in over 30 cities across the United StatesMystic Seaport – Nautical-themed restaurants, Mystic, Connecticut, USNatchez – Steamboat, New Orleans, Louisiana, USOfficial All Star Café - not a typical sport bar, New York, Cancun and Las Vegas. From 1997 until 2001One If By Land, Two If By Sea Restaurant - movie inspired, New YorkOutback Steakhouse - an Australian-themed, Tampa, Florida with over 950 locations in 23 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and AustraliaPeanut Butter & Co. everything on the menu prepared with peanut butter, New York (Manhattan), 1998-2016Planet Hollywood – The film industryPortillo's Restaurants – 1920s Chicago and other themesPS Lincoln Castle - was a coal-fired side-wheel paddle steamer, under permanent dock in Alexandra Dock GrimsbyPS Tattershall Castle - a floating pub and restaurant., River Humber for the London and North Eastern RailwayRainforest Cafe – Rainforest; various locations in Houston, Texas, USRick's Café Casablanca - inspired by the movie Casablanca; Casablanca, MoroccoRicky's Sports Theatre and Grill - an Oakland Raiders themed sports bar; San Leandro, California, USRimsky-Korsakoffee House - haunted cafe bar; Portland, Oregon, USRiverside Inn – dinner theater, in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, on the U.S. National Register of Historic PlacesThe Rugby Club (rebranded as The Rugby Club Sydney) - Rugby Union-themed, Sydney, AustraliaRustar Floating Restaurant - floating dining; Dubai, United Arab EmiratesSafe House Restaurant – Secret agents and espionageSports Box - sports theme, Mumbai; Noida; Indore; Siliguri; Bangalore, IndiaSeñor Frog's - infamous party scene, throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, South America and the United StatesSerendipity 3 - dessert heaven, New York CitySherman - General Frank M. Coxe is a steam ferry, California's San Francisco BayShoeless Joe's - a sports-themed restaurant, Ontario, CanadaSilver Star Cafe - railway carriage, Port Hedland, Western AustraliaSpace Aliens Grill & Bar - outer space themed restaurants, Bismarck, North Dakota, USSpaghetti Warehouse - Italian restaurants, each built around a trolley-carStar Seafood Floating Restaurant - boat dining, Sha Tin, ChinaStir Crazy Thane - an Oriental kitchen Restaurant, Thane, Maharashtra, IndiaSS South Steyne - a floating restaurant moored at Darling Harbour, AustraliaTam O'Shanter – Scottish, Los AngelesT-Rex - prehistoric themed restaurant Kansas City, USTeatro ZinZanni – a circus dinner theater that began in Seattle, Washington. It has since expanded to a Pier 29 on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California.Texas de Brazil - combinations of Brazil & Texas dining, Dallas, TexasTexas Roadhouse - a Western theme, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery - a Celtic themed sports, Tempe, Arizona, United StatesToilet Restaurant - TaiwanTrader Vic's - beach themed, Emeryville, CaliforniaTS Queen Mary - ship dining, William Denny shipyard at Dumbarton, UKTwin Peaks - a hooters type of sports bar, Addison, Texas,United StatesUSAT General Frank M. Coxe - floating restaurant, California's San Francisco BayVoodoo Doughnut - an independent doughnut shop, Portland, Oregon, USWalkabout (pub chain) - an Australian themed, United KingdomWay Off Broadway Dinner Theatre – Frederick, Maryland, USWCW Nitro Grill - an American professional wrestling steak house restaurant, Las VegasWingstop Restaurants - aviation-themed, Garland, Texas, USThe World (WWE) - pro wrestling theme, Times Square in New York,
