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Top 10 Beef Stroganoff restaurants in the world

The beef Stroganoff showed up in the mid-nineteenth century in Russia. The dish was made out of softly floured beef cubes that have been sautéed and cooked in a basic sauce produced using stock and mustard with just a limited quantity of sour cream. The sour cream is known as smetana.

The inception of the dish is misty, yet it is in all likelihood connected to a French gourmet expert or chef who was working for the Stroganoff family. The dish is Russian in origin and it is firmly affected by the French style of cooking. This is most clearly found in the manner the beef is cut, in either solid shapes or strips.

Beef Stroganoff was first prepared in 1871 and the recipe appeared in Elena Molokhovets’s A Gift to Young Housewives. From that point forward, the dish has had significant adjustments. The beef is cut in strips, yet the sauce is a lot more extravagant. The mushrooms and onions are cooked with meat stock and thickened with sour cream that is just blended in toward the end.

It is prescribed to combine the dish with either egg noodles, rice pavlav, and potato chips.

Ingredients:

Beef Stroganoff
By Pittaya Sroilong – originally posted to Flickr as Beef Stroganoff, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6765806


The significant ingredients used in Beef Stroganoff are,
Beef, sour cream, mushrooms, stock, onions, and tomato paste.

This great dish sets delicate beef, for example, tenderloin or top loin. Also, mushrooms in a thick sauce are added and relegated over rice pilaf or egg noodles. The fundamental parts of Stroganoff sauce are mushrooms and delicate beef, however different sorts of meat can be utilized too. The sauce is weakened with some stock or white wine to enable it to arrive at the correct consistency. A bit of sour cream is blended in just before serving.
The meat can be cut in different ways. Seasonings such as sugar, salt, and black pepper can also be utilized.

History:


The dish is an 18th-century invention. It is not a typical Russian dish. The theory says that it was invented by a French chef who worked for the Stroganov Family. The dish has a strong French influence in it because it is obsessed with everything French. The dish is also popular in the United States.

Beef Stroganoff is globally available around the world. In the United States, the dish is served with rice and egg noodles. In Australia and the UK, the dish is served with rice and sometimes pasta. The British often serve the dish with white wine sauce. In Brazil, chicken can also be used instead of Beef and served with fried potatoes and white rice. In Japan, the dish is served with rice and seasoned with parsley and butter. An additional ingredient such as soy sauce is also used in Japanese dish.

Recipe:


Take the beef and cut it into cubes at least two hours before making the dish. Sprinkle some salt and spice on the beef then leave it for some time. Dilute the beef with stock by adding some flour and butter.
Mix all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Add sour cream before serving. Fry beef in the rest of the butter, add to the completed sauce and heat to the point of boiling. Present with fried potatoes.

Top 10 restaurants:

Café Pushkin, Moscow, Russia
By Shuvaev – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38904906


The top 10 restaurants of Beef Stroganoff are,
1. Café Pushkin, Moscow, Russia
2. Stroganoff Steak House, Saint Petersburg, Russia
3. Teplo, Saint Petersburg, Russia
4. Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf, Chicago, United States of America
5. Palkin, Saint Petersburg, Russia
6. Dr. Zhivago, Moscow, Russia
7. Kachka, Portland, United States of America
8. Gogol, Saint Petersburg, Russia
9. Chekov, Saint Petersburg, Russia
10. Sadko, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Live the Noite Gaucha®! A cultural experience in the Sierra!

When we published our article on “Top 10 Churrasco Restaurants in the world”, we asked them to send articles, photos and videos to introduce themselves to the 10 restaurants mentioned in this article. One of the respondents to this call is Garfo e Bombacha. Here are the text and photos sent by Garfo e Bombacha

Gaucha

The show Noite Gaúcha is unique! Presented several times a week, it refers to the true gaucho style with traditional songs and dances, showing details of our culture, so that the visitor brings home the best memories.

In the self service style you enjoy a varied hot buffet, salads and desserts, as well as the traditional barbeque with cuts of noble meats and the famous “costalão na ditch”.

Products:

Noite Gaúcha with Show

Garfo e Bombacha

Come feel the gaucho hospitality in our house, in our huge shed, the size in our heart!

