After much success in Los Angeles, ChainFEST—the food festival celebrating nostalgia and chain restaurant favorites—made its way to New York on September 21.
Roughly 5,000 guests attended the event and were able to try samples from KFC, Red Robin, Panda Express, Cracker Barrel, Pop Up Bagel, Portillo’s Krispy Kreme, and Hot Dog on a Stick.
The idea for ChainFEST originated from chef Tim Hollingsworth’s and actor BJ Novak’s love for chain restaurant food.
The festival has evolved significantly since its humble beginnings.
“We started in L.A. a couple of years ago and we’ve grown it from back of a parking lot to a festival,” Hollingsworth says.
He attributes much of ChainFEST’s success to the universal appeal of fast food and the nostalgic memories associated with it.
“The nostalgia really is key because it resonates with everybody,” Hollingsworth says. “Everybody has their fast food, everybody has a time in their life where they were eating memories that are associated with it.”
Bringing ChainFEST to New York was a major goal for Hollingsworth and his team.
The move has been well-received, and Hollingsworth is optimistic about the future, sharing his team is eager to see where the festival heads next.
“It was definitely a bucket list to be able to come [to NYC] and open something,” he said.
One of the unique aspects of ChainFEST is its ability to offer a taste of regional fast-food chains in different markets. Some examples include Hot Dog on a Stick, which is primarily on the West Coast, and Portillo’s, which is mostly based in Chicago. However, ChainFEST did offer hometown NYC favorites like Pop Up Bagels.
Hollingsworth says this regional blending is part of what excited attendees, especially those who have relocated to new cities.
“You can imagine the excitement for someone when they get to experience a regional chain from their hometown in the city they live in now,” he says.
Guests at ChainFEST were among first to experience KFC’s Original Recipe Tender—along with a variety of sauces—before its release across the country in October.
ChainFEST featured the world’s largest Chuck E. Cheese arcade pop-up, in addition to prizes, a Ticket Blaster, and an appearance from the company’s mascot Charles Entertainment Cheese.
Panda Express distributed its Blazing Bourbon Chicken in collaboration with ‘Hot Ones’.
The dish contains crispy boneless chicken bites and fresh veggies, wok-tossed in a spicy and sweet bourbon sauce fused with the signature Hot Ones Last Dab Apollo hot sauce. It’s been available in restaurants nationwide since September 4.
Cracker Barrel collaborated with Hollingsworth to craft a dish inspired by the brand’s signature Country Fried Steak.
Exclusively available to ChainFEST attendees, the dish featured Hollingsworth’s country fried steak, topped with a unique Dijon cheddar gravy, and served inside one of Cracker Barrel’s hand-rolled buttermilk biscuits.
Red Robin gave ChainFEST guests some extra heat with its Jalapeño Heatwave Burger.
The burger is topped with pepper-jack, grilled jalapeno, caramelized onion, green chili aioli, fresh smashed avocado, and crispy fried jalapeño.
