ChainFEST, The World’s Largest Celebration of Chain Restaurants, Sets New York City Debut

ChainFEST, The World’s Largest Celebration of Chain Restaurants, Sets New York City Debut

KFC, Panda Express, Red Robin, Krispy Kreme, Red Lobster, and more will showcase exclusive gourmet dishes and brand new offerings at ChainFEST on Randall’s Island Saturday, September 21, 2024

Cash App Card Presale: Thursday August 8th, 2024 10:00AM ET 

Festival Ticket Onsale: Friday, August 9th, 2024 10:00AM ET

Tasting Tickets Beginning at $99.99, Register Now!

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y., (Aug. 5, 2024) - ChainFEST, the Los Angeles-based phenomenon that dominated headlines in 2023 with gourmet chef-driven takes on iconic chain restaurant dishes, announced today that it is expanding to New York City. ChainFEST will take over Randall’s Island Park for a massive celebration of casual cuisine and culture on Saturday, September 21. Welcoming more than 10,000 fans and food lovers, ChainFEST’s inaugural New York festival will feature tantalizing takes on nostalgic favorites from the likes of KFC, Panda Express, Red Robin, Krispy Kreme, Red Lobster, Chuck E. Cheese, Hot Dog on a Stick, and more as well as large scale immersive experiences, main stage moments, and custom cocktails. With each restaurant partner showcasing a culinary led large scale interactive activation, fans will be able to experience their favorite brands in all-new ways. 

Attendees can register online now at ChainFEST.com to sign up for tickets ahead of Friday’s on-sale. Tasting Tickets start at $99.99 with all food included in the price of entry, access to free games, rides, and other immersive experiences. All-Inclusive VIP Tickets start at $399.99 and include unlimited bites from all Chain restaurant partners, early festival entry, an open bar experience, and much more. Seeking the world’s most luxurious chain restaurant experience – reserve a seat at ChainFEST’s exclusive Chef’s Tasting VIP Table which includes  a seated, full service, non-stop chain food buffet featuring a never-ending supply of exclusive menu items from each of the participating chain restaurants – prices begin at $1,299.99. Thanks to Cash App and Visa, Cash App Card holders will have first access to tickets for 24 hours beginning on Thursday, August 8. ChainFEST 2023 sold out within three hours, so guests are encouraged to immediately register to secure tickets ahead of the festival’s on-sale starting Friday, August 9.

Founded by actor-writer B.J. Novak and Michelin-starred chef Tim Hollingsworth, CHAIN has teamed up with Medium Rare – the award-winning live entertainment producers behind Shaq’s Fun House, Kelce Jam, and Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Tailgate – to redefine what a food festival looks like. By creating immersive, multi-generational nostalgic journeys through the flavors, dishes, and iconography that have defined American Pop-Cuisine, ChainFEST is both a food festival and a pop-culture experience. 

“Chain restaurants are one of the great shared touchstones in our culture,” said B.J. Novak, “ChainFEST is a place for tens of thousands of people to come together over shared memories of these restaurants and dishes that we all love.”

Chain is collaborating with several beloved chains to create gourmet versions of iconic dishes, resurrect discontinued fan favorites, and debuting brand-new items that are headed to menus later in the year, including KFC, Krispy Kreme, Panda Express, Hot Dog on a Stick, Red Robin, Red Lobster, Portillo’s and Trader Vic’s.

“Even though many of the dishes are exclusive to the festival, I want every bite at ChainFEST to unlock a cherished memory,” said Chef Tim Hollingsworth. 

Guests can also expect a taste of New York from Cash App, spicy trivia and gummy-infused goodness with TUMS, and a dash of nostalgic fun and games in the first-ever pop-up Chuck E. Cheese arcade.

The exclusive menu items will be paired with custom beverages and specialty cocktails from Pernod Ricard brands: Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Malibu Rum, Kahlua Coffee Liqueur, Altos Tequila and Absolut Vodka.

“ChainFEST reimagines the typical food festival by flipping the experience on its head for its fans. As each restaurant partner will showcase a one-of-a-kind, culinary-led interactive activation, Tasting Tickets will offer fans gourmet and iconic dishes allowing fans to experience some of their favorite brands in all-new ways,” said Joe Silberzweig, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Medium Rare. 

---

• Cash App and VISA are bringing exclusive benefits to Cash App Card holders and ChainFEST fans alike! Cash App is offering an exclusive Cash App Card pre-sale beginning this Thursday for 24 hours. In addition to the exclusive pre-sale, Cash App Card holders will receive an exclusive 10% discount on beverage and merchandise at ChainFEST as well as receive a taste of iconic New York flavors at the Cash App Neighborhood.

• KFC®, the iconic chicken brand famous for its top-secret Original Recipe® – a proprietary blend of 11 herbs & spices – is bringing its finger lickin’ good flavor to ChainFEST. ChainFEST attendees will be among the first to get a taste of a soon-to-be fan favorite KFC menu item while indulging in the ultimate saucy experience. Fried chicken fans will dip and drip specialty sauces curated by Chef Tim Hollingsworth himself, inspired by the flavors that we’ve all come to know and love, as well as KFC originals!? 

