There are so many bars, pubs, and restaurants that feature prominently on television series that the settings are practically their own characters themselves, from Central Perk in Friends to MacLaren's in How I Met Your Mother. And when it comes to reality shows, there is also an abundance of food-related series about restaurants and bar owners, from Hell's Kitchen to Bar Rescue.
But in other shows, while the bar or restaurant might not necessarily be the star, at least not in the same way, it is critical to the livelihood of the main character. And from the hottest, sexiest nightclubs/bars to family-friendly steakhouses, and from laugh-out-loud comedies to chilling dramas, it truly runs the gamut.
Bob's Burgers - Bob Belcher
With 11 seasons under its belt, Bob's Burgers has been a roaring success for Fox. This adult animated sitcom is about the Belcher family and the hamburger restaurant they run and according to IMDb, every season, thus far, ranks above a 7.4 rating. Not surprisingly, then, the series has been renewed for a 12th and 13th season.
The show focuses on the various happenings within the family, but mostly about Bob and the many rivalries he has with the owners of neighboring restaurants, like Jimmy Pestom who owns the more successful Italian restaurant across the street. While the kids are all in school, they also help out at the family restaurant when they can.
Fresh Off The Boat - Louis Huang
One of the few sitcoms centered around an Asian American family, Fresh Off The Boat is set in the '90s and is loosely based on the life of Eddie Huang, a chef and food personality. The story is that of a Taiwanese American family who resides in Florida.
Father Louis owns and runs the local steakhouse called Cattleman's Ranch, while his wife Jessica steers the ship at home with their three kids, Eddie, Emery, and Evan, as well as Louis' feisty mother, Jenny. As the restaurant achieves success, Louis and the family look at ways to bring in new customers to create a fun, family-friendly venue. The series had its best and worst episodes, but many scenes took place in or had storylines involving the Ranch.
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia - "The Gang"
Paddy's Pub is the setting for this FX sitcom, which is all about the narcissistic friends who, together, run the Irish bar located in South Philadelphia. Known as "The Gang," the group of misfit friends try their best to run the pub together, though conflict tends to get in the way.
That's not surprising, since the owners like to drink and abuse substances, not to mention they are dishonest, egotistical, and selfish. While some things on It's Always Sunny have changed over the years, each episode is typically about a different scheme one (or more) concoct in an effort to get revenge on one another.
Cheers - Sam Malone
The very name of the show is that of the iconic bar, the place where "everybody knows your name." Cheers isn't the bar you go to in order to meet hot singles or relax with a martini while raising your voice to talk to the person next to you over loud music. It's your typical sports bar that is patronized mainly by locals. And one of the main characters was Sam Malone, the womanizing ex-pro baseball player, owner of the bar, and lead bartender.
The same guys and gals visited Cheers day in and day out to have a pint after work, hang out for a few hours on the weekend, and spill their souls to Sam and the other people who worked there and whom they called friends.
Lucifer - Lucifer Morningstar
Lucifer, of course, is the Devil, and that is his primary occupation. But he is also, up on Earth, a business owner who runs LUX, one of the hottest and naughtiest nightclubs/bars in Los Angeles. As his brother Amenadiel describes it, LUX is Lucifer's "den of sin" on Earth. There are few rules, if any, at LUX, which is precisely what makes it so popular.
Patrons can come, dance, drink, and let themselves go. It doesn't appear as though LUX sells any actual food, though. There, it's just a liquid diet of alcohol and other illicit edibles that are passed around.
Better Call Saul - Gus Fring
While the title character on Better Call Saul is a lawyer, not a restaurant owner, the primary antagonist of the series is. Gustavo Fring owns and runs Los Pollos Hermanos, a fast-food restaurant that specializes in high-quality chicken dishes that put the salty, greasy, other guys to shame.
Of course, while Fring is secretly a drug kingpin managing an empire with the restaurant as a front, he still takes great pride in the operations. He is seen working day shifts often, making sure everything is in tip-top shape and quality control and customer service protocol is always adhered to, or else. Many fans believe Gus Fring is the smartest character in the Breaking Bad franchise, not Walter White.
Arrested Development - George Bluth
George Bluth started Bluth's Original Frozen Banana Stand as just one part of the massive empire that was the Bluth Company on Arrested Development. The stand was a mainstay in the family and the one business they could always rely on to be successful, no matter what, although, through the series' run, it gets destroyed and built back up again several times.
The concept is simple: frozen bananas are sold in a variety of delectable and indulgent ways, including dipped in hot fudge, dipped in chocolate and placed between two chocolate graham crackers, and even dipped in fudge and covered in nuts. While the large, yellow banana-looking stand had always been successful, it was known through the '70s as a spot where people often bought and sold drugs.
New Girl - Nick Miller
Nick Miller didn't initially own Clyde's Bar/The Griffin on New Girl. He was just the long-time bartender who worked there during the evenings, then went home to sleep most of the days.
But eventually, when Nick started to rethink his life and future plans, he made the big move to purchase the bar along with his friend, Schmidt, which turned out to be one of the best decisions Nick made, kickstarting his adult life. While the storyline about ownership with Nick came later in the seasons, the bar was a pivotal spot on the show where a lot of major things happened, like Jess meeting Sam and Cece deciding on her new career path.
Beverly Hills, 90210 - Various
The central theme of Beverly Hills, 90210, one of the best shows to watch right now on Pop TV, was not this club but rather the high school all the kids attended. However, as they got older, the Peach Pit After Dark did feature prominently in almost every episode once it was introduced. Originally owned by Dylan and Nat, with Steve running it, the Peach Pit After Dark was a club that operated after hours in the basement of the Peach Pit diner. Events there often included live bands, as well as birthday parties, fashion shows, and more.
After a series of bad decisions, David and Clare eventually took over management and Dylan signed the lease over to Steve's father, Rush. Valerie then bought the club. By the end, Noah Hunter eventually took over running it.
Riverdale - Veronica Lodge
Clearly inspired by Beverly Hills, 90210, wealthy high schooler Veronica Lodge decided to put her money behind a unique concept: opening her own after-hours night club called La Bonne Nuit, which was located in the basement of Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, the diner that the high schoolers frequented during the day.
La Bonne Nuit featured hidden details fans might not notice and became a critical part of every story on Riverdale from the day it opened. Its very existence caused rifts between Veronica and her father and it attracted plenty of illicit dealings, but also fun memories were made here.