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, California
Alhambra Dinner Theatre – dinner theaters, Jacksonville, Florida
American Girl - American Girl Doll theme, New York
The Australian Bar and Restaurant - sports bar, New York City
Australian Outback Spectacular - Australiana dinner and show package featuring many Australian animals, songs and bush tucker
Barcade - classic arcade, Brooklyn New York
Battle of the Dance - dinner theater, Anaheim, California
Belle of Louisville – Steamboat, Louisville, Kentucky
Blindekuh 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 Jersey
Blue Bayou Restaurants - Disneyland in Anaheim, California, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland, in Chiba, Japan
Bubba Gump Shrimp Company – The film Forrest Gump (the first theme restaurant inspired by a film)
Buns and Guns – war detail, Beirut, Lebanon
The Cannery – Waterfront cannery, Newport Beach, California
Captain John's Harbour Boat Restaurant - Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Casa Bonita - Theme park restaurant Lakewood, Colorado
Cheeseburger in Paradise - cheesebuger heaven, Myrtle Beach South Carolina
Chuck E. Cheese's (formerly Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre and Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza), games raffle, theatre various area
City Tavern – Colonial tavern, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Clifton's Cafeteria - World largest cafeteria, Los Angeles
Cold Spring Tavern – Stagecoach stop, Santa Barbara, California
Colonial Inn – Colonial tavern, Concord, Massachusetts, US
Colonial 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, US
Comet Pizza - rec room theme, Washington D.C., U.S.
Coyote Ugly Saloon - Based on the movie Coyote Ugly, New York City
Dans le Noir - Dining in the dark, Clerkenwell, London
Delta King – Steamboat, Sacramento, California
Delta Queen – Steamboat, Chattanooga, Tennessee, US
Derby Dinner Playhouse – dinner theater, Clarksville, Indiana, US
The Dinner Detective [3] – dinner theater, a nationwide theatrical production company based within the United States
Desert Star Theater – Historic dinner theater, located in Murray, Utah, US
Dive! - was a 300-seat restaurant Beverly Hills, California
Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede – American patriotic
Don the Beachcomber - tiki restaurants, Various Locations
Drury Lane Theatre dinner theater, Oakbrook Terrace Illinois, US
The Edison – Powerplant, Los Angeles
Ellen's Stardust Diner – 1950s diner
Encore Dinner Theatre – dinner theater, Tustin, California
Family Fun Center and Bullwinkle's Restaurant - features animated robotic performances by Bullwinkle and Rocky, Tukwila, Washington, US
Fashion Cafe - featuring celebrity models, New York City
Firehouse Subs = in a firehouse, Myrtle Beach, US
Fulton Theatre – dinner theater, located at West 46th Street in New York City for a few months in 1911 under the name Folies-Bergere; demolished
Gaslight Theatre – dinner theater, Enid, Oklahoma, US
Harald - Viking age Finland
Hard Rock Cafe – Rock music Universal City California, Florida and Las Vegas.
Heart Attack Grill – Hospital
Hell Pizza - Hell theme is used in the menu, New Zealand
Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village – Various historically themed restaurants, Dearborn, Michigan, US
Hillbilly Hot Dogs - roadside hot dog stand and tourist attraction, located near Huntington, West Virginia
Hitler's Cross aka Cross Cafe – history, Mumbai, India
Hog's Breath Cafe is an Australian and international chain of steak house restaurants
H.R. Giger Bar - visual effects from the film Alien. Various Locations, Switzerland
Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks (also known as Islands) - beach theme, various locations, California
Ithaa - undersea restaurant 5 metres below sea level in the Maldives
Jacob Wirth Restaurant – Historic building, Boston, US
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville – Tropical beach
Jumbo Kingdom - Hong Kong
Jekyll & Hyde Club – Victorian English, (Manhattan), New York
Kayabukiya Tavern - Monkeys act as your wait staff, Utsunomiya, Japan
La Comedia Dinner Theatre – dinner theater, Springboro, Ohio, US
L&L Hawaiian Barbecue - Hawaii theme, Honolulu, Hawaii, US
Laurie 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 City
Longfellow's Wayside Inn – Colonial inn, Sudbury, Massachusetts, US
LongHorn Steakhouse - Orlando, Florida
