# Inexplicably Stupid Restaurant Concepts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 11, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245 "2017-04-11T16:50:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/41 "2017-04-12T03:15:37Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Reminds me of [Modern Toilet Restaurant](http://www.moderntoilet.com.tw/en/index.asp), a 2009 concept started in Taiwan with apparently several outposts (I count 3 on the website–but I seem to remember it being more.) Yes, it’s one of a zillion Taiwanese-style dessert places that have opened in Toronto recently. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/42 "2017-04-12T11:20:11Z")
When we lived in Jacksonville, my inlaws loved taking visitors to [this place](http://www.oldspanishsugarmill.com/) where you cooked your own pancakes. They would drive over an hour each way for breakfast. Apparently the place was really popular, but to this day, I don’t get the appeal. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/43 "2017-04-12T11:50:29Z")
[We Want Plates](http://wewantplates.com/). There’s a particular [item](http://wewantplates.com/2017/01/dessert-on-a-sanitary-towel/)that made me somewhat queasy just looking at it. I’ve eaten at a few restaurants like this. Usually it’s runny food on tiny edgeless cutting boards but occasionally they get creative. The latest one just brought us our food on a tray. One tray for all the food. No plates. Drippy burgers. WHY ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/44 "2017-04-12T11:53:40Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > +100 for the fondue thing. Here’s $35, can I please cook my own food? Thanks!:rolleyes: It’s a bucket of cheese followed by a bucket of chocolate. I’ll pay for that happily! > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > When we lived in Jacksonville, my inlaws loved taking visitors to [this place](http://www.oldspanishsugarmill.com/) where you cooked your own pancakes. They would drive over an hour each way for breakfast. > > Apparently the place was really popular, but to this day, I don’t get the appeal. I was surprised to find that it’s still open. My parents used to take visitors there for breakfast. I wasn’t a huge fan, not least because us kids couldn’t just cook the damn things without my mother telling us we were doing it wrong. Even when we were 20. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/45 "2017-04-12T13:26:16Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > It’s a bucket of cheese followed by a bucket of chocolate. I’ll pay for that happily! > > I was surprised to find that it’s still open. **My parents used to take visitors there for breakfast.** I wasn’t a huge fan, not least because us kids couldn’t just cook the damn things without **my mother telling us we were doing it wrong.** Even when we were 20. "Well Mom, if you’re such a great pancake cook, why are we _here_? :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/46 "2017-04-12T14:12:08Z")
Another that’s too cutesy for me - Famous Dave’s BBQ has what they call “Famous Feasts.” It’s “family style” with a selection of their smoked meats and sides, all served up in a garbage can lid. yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/47 "2017-04-12T14:52:12Z")
OK, so jokes aside, how _does_ a restaurant themed around Sophie’s Choice actually work? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/48 "2017-04-12T15:02:02Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > [We Want Plates](http://wewantplates.com/). Good lord, those are all real things at real restaurants? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/49 "2017-04-12T15:12:25Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Good lord, those are all real things at real restaurants? :eek: They are indeed. Mostly I blame hipster-types for trying to be all clever and edgy in their eschewing of plates. Where I have encountered it, it is generally impractical, messy and annoying. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/50 "2017-04-12T15:29:06Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, so jokes aside, how _does_ a restaurant themed around Sophie’s Choice actually work? I’ve been wondering the same thing so I googled it. It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the movie. [https://sophieschoicerestaurant.co.uk/](https://sophieschoicerestaurant.co.uk/) Maybe the first one was opened by a woman named Sophie. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/51 "2017-04-12T15:56:31Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Running a restaurant successfully is a lot harder than most people think, and requires a very different skill set, with the result that most restaurants fail very quickly. My father was a “small business agent” with the University of Wisconsin Extension (essentially, a consultant for small businessmen) for several decades. He worked with many people who had dreams of opening their own restaurants, and the vast majority of them had no clue of the level of work and number of skills required to be successful. What would frequently happen with those few who _were_ successful was that the owners (who were also working long hours as managers and / or chefs) would want to step back from the insane workload, not spend 80 hours a week at the restaurant, and enjoy the fruits of their labors. And, almost invariably, the people who they would delegate to weren’t as good at their jobs as the owners were, quality and service at the restaurant would decline, loyal customers would stop coming, and the place would eventually go under. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/52 "2017-04-12T16:07:25Z")