Typical Dinner with Folk Show: music, show, barbecue and tradition.
During dinner the gaucho tradition is interpreted to the sound of typical live music and a contagious folk show and Latin American rhythms.
In the show Noite Gaúcha at Garfo & Bombacha Steakhouse in Canela RS the harmonica opens the bellows, the pedestrians are profiled, the gifts are reverent and for over an hour, the gaucho tradition is performed live, with the foul, the chote, the vaneirão, the dance of the stick and other classical, and Latin American rhythms.

folklore

It is the folklore and contagious gaucho music, performed live, parading before the enchanted eyes of the visitors, with breathtaking ballerina shows.

Gaucho Lunch with Show

On the stage a Rio Grande of colors is shown, extolling the gaucho art and highlighting the culture of a people.

Gaucha

Our culture, proudly represented by pedestrians, musicians gifts, in a unique celebration, a true cult of the traditions of Rio Grande do Sul. Traditionalist dances are accompanied by typical gaucho songs. In these predominates the sound of the accordion, also known as harmonica, guitar and some other instruments of string and percussion.

costello


This is all served with a cutlet in the ditch and a delicious buffet. Gaucho Lunch without Show

At the entrance the visitor is surprised by the costalão that has been in the fire for 8 hours.

gaucho

Entering the hall goes through the Mate Room to enjoy our mate.
Shortly after being directed to your table, a capeletti soup is served
so that by the self-service system the visitor can enjoy of a costelao in the ditch, besides the gaucho barbecue and a varied buffet. Self service system
In a system where the visitor chooses what he wants to eat to accompany the roast beef for 8 hours, with capeletti soup, an island of antipasti with special cheeses, salami and pancakes, passing by a rich salad buffet, hot dishes, typical foods like the champion course, various barbecued meats, fried polenta, lasagna, melted curd cheese among countless lunch options and the foundu chocolate dessert with fruits of the season and typical sweets of the gapucha cuisine such as sago, rice pudding and ambrosia .

Aline ViezzerRelações Públicas, Colunista Social e CerimonialistaCONRERP 1898 RS/SCGRAMADO SERRA GAÚCHA BREspie meu site www.alineviezzer.com.br

Adress

RS 466, Caracol – RS, 95680-000, Brasil

https://www.garfoebombacha.com.br/

Which type of restaurant is right for you?

Are you considering a career in the food industry? Maybe you have discovered your love of cooking, but you’re not quite sure what arena you want to work in. Hopefully, we can break down each type of restaurant and figure out which avenue you should take!

Diner

Diners

A diner is a smaller sized restaurant that typically serves classic American dishes. The theme can be something particular as in a 50’s diner theme. No matter the theme of the establishment, diners are casual and offer breakfast menus that are served all-day and may also offer lunch.

If you decide to be a chef in a diner environment then you are likely going to be only one of two to four cooks in the kitchen. Due to their limited menu, limited hours and limited seating, there is really no need for a full kitchen staff.

food truck

Food Trucks

Food trucks are exactly what they sound like. Mobile vehicles, usually a van or large truck that makes and sells food to hungry patrons. Each food truck is unique to its owner. Food trucks have sprouted into a huge societal following, especially for city folk and college kids.

If owning and cooking in a food truck is in your future then be prepared for a lot of work! Food truck kitchens are quite small and compact. Normally, there are only one or two people that can work at a time. Typically one person will do all of the cooking and the other person will take and serve the orders out of a window.

catering

Catering

Catering is sometimes a pop-up restaurant where the staff will transport any food or materials that they may need to the reserved venue. Some venues will have a kitchen for the staff to work in for the reserved occasion and some venues will require the caterers to bring warming containers to keep the cooked foods in. Some caterers are independent from a permanent restaurant and some restaurants offer catering services.

If you want to work as a caterer you will almost certainly need a utility van vehicle to transport all of the required cooking equipment and food. If you are a catering chef that is working on behalf of an existing restaurant then the dishes will likely resemble dishes made in the restaurant itself, only made at the desired venue. The van may also display the restaurant’s logo in some way on the outside. You will also not be working alone as a caterer. In this area of the business you work off-site but, with a full kitchen and wait staff.

Bistro

Bistro

A bistro is a type of coffee shop or cafe. Foods made and served here are usually simple and often include soups, sandwiches, salads, and possibly a specialty item like paninis. They are also known for their beverages both hot and cold.

If you work in a bistro you are likely not going to be creating masterpieces in the kitchen but it may be appealing to you to work in a more laid back work environment. Bistro workers serve their customers from an ordering counter or work in the kitchen.

restaurant

Bakery

Bakeries are perfect for anyone interested in early mornings and hard work. Foods made at a bakery involve a lot of breads, cakes, and almost any other baked good you can think of. Bakers (the makers of the baked goods) go in before the sun is up in order to make their products from scratch and fresh on a daily basis. Proper baking is very time consuming and detail oriented. If any of the ingredient measurements are off then the product will not turn out as intended.

