If you enjoy a restaurant chain like Red Lobster or Panda Express but also enjoy the finer foods that New York City has to offer, you’re in luck.
ChainFEST, a food festival that creates elevated takes on chain restaurant food, is coming to Randall’s Island on Sept. 21.
Dishes include items like butter-poached lobster in a fancy Cheddar Bay biscuit (à la Red Lobster) and “triple pickle” onion rings — brined in pickle juice, tossed in dill-spiced batter and seasoned with a pickle dust — in a take on Red Robin’s onion rings.
Red Lobster-style poached lobster biscuit
Chef Tim Hollingsworth, one of the cofounders of Chain, said that creating these takes on suburban staples was “equivalent” to what he did for more than a decade as a chef at the French Laundry, Thomas Keller’s three-Michelin starred restaurant in Northern California. Hollingsworth was also chef at Per Se, Keller’s similarly decorated restaurant in Columbus Circle.
“You’re trying to make these memories based off other memories when somebody is eating a dish,” Hollingsworth said last week at Per Se during a preview event for the festival.
“I remember sitting in Pizza Hut when I was six years old,” he said. “I can smell that buttery crust. It transforms you back into this moment, and I think that’s what’s really special about food and what we’re doing with Chain.”
Other chains that the festival will riff on include Krispy Kreme, KFC, Panda Express and Portillo’s.
Deep-fried oyster mushrooms with chili crunch, in a spin on Panda Express
Courtesy of ChainFest
To throw the festival, Chain is teaming up with Medium Rare, the production company that puts on celebrity events like Shaq’s “Fun House,” Guy Fieri’s “Flavortown Tailgate” and Travis Kelce’s “Kelce Jam.”
Medium Rare cofounder Adam Richman, in remarks at the preview event, described a shared love of chain restaurant food as one way to address the deep divisions in American society.
“In a world that is getting more fractured culturally, how cool to have Red Lobster and Panda Express and KFC, these brands that still resonate with lots and lots of people?” he said.
Deep-fried oyster mushrooms with chili crunch, in a spin on Panda Express
Courtesy ChainFEST
The event has already drummed up its share of hype — at least judging by the attendees at the preview at Per Se. They included Chain investor Chrissy Teigen and influencer models Sarah Snyder and Phoebe Joseph, founder of “Models That Eat,” a platform aiming to help fashion industry workers form healthier relationships with food and body image.
Kevin Mayer, chief marketing officer of Red Robin, which underwrote financing for the festival and event, along with the other restaurants involved, said influencer events made up about 15% of the company’s marketing spend. That share is set to grow, he added.
“This is an opportunity to have a lot of value influence across culture and media,” said Mayer.
Pooja Tripathi, an influencer and comedian who sends up New York City life on her popular TikTok channel, said she wasn’t sure if she could eat anything at the preview event, given that she’s a vegetarian.
“If I’m being honest, I came here to dilly-dally,” Tripathi said. “I don’t really feel like doing anything today.”
Tickets for ChainFEST go on sale Friday, Aug. 9 and will be available here. They start at around $100.