• Red Robin, the iconic burger chain, is bringing the heat with its triumphant return to ChainFEST this year! Red Robin X Chain are serving up a sneak peek of a spicy new gourmet burger with five layers of heat before its nationwide debut in restaurants, plus a festival exclusive dill-icious side dish inspired by Red Robin’s fan-favorite onion rings. Red Robin X Chain…Yummm!

• Panda Express is back at ChainFEST this summer and bringing the heat with a spicy dish featuring a soon to be announced collaborator. In addition to Panda's newest spicy entree, Chain will be serving Sweet & Sour Chili Crunch Fried Oyster Mushrooms and a Panda Freeze frozen drink to cool off your taste buds, both inspired by American Chinese flavors.

• TUMS is joining the party and invites you to experience the Gummy Bites Bodega at ChainFEST – your go-to booth if heartburn strikes! Here, TUMS will help make sure you have everything you need to enjoy all the deliciousness and “love food back.” Stop by for free samples of the brand’s latest innovation – TUMS Gummy Bites – offering quick relief from heartburn in a yummy gummy. Plus, don’t miss viral bodega owner General Ock’s twist on a classic New York City staple. The ChainFEST Mainstage will also feature an exciting TUMS Trivia challenge with spicy questions and prizes.

• As the official spirits partner of ChainFEST, Pernod Ricard is bringing its robust portfolio of spirits including Absolut Vodka, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, Malibu Rum, Altos Tequila and Kahlua Coffee Liqueur  to ChainFEST. Fans, ages 21 and older, will be able to head to any festival bar to pick up a custom cocktail featuring one of the iconic Pernod Ricard brands to enjoy while walking around the festival! Those 21+ can also come check out the ChainFEST inspired Skrewball experience. Special collaborative drinks with chain restaurant partners will be available, as well as exclusive Chain signature cocktails.

• Red Lobster will be collaborating with Chain — including Michelin-starred chef Tim Hollingsworth – to treat ChainFEST VIP ticket holders to an exclusive, limited time only Cheddar Bay Biscuits®- inspired Butter Poached Lobster Biscuit. This decadent delight pays homage to all things Red Lobster, bringing together the iconic Cheddar Bay Biscuits® with luxurious butter poached lobster.

• The iconic Chicago chain is coming to New York! Portillo’s, in collaboration with Chain and Michelin-starred chef Tim Hollingsworth, will be serving a one-of-a-kind gourmet take on a classic Portillo’s dish – the homage to the Chicago-style hot dog and the brand’s famous cheese sauce is only available at ChainFEST!

• Hot Dog on a Stick, in partnership with Foode, is coming to New York for the first time ever. In collaboration with Michelin-starred chef Tim Hollingsworth, guests at ChainFEST NY will be able to try a gourmet take on this iconic treat, as well as a soon-to-be-released smashing new lemonade flavor.

• Krispy Kreme will treat ChainFEST-goers to a sweet seasonal twist on its iconic Original Glazed® Doughnut that also will be offered to doughnut lovers at Krispy Kreme shops throughout the country in September.

• Trader Vic’s is bringing the tropical-spirit to ChainFEST with their collection of authentic memorabilia and decor from one of the world’s largest tiki collections. On the eve of Trader Vic’s opening multiple new US locations, we wanted to give festival guests the chance to sip on a festival-exclusive Mai Tai as well as some of the classics we have come to know and love. 

• Every great festival needs games, and together with Chuck E. Cheese, ChainFEST NYC will have the world’s largest Chuck E. Cheese arcade pop-up, complete with prizes, access to the iconic Ticket Blaster, and an appearance by the one and only Charles Entertainment Cheese himself. Plus: all games are free!

Part food festival, part fan convention, this is the ultimate outing whether you're a devoted fan of these chain restaurants or simply looking for an amazing experience with great food, games, and experiences. Single-day, all-food-inclusive tickets will be available for sale on ChainFEST.com.

For more information, ticket details, and updates visit ChainFEST.com and follow @eatatchain on social media. Check back for more information on ChainFEST Los Angeles coming soon. 

###

ABOUT CHAIN:

Named “one of the hardest tables to get”  by the New York Times, Chain began as a labor of love, with Michelin-starred chef Tim Hollingsworth cooking up gourmet homages to fast-food favorites in abandoned Los Angeles alleys to throngs of excited foodies. 

Co-founded by actor-writer B.J. Novak and Hollingsworth, producers Jack Davis and Nicholas Kraft, talent manager Byron Ashley, and entrepreneur Abe Burns, Chain has partnered with the largest companies in food and entertainment to produce high-impact immersive dining events that celebrate multi-generational nostalgia.

ABOUT MEDIUM RARE:

Lauded events, experiential, and management company, Medium Rare works at the intersection of Sports & 

Entertainment, partnering with well-known athletes and brands to create iconic media properties including Shaquille O'Neal's Fun House, Travis Kelce’s Kelce Jam, Guy Fieri's Flavortown Tailgate, Daymond John's Black Entrepreneurs Day, Sports Illustrated The Party, Rob Gronkowski's Gronk Beach, and more. Creating and executing iconic IP and events that draw in millions of views and fans from around the world, Medium Rare also reaps industry accolades, recognized with six Webby Awards, INC 5000, Forbes 30 Under 30, Pollstar Next Gen, and Variety New Leaders. For more info, visit Medium-Rare.com.