Casual Dining

Casual dining type restaurants may refer to a variety of restaurants including chains. Being a line cook or even a head chef in a chain restaurant often means you are responsible for putting the dishes out, although the recipes are not your own. Restaurant chains have their own recipes and ingredients to account for consistency across all of the restaurant locations. There are privately-owned restaurants that offer casual dining and in these situations, you may have more responsibility to provide the recipes yourself.

Formal Dining

Formal dining establishments are higher class and therefore they are higher priced than any other restaurant type. Formal dining restaurants require a particular dress code which usually requires women to wear dress clothes with heels and men to wear a coat and tie. Foods served in these restaurants are of a higher quality, served in smaller portions, and in separate courses.

Being an executive chef in a formal dining restaurant you are likely responsible for the recipes that are made and served. It is your responsibility to create dishes that uphold the integrity of the restaurant. These establishments are formal but can be stressful for chefs that are not
properly trained to meet the high standards.

Don’t Believe The Celebrity Chef Hype

celebrity chefs

Jamie Oliver. Gordon Ramsay. Guy Fieri. Bobby Flay.

These are names every foodie knows, thanks to the television shows, books, and press they have floating around them. They’re part of the celebrity chef crew, and they are living it up as some of the most well-paid people in the restaurant industry. They have legions of fans, act as inspiration for aspiring chefs, and are pop culture icons.

But, is all the hype worth it? I’m not so sure.

Being a celebrity chef tends to come with certain connotations. It’s assumed that they have an extremely high standard for food they serve. It’s also assumed that they are trained chefs. And, it’s also assumed that they are gurus in their field.

You might love their work, but before you make assumptions about them, hang on tight. The reality behind many of the people who gain the celebrity chef title isn’t quite what it appears to be…

Celebrity chef

What Makes A Celebrity Chef Famous?

The short answer: marketing. The long answer: personality and brand.

Don’t get me wrong; most celebrity chefs are extremely talented at making great food. You honestly don’t get to star status without at least knowing some good cooking tips that set you apart.

However, many celebrity chefs aren’t actually trained chefs. Some, like Anthony Bourdain, started their careers as food critics and travel writers before they transitioned into the celebrity chef role. Bourdain never had formal training in the kitchen.

So, experience in the kitchen doesn’t necessarily equate to the status. It helps, but it’s not the main dish, so to speak. What is, is marketing. Celebrity chefs have PR people. They have people who build up their brand for them. They have others who do much of the hard work of getting their name out there for them.

Chef

Celebrity Chefs: A Branding Lesson

Think back to your favorite celebrity chefs. Does they have a signature style, phrase, or attitude that makes them stand out? I’m willing to bet they do. Think about it. What would Jaime Oliver be without his obsession with healthy food? What would Gordon Ramsay be without his explosive temper and high standards? What would Paula Deen be without her Southern drawl and country recipes?

Each celebrity chef has a brand they’re famous for, and that’s what they market to the masses. That’s what makes them money. Their brands are carefully designed to be relatable, inspiring, interesting, or just plain fun. I mean, really, who wouldn’t want Guy Fieri to take them to Flavortown?

Media executives and company owners know that people will pay a premium price for a brand they resonate with. They know that, and promoted celebrity chefs as a way to profit. That’s why you see Cake Boss cake mix, why you can get Guy Fieri hot sauce, and why you can get Kitchen Nightmares on DVD.

Take It All With A Grain Of Salt

I don’t mean to burst your bubble with this article, really. I’m not saying that celebrity chefs suck. Most are pretty decent. Some, like Gorden Ramsay or Julia Child, actually did work their way up to fame after formal training. Others made their fame through uniquely stylish foods. Then, some market their way to the top or stumble into culinary fame after getting famous through other means.

If you are looking for fun shows, good cooking pointers, and interesting tidbits, by all means, check out celebrity chefs. Just realize that a lot of them aren’t what they’re cracked up to be, and that can ring true of their restaurants and products, too.

So, if you’re a fan of celebrity chef franchises, feel free to watch. Just realize that they all have their perks or pitfalls—and that business really is the true name of their game.

La Jolla Open Aire Farmers Market

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If you are literally looking for an excellent farmers market, you are in the right place. The only negative thing here is that it’s hard to find parking.

