There is so much product placement in both movies and on TV, whether it’s promoting soda or fast food. However, there are some films and shows that completely forego this and get creative with what the characters drink and eat.
As intense and dramatic as some movies can be, if it takes place in a fictional fast-food place, chances are that viewers will feel hungry as well as emotional. Between fried chicken places being used to launder money, pizza places that double as arcades, and burger chains where customers are waited on by rockstars, there are so many fictional fast-food chains that need to come to life.
Krusty Burger - The Simpsons
Krusty the Clown might be one of the most memorable clowns on TV, but that’s not all he is. Krusty is an entrepreneur and has his fingers in so many pies that he doesn’t just throw them at Sideshow Bob. One of those pies is Krusty Burger, a chain that takes pride in giving people heart attacks with their food.
But the best thing about Krusty Burger is that, unlike many other fictional fast-food chains, this one actually exists. Though it isn’t really a chain, as there’s only one location, fans can enjoy The Clogger burger in Universal Studios.
Pizza Planet - Toy Story
There are so many great pizza scenes in movies, whether it’s Kevin eating pizza in a limo in Home Alone 2, or Wayne promoting Pizza Hut in Wayne’s World, but most of them are just that, promotions for real-life places. However, there’s one fictional pizza place that fans wish existed, and that’s Pizza Planet from Toy Story.
Pizza Planet is different, as it doesn’t simply have delicious-looking food, it’s a stylish-looking arcade too. Not to mention that given the delivery guy’s erratic driving, the deliveries arrive in no time. And if there’s one thing for sure, it’s that the pizza is definitely better than the broccoli pizza seen in Inside Out.
Big Kahuna Burger - Pulp Fiction
From the moment Jules was introduced in Pulp Fiction, he was talking about burgers with Vincent, but it didn’t end with the quarter pounder conversation. When retrieving the briefcase from Brett, Jules takes it upon himself to try Brett’s Big Kahuna burger. And as Jules says himself, “that’s one tasty burger.”
It’s one of the best burger scenes in movie history, and Big Kahuna Burger is such a huge staple in pop culture that so many different restaurants have tried to create the classic burger based on the ingredients they know. But nothing would be like trying it from the fast-food chain itself.
Mooby’s - Clerks II
If Mooby's stayed true to its movie roots, it wouldn't exactly be the food that would have fans visit in droves, as the employees who work there are often known to slap flies on the burgers and urinate in the drinks of the customers they don’t like.
But Mooby’s, from the cult hit Clerks II, is one of the best satires of real-life fast-food chains, as employees wear hats with moose antlers on them, the design is a disgusting amalgam of yellow and purple, and the whole thing is brilliantly kitsch. And every now and then, there might even be a disturbing donkey show after-hours. And fans in certain select cities can actually visit a real-life Mooby's minus the aforementioned unsavory additions, as Kevin Smith has launched Mooby's Pop-Up restaurants in a few select cities in North America. Fans can only hope that they will stick around permanently.
The Krusty Krab - SpongeBob SquarePants
Despite Krusty Krab being one of the most absurd fast-food chains in pop culture, there are still some creative dishes at the chain that are unlike anything else. The restaurant found in SpongeBob SquarePants boasts the Krabby Patty and the Krusty Krab Pizza, which is the subject of one of the best songs in the series.
But best of all, the prices seem ridiculously cheap, even though the inhabitants of Bikini Bottom might not actually use U.S. dollars.
Whammy Burger - Falling Down
Like Mooby’s, Whammy Burger is a complete satire of fast food joints, possibly even more so, given that Falling Down is all about how the humdrum day-to-day life of the average Joe sent him int0 a downward spiral. When he’s told he’s too late to order breakfast, D-Fens gets out a machine gun and threatens the entire staff.
But that’s just an off-day, as aside from this, when D-Fens walks past all of the customers eating burgers and fries, they look to-die-for. And Whammy could always offer a 24-hour breakfast so situations like this don’t happen.
Los Pollos Hermanos - Breaking Bad
Being simply a way to launder drug money first and foremost, Los Pollos Hermanos is best known for being run by Gustavo Fring, who runs a crystal meth empire in Breaking Bad.
However, the reason why it was so successful in the first place is because of its fried chicken recipe, which the population of Albuquerque seemingly can’t get enough of. Though the recipe might not be as secretive as the colonel’s, the chain is almost as famous as the Kentucky-based fast-food giant, so much so that there’s even a fake recruitment website where fans can submit their resumes.
Cartman Burger - South Park
Cartman Burgers are always “fresh and flavorful” according to the man himself, and like KFC or the Big Mac burger sauce, Cartman never reveals the secret of what makes them so good. Every now and then, the evil genius from South Park goes into the “top secret flavor enhancer” booth, and nobody else is allowed to peek inside.
Though it’s most likely that the secret ingredient is completely vulgar, it doesn’t stop people from loving the food so much that the gang struggles to keep up with orders.
Bob’s Burgers - Bob's Burgers
No other burger joint has ever looked more average than Bob’s Burgers, as the hole in the wall barely has anything more than a grill and a spatula. But the cartoon burger flipper has an incredible imagination, as it’s his creativity that makes fans wish the place actually existed.
Bob’s Burgers’ unique selling point is the specials on the board in the back, and though there are so many Pop-culture references in the show, many on the board go overlooked. Some of the burger specials on the board include Last of the Mo-Jicama and Olive and Let Die.
Jack Rabbit Slims - Pulp Fiction
Just like Pizza Planet, Jack Rabbit Slims isn’t just a fast-food chain, as people visit the place for the novelty too. And Big Kahuna isn’t the only place in Pulp Fiction where people can order a tasty burger.
At Jack Rabbit Slims, guests are served by waiters who are dressed up as anyone from Buddy Holly to Marilyn Monroe, and the booths are made out of bumpers from '50s vehicles. On top of this, the place boasts the best five-dollar shakes, incredible burgers, and even some intense dancing competitions.