There was a restaurant in my city that was actually kind of genius - you created your own sandwich. They had a checklist of all their breads & ingredients and you checked off what you wanted and they built the sandwich for you. It was very popular and people still miss it (I think the owners sold and the place went to crap.) Anyway, when I was 16 a similar place opened only they put everything on a big huge baked potato. It was called Spuds. Same concept only on a giant potato. It was actually pretty good but the place didn’t last long. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/53 "2017-04-12T17:44:34Z")
In 2004 there was a lot of hype over a University City (part of Philadelphia) restaurant called [“Cereality”](https://www.yelp.com/biz/cereality-philadelphia). Their gimmick was selling you breakfast cereal. Mind you, they did have toppings of all sorts and could give you Soy Milk or hot oatmeal, but at the end of the day they were selling you a serving size portion of cold cereal with milk for $4. It had a shining time with the hipster crowd, then they got bored with the novelty and it closed. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/54 "2017-04-12T17:54:14Z")
There is a [chain of “roller coaster” restaurants](http://www.rollercoasterrestaurant.com/en/), where your food is delivered to your table through a large network of steel tracks. It all seems so unnecessary to me. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/55 "2017-04-12T17:57:43Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > Anyway, when I was 16 a similar place opened only they put everything on a big huge baked potato. It was called Spuds. Same concept only on a giant potato. It was actually pretty good but the place didn’t last long. I remember that fad. The one on our fast food row (which was two miles long) lasted about two years, then was replaced with a Spaghetti Pot, which was supposed to be the franchise of the 1980s, and lasted about 1,980 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/56 "2017-04-12T18:01:26Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > There was a restaurant in Anchorage that was apparently trying to riff off of Kramer’s “make-your-own-pizza” idea. It lasted about 30 seconds. Yet here in Los Angeles, there’s something like three or four chains of “make-your-own-pizza” restaurants. They’re doing quite well. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/57 "2017-04-12T18:32:44Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Yet here in Los Angeles, there’s something like three or four chains of “make-your-own-pizza” restaurants. They’re doing quite well. There’s a few of these in the Chicago area, and I noticed a couple in Phoenix. All rated highly and seem to be doing very well. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/58 "2017-04-12T18:38:14Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > [Passing off baked goods purchased from a store as your own.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=690945) Soon’s I saw the date and “Gordon Ramsey” I _knew_ it was Amy’s Bakery. Their fifteen minutes of fame over, it closed over a year ago (and good riddance). And maybe the seafood-in-a-bag isn’t so weird. We have a chain called [Angry Crab](http://www.angrycrabshack.com/angry-crab-mesa) here (six locations in the metro area) that serves up a variety of crustaceans and molluscs (and even salmon) by the pound with a number of sauces and heats in a plastic bag. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/59 "2017-04-12T18:43:04Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > There was a restaurant in my city that was actually kind of genius - you created your own sandwich. They had a checklist of all their breads & ingredients and you checked off what you wanted and they built the sandwich for you. It was very popular and people still miss it That’s exactly how Which Wich operates. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245/60 "2017-04-12T18:49:26Z")
The restaurant in the OP sounds like one we have here [Hot and Juicy](http://hotnjuicycrawfish.com/menu-2/menu). Nothing wrong with it. You choose your seafood, choose your seasoning, choose your spice level and get it by the pound. Certainly if I’m going for Maryland blue crab I would be disappointed in a place that didn’t just dump a pile of crabs on the table and expect you to tear them apart with your hands. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inexplicably-stupid-restaurant-concepts/784245.md?page=4)