On the south end of the Girard avenjue, one of La Jolla’s busiest and most famous streets, you can visit this beautiful market on Sundays from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. This venue is located in an elementary school: La Jolla Elementary

Great food, crafts,Lots of fresh Fruit, veggies, cheese, breads, and many other food items and entertainment.

Moreover, all products are local and organic.

The La Jolla Open Aire Market is different than other farmers markets in that all proceeds benefit La Jolla Elementary (LJES), a public school. The proceeds from the market fund various initiatives enjoyed by all children at LJES, including school improvements and programs such as art, music, library, technology and additional classroom teachers to lower class sizes.

The market was started by former La Jolla Elementary School mom and La Jolla community supporter, Sherry Ahern. In 1996, Sherry had two children enrolled at LJES and was on the Friends of La Jolla Elementary, Inc. Board, the school’s non profit education foundation. The original motivation for the market was to help fund a library and librarian. At the time, the school’s “library” consisted only of a small collection of books in the back of the auditorium.

With help and support from San Diego Unified School District, local community groups, the Friends Board and Board President at the time Sarah Agler, the vision became a reality two years later. The first market was held on October 25, 1998 with 14 farmers and one artisan. The market has continued to grow and in addition to helping the children, the market has become a vibrant weekly community event and gathering place for the entire La Jolla community with over 120 vendors every Sunday, 20 years and counting….

The market would not be possible without the amazing support of the district and Friends of LJES foundation volunteers.

It was a great pleasure for us to walk around this market. We found a large number of street food vendors, national dishes of many countries together, and had the opportunity to chat with some of them. We saw people’s interest and love for these foods with our eyes. We are pleased to share this pleasure with you.

We strongly recommend that everyone visit the La Jolla Open Aire Farmers market at least once.

Thank you for watching us.

We will share with you colorful market views and street food from all over the world. Please like our video and subscribe to our youtube channel.

Trends in food and dieting of 2019 and 2020

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Each year there appears to be a “latest craze” in food, cooking, drinking, and dieting. Some of these trends help us feel better and some fall flat! This year, the trends have spanned dieting with Keto, pain relief with CBD oil and a new way to consume alcohol with hard seltzer

The Keto Diet

There are countless diet plans out there, many of which may be scams. It is important to do your research and talk to your doctor before you dive too deep into any dieting program.

So, what is the Keto diet? Well, the Keto diet is actually called the Ketogenic diet. This program incorporates low-carb, high-fat dishes. You may be thinking, “how is a high-fat diet, going to help me lose weight?” and that is a valid question! We grow up believing that fat is bad and fat will cause weight gain and health problems. The truth is that there are good fats and bad fats. The Keto diet “high-fat” dishes are made with good fats, such as avocados, nuts, seafood, dairy and more! Unfortunately, the diet does not include potato chips or fried chicken as healthy options.

Avocado

The Keto diet prompts the reduction of carbohydrates in your dishes and replaces them with proteins and good fats. By decreasing your carbohydrate intake you send your body into ketosis, a metabolic state which encourages the burning of fat to be used as energy. Some of the fat is also used to supply energy as ketones in the brain and liver.

The Keto diet is thought to increase weight loss, improve energy, reduce blood sugar, and may even help people with cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and epilepsy.

Foods that work well on the Keto diet include:

  • Avocados
  • Seafood
  • Coffee
  • Tea
  • Cheese
  • Eggs
  • Greek yogurt
  • Nuts
  • Meat

You can also consume some alcohol in moderation as long as it is dry wine or hard liquor. Foods to avoid on the Keto diet are:

  • Starch
  • Fruit
  • Grains
  • Beans
  • Beer
  • Sugar and sweets
  • Sauces and dips
  • Soft drinks

CBD oil and Products

Cannabidiol or CBD for short, is a cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant. It was first discovered in 1940 but has been exclusively researched more recently. In a short time, CBD oil has exploded onto the scene and today is found in oils, gummies, lotions, vapes, capsules and food!

Pills

Why is CBD so popular? Simply because studies have found that it offers health benefits especially to those with both mental and physical pain. It is critical to mention that CBD may not work for everyone and it is still being researched. Also, CBD products alone will not get you high.

What are the effects of CBD? The oil and the products are used for a variety of health conditions. They can help relieve pain, improve mental health and even have a positive effect on seizure prone disorders such as epilepsy. It is believed that CBD products have an effect on the brain’s serotonin receptors which will then begin to regulate behavior and mood. CBD may also eliminate nausea which could greatly benefit cancer patients in addition to the mental effects previously mentioned.

