The world’s first gourmet chain food festival was initially met with immense anticipation.
And why wouldn’t it?
Billed the world’s first and largest fast food chain festival with a gourmet twist thanks to collaborations from America’s favorite Michelin starred Chefs, ChainFEST is in part the brainchild of Chef Timothy Hollingsworth, renowned for his acclaimed downtown Los Angeles restaurant Otium. Despite a spike in cholesterol, the event promised a unique gastronomic experience that would elevate fast-food chains to gourmet heights set atop a rooftop maze at ROWDTLA.
However, despite a star-studded lineup featuring Chrissy Teigen and gourmet concoctions like… Pizza Hut slices topped with smoked salmon, mushrooms, and ricotta cheese or Panda Express meats on a Kabob, before the last wrappers could hit the ground, minions of dissatisfied foodies, reporters, and VIP visitors burned off the extra calories with a negative review workout across social media, Reddit, and even made an article in the LA Times with reporter Todd Martins saying,
“It was a bust, an uncomfortable gathering of trash food scattered among scorching-hot asphalt grounds. The event failed so drastically in its understanding of food culture that it essentially mocked the lower class.”
So what happened?
Well, once inside, reports say the culinary offerings proved to be a mixed bag. While some items, such as the flavor infused-Pepsi or Wagyu beef tacos from Jack in the Box, were intriguing, many attendees found the quality of other options to be lacking, and with VIP entry upwards of $350, simply not worth the saturated price tag.
Most likely, taking a food so familiar and changing it in any shape or form is likened to changing the words of a top 40 song during a Karaoke session. It’s just not going to end well.
Adding to the disappointment was the discovery that the “all-you-can-eat” really meant one sample per station, as guests were given a list of booths to visit upon leaving they could not return.
A first blow for ROWDTLA as anti-downtown sentiment continues to grow. The industrialized hipster haven is still one of downtown’s least complained about open-air lifestyle malls.
The event marks a second blow in less than a month for Chef Timothy Hollingsworth of Otium, who just days after closing his popular Bunker Hill kitchen faced public ridicule with an online roast that made Eater LA, stemming from a group of former employees claiming they’d been shorted checks and not paid for their work when the doors shuttered.
Topping our plate of fun events in October, overall, the event gets an A for effort, and another A for originality from the DT Weekly News crew. Our only complaint would have been the $20 parking charge at ROWDTLA that locals know is usually free up to two hours. www.la.chainfest.com