Mad Mex Fresh Mexican Grill - Lucha libre themed, Sydney and New Zealand
Mai-Kai Restaurant - tiki themed, 3599 North Federal Highway in Oakland Park, Florida
Mars 2112 - aliens & space, New York
Max Brenner - chocolate addicted theme, New York
Medieval Times - medieval days, various areas in the US
Michie Tavern – Colonial tavern, Charlottesville, Virginia, US
The 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 Oxfordshire
Modern Toilet Restaurant – a bathroom-themed restaurant, Taipei, Taiwan
Montana's Cookhouse - a lodge/wilderness setting that tries to provide guests with an escape to simpler times, Vaughan, Ontario
Montana Mike's - Big Steak Country, (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas)
Moshulu – Four-masted bark (sailing ship), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
MS Normac - is a floating restaurant boat that was launched as a fire tug named the James R. Elliot. Port Huron, Michigan
MV Sydney 2000 - cruise ship dining, Sydney Harbour
The Murder Mystery Company – Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan with shows in over 30 cities across the United States
Mystic Seaport – Nautical-themed restaurants, Mystic, Connecticut, US
Natchez – Steamboat, New Orleans, Louisiana, US
Official All Star Café - not a typical sport bar, New York, Cancun and Las Vegas. From 1997 until 2001
One If By Land, Two If By Sea Restaurant - movie inspired, New York
Outback Steakhouse - an Australian-themed, Tampa, Florida with over 950 locations in 23 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia
Peanut Butter & Co. everything on the menu prepared with peanut butter, New York (Manhattan), 1998-2016
Planet Hollywood – The film industry
Portillo's Restaurants – 1920s Chicago and other themes
PS Lincoln Castle - was a coal-fired side-wheel paddle steamer, under permanent dock in Alexandra Dock Grimsby
PS Tattershall Castle - a floating pub and restaurant., River Humber for the London and North Eastern Railway
Rainforest Cafe – Rainforest; various locations in Houston, Texas, US
Rick's Café Casablanca - inspired by the movie Casablanca; Casablanca, Morocco
Ricky's Sports Theatre and Grill - an Oakland Raiders themed sports bar; San Leandro, California, US
Rimsky-Korsakoffee House - haunted cafe bar; Portland, Oregon, US
Riverside Inn – dinner theater, in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The Rugby Club (rebranded as The Rugby Club Sydney) - Rugby Union-themed, Sydney, Australia
Rustar Floating Restaurant - floating dining; Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Safe House Restaurant – Secret agents and espionage
Sports Box - sports theme, Mumbai; Noida; Indore; Siliguri; Bangalore, India
Señor Frog's - infamous party scene, throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, South America and the United States
Serendipity 3 - dessert heaven, New York City
Sherman - General Frank M. Coxe is a steam ferry, California's San Francisco Bay
Shoeless Joe's - a sports-themed restaurant, Ontario, Canada
Silver Star Cafe - railway carriage, Port Hedland, Western Australia
Space Aliens Grill & Bar - outer space themed restaurants, Bismarck, North Dakota, US
Spaghetti Warehouse - Italian restaurants, each built around a trolley-car
Star Seafood Floating Restaurant - boat dining, Sha Tin, China
Stir Crazy Thane - an Oriental kitchen Restaurant, Thane, Maharashtra, India
SS South Steyne - a floating restaurant moored at Darling Harbour, Australia
Tam O'Shanter – Scottish, Los Angeles
T-Rex - prehistoric themed restaurant Kansas City, US
Teatro 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, Texas
Texas Roadhouse - a Western theme, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery - a Celtic themed sports, Tempe, Arizona, United States
Toilet Restaurant - Taiwan
Trader Vic's - beach themed, Emeryville, California
TS Queen Mary - ship dining, William Denny shipyard at Dumbarton, UK
Twin Peaks - a hooters type of sports bar, Addison, Texas,United States
USAT General Frank M. Coxe - floating restaurant, California's San Francisco Bay
Voodoo Doughnut - an independent doughnut shop, Portland, Oregon, US
Walkabout (pub chain) - an Australian themed, United Kingdom
Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre – Frederick, Maryland, US
WCW Nitro Grill - an American professional wrestling steak house restaurant, Las Vegas
Wingstop Restaurants - aviation-themed, Garland, Texas, US
The World (WWE) - pro wrestling theme, Times Square in New York,