Hard Seltzers

Seltzer water or carbonated water has been widely used as a beverage additive for mixed drinks for years. However, this year’s summer craze has been hard seltzer drinks!

Seltzer

Why is alcoholic seltzer so popular? Hard seltzer is specifically formulated and brewed as an alcohol which is good news for those that avoid additives in their food and beverage products. In addition to this, hard seltzer is said to have a lower calorie count and less carbohydrates than other alcoholic choices. This, of course, would be appealing to anyone on a diet.

The explosion of hard seltzer happened in an assortment of brands. Truly is one of the most popular. It burst onto the scene with their fruity flavors such as wild berry and passion fruit. White Claw is so popular that is is often seen “out of stock”. This brand offers 100 calories and 0 carbohydrates per can! Finally, a surprising brand has joined the team, Natural Light! This brand of hard seltzer drinks is super popular with the college crowd for its affordability!

Trends will come and trends will go just as they always have and always will. As long as we have creative researchers out there making the latest discoveries in food and beverages then we will never be bored! Ah, the silver lining!

Top 10 Churrasco Restaurants in the world

Churrasco is a Brazilian grill technique where succulent pieces, steaks, slices, and hacks of meat, pork, sheep, and chicken are set on huge sticks and flame-broiled over a wood fire. It began in the mid-1800s when the Gauchos (European migrants that settled in the Rio Grade do Sul territory) would get together and light a fire, including enormous bits of meat sticks and gradually grilling the meat.

In the restaurants, known as churrascarias, the sticks are strutted over the eatery in an ostentatious way, and the waiters rotate around the tables to show off the succulent meat to hungry diners. After the clients have picked their favored kind of meat, it is cut off the sticks to the feasting plates.

The dish Rodízio, the subject of this grill experience is everything you can eat, so the customers should know to accompany an unfilled stomach. Beef is the most mainstream choice, despite the fact that livers and hearts are particularly rich and chewy.

In Brazil, the meat will frequently be from the zebu. Zebu is a lean type of kettle with a hump that is particularly prevalent in churrasco as a cut of meat called cupim. Churrasco begins with appetizers and an assortment of servings of salads offered from a big buffet, as a review of what might is to come.

The typical backups for the meat incorporate rice, farofa grains, potato salad, steamed greens, black beans, fried bananas, onions, and different chili sauces. Churrasco is additionally popular as a cooking technique in countries, for example, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Guatemala, Argentina, Ecuador, and Chile. Every nation has its very own preferred cuts of meat and backups for this famous grill style.

Churrasco
Photo by Alexandru-Bogdan Ghita on Unsplash

Ingredients:

The main ingredient of Churrasco is the grilled steak seasoned with chimichurri. The dish is served with plantains, french fries, and white rice.

In Argentina and Uruguay, a churrasco alludes to any boneless cut of meat that is sliced like a steak and barbecued over hot coals or on a hot skillet. Gauchos would have flame-broiled churrasco as a major aspect of their Asado, presently the national dish of the two countries, presented with serving of salad, fried potatoes, and a fried egg.

The chimichurri sauce is optional because the meat is savory and salt is also sprinkled over the meat during cooking.

Different varieties of Churrasco are,

Picanha

Picanha:

Picanha is a new cut of meat that is particularly well known and profoundly prized in Brazil. It’s called sirloin top in the US, and in the UK, it’s known as the rump cap. On the backside of the animal and above the butt, Picanha is situated.

Picanha

The meat is first grilled and then cut off of a stick. This cut holds almost no fat in the meat, so it must be cooked splendidly all together not to make it extreme. In Brazil, each churrasco has picanha, and the majority of the best churrascarias include picanha on their menus.
The name picanha is gotten from the word picana. The technique was brought over to Brazil where the word picanha was utilized to allude to the piece of the cow that was poked by farmers with the shaft.

Alcatra:

Alcatra
4- Alcatra

Alcatra is an uncommon cut of top sirloin. Enormous, long, and lean, this steak is prized for its succulence and a healthy beef flavor. The cut is regularly utilized for churrasco, the conventional Brazilian grill technique. Alcatra is probably the biggest cut that is filled in as a piece of churrasco.

It ought to be consummately prepared with salt, and then barbecued with a layer of fat until its vast majority dissolves away, and the staying fat winds up crispy. Before serving, it’s normally expertly cut in decent churrascarias.

Cupim:

Cupim of the Brazilian Zebu dairy cattle is a delicate, rich, and marbled cut of meat. This meat cut is found only in Brazilian cooking and has no blood and squeeze. It’s normally stewed or broiled in churrasco. At the point when served in churrascarias, the meat is portrayed as rich, and with a delicate and stringy surface.
It’s normally prepared with salt and barbecued low and slow for a couple of hours. If it’s cooked in stews, the fat will scatter, making cupim less oily.

Top 10 restaurants:


The top 10 restaurants of Churrasco are,
1. Churrascaria Palace, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
2. Churrascaria Barranco, Porto Alegre, Brazil
3. Churrascaria Majórica, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
4. Garfo e Bombacha, Canela, Brazil
5. Ipanema, Doha, Qatar
6. Marius Degustare, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
7. Santos Manjares, Buenos Aires, Argentina
8. Al Sottobosco, Madonna Di Campiglio, Italy
9. Grill Hall Panorâmico, Passo Fundo, Brazil
10. Fogo e Chama, Natal, Brazil


Restaurant PR Nightmares: Sambo’s Pancake House

When it comes to the restaurant industry, it’s no secret that public relations can destroy a business. Some PR gaffes, such as Buddha Bar’s virally scathing review, can be overcome with some tactful brushing under the rug. Others, however, get worse as years pass. Such was the case with Sambo’s, formerly one of the most popular pancake house chains in America.

Sambo's
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Sambo’s PR scandal was a rarity in the sense that it didn’t revolve around bad food, bad service, or a restaurant owner involved in illegal activities. The reason this restaurant became a defunct food chain had everything to do with its extremely unfortunate name and marketing campaign.

Sambo’s was named after the two owners, who established the restaurant during the 1950s. The unfortunate moniker was a portmanteau Sam Battistone Sr.’s first name and Newel Bohnett’s last name. Unfortunately, they couldn’t have picked a worse name.

Little black sambo

You might recognize the term “sambo” as a derogatory name for people of color—and you’d be correct. The term comes from an old children’s book, The Tale of Little Black Sambo, a slave who had a run-in with tigers. Even during the 1950s, the name was associated with the stereotype of the “lazy, dimwitted, but loyal slave.”

In modern day culture, naming a restaurant “Sambo’s” would be unthinkable, but it was a different time back then. Knowing of the story, the two decided to make Sambo and the tiger restaurant mascots. Their ad campaigns had two caricatures plastered on ads, featured in commercials, and even used as decor on restaurant walls.

For a while, business boomed. Over 1,110 locations were established across the country. People in the 1960s just didn’t care about racial stereotypes, but slowly, an undercurrent of anger started to boil. To fix the gaffe, the owners switched the original mascot with a light-skinned, turban-wearing Indian boy.

Obviously, this switch wasn’t much better. Soon, they had to revamp the mascot and advertising campaigns again. This time, Sambo was made out to be a goofy-looking baby genie wearing a chef’s hat. Even so, the name’s damaging history was too much to overcome.

Sambo’s name began to get repeatedly challenged by the NAACP and other civil rights groups, who rightfully called it racist. By the 1970s, people began to protest at the restaurants’ doors. Sambo’s legal team responded by trying to sue protesters and get them arrested. It didn’t go over well. Protests and flyers warning others not to patronize Sambo’s became increasingly commonplace.

After taking protesters to court and failing, the company was desperate to escape their racist reputation, and started renaming restaurants No Place Like Sam’s or Jolly Tiger. Nothing seemed to put out the PR fire the name caused.

The attempt came way too late.

By the time that restaurants started getting the much-needed full overhaul, people were already aware that Sambo’s capitalized off racism. One by one, stores began to close, unable to deal with the negative press they garnered from the foul name. By the mid-80s, fewer than 800 stores remained.

Though the PR scandal quashed Sambo’s success at the height of its popularity, the chain itself technically isn’t completely dead. Sambo’s now has only one store open—the original location in San Bernadino. Had they chosen a different name and theme, it is very likely that the chain would have overtaken IHOP as the biggest pancake house in the nation.

The restaurant and its wild history now serves as one of the most striking cautionary tales of what can go wrong when you don’t choose a name wisely. Scary, isn’t it?

A Delicious Tikka Masala Recipe

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British/Indian Cuisine: Tikka Masala from Chef Boban Bilbilovski

Sepherd’s Pie

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British Cuisine: Sepherd’s Pie from Chef Boban Bilbilovski