I like the play on the words with State Fare. I would suggest that you could take foods from different regions and kick them up. Some great ideas have been suggested. I’ll add a lobster corn dog. If you want to go the corn dog route, make doggie sliders with cocktail franks with a …oh, I don’t know, a honey mustard dip.

One thing to consider is how to keep it simple in some ways. You gotta figure that there are many things you can offer with ground beef and chicken. Onions and garlic can be found in many of the dishes.
But if you want to do a BBQ pulled pork, consider using the same meat for burritos or go Hawaiian with Kahlua pig.

My idea is a place that would be called Whirled Noodles (World, get it?). I would make a variety of noodle dishes from around the globe. Too be honest, I know the idea is already being done. There was one place in NOLA that was pretty good. But that doesn’t mean that someone else could do it too.

mark

there is a restaurant/coffee shop small chain called "America" that does that "roadfood" theme. They have locations in NY NY hotel casino in Vegas, as well as Wash. DC (Union station)
Plus maybe somewhere else?!

the menu lists cities next to each entree and appetizer…
like "cobb salad……..hollwood"…….."flat iron steak……..NYC"..

it’s got a big mural of the USA, and while I’ve been inside the restaurant in Vegas to look around, I’ve never eaten there…
the menu sure sounds appetizing, but there were so many choices in Vegas, (like buffets, etc), that I have’nt got around to trying it..

I wonder if the food actually tastes as good as it sounds?!?

Your "state fair" idea has legs!!
assuming the cook is skilled at making all of these different regional dishes!

me too!
great minds think alike, greymo

After reading about the Stern’s latest book, I was thinking the same thing………………Roadfood Sandwich Restaurant. It would have the fish tacos, the speidi’s, the pork tenderloins, the Kentucky Browns, a couple of the Jewish Deli sandwiches, and the list goes on.
I could go to a restaurant like that every single day and be delighted.

Oh my goodness, I forgot to mention the gyros, the cheesesteaks, the hot meat ball, and the sausage and pepper subs![:o)] and the muffalata and the po boys.[:o)][:o)]

i wanted to open a sandwich shopthat would have sandwiches
from all over the country..beef on weck, philly cheesesteak,
hoagies, grinders, and pork tenderloins.

quote:

Originally posted by jeepguy

In Memphis in the early ’70’s there was a place called Food Fair.It was a huge building with about 15-20 vendors wrapped around the ID of the place.Big seating area in the center.I remember Krystal,Sir Beef and Poco Taco but there were lot’s of restaurants in there!Pretty funny we used to drive to go to a food court but this one had some pretty good stuff including a dancing chicken in a cage that was only about 10 cents! [}:)]So your idea is ancient history as they went under just a few years after they opened.It is kinda funny you were thinking about this.Maybe you were there?

No, I was never there and knew nothing about it. However, I had always imagined "Around the World" to be made up of a better class of restaurants than what you describe for Memphis (no chains or fast food in it, and wait-persons serving customers in each area, including "The Melting Pot"). This would make it more of a "destination restaurant" rather than a "food court".

In the Water Tower Place in downtown Chicago there is a food court concept called foodlife, a sample of foods of all kinds. The court is one of the Lettuce Entertain You properties.

http://www.foodlifechicago.com/foodlifechicago.htm

http://www.leye.com/restaurants/restaurants_index.htm

When I was a young man, going over to Staten Island to drink, there was a favorite haunt called "Warm Beer and Lousy Food." To the contrary of its name, it was a great place. I don’t know when the joint went out of business or any other history/background.
The Bear

I have always thought a place called The Hidden Agenda would do well, especially with the political types. It would be a bar with the typical All-American fare a politician would encounter while on the stump.

The concept would also work well as a singles bar. It could have separate areas such as an "open agenda" area where people are encouraged to mingle and a "closed agenda" area for those who do not wish to mingle.

Mine would be a restaraunt called Second Time Around or Leftovers. It’s a fairly simple concept. As we all know the waste in the food industry is astronomical. From everything like food to old unused equipment and furnishings. Stock this restaraunt with donations from the industry, hire people that are retired from the industry who just want to work a few hours to supplement their income and supplemented by younger students interested in a career in the culinary arts,this would be a great learning experience for some kid to work along side seasoned pros. You would need a Board of Directors made up of area chefs/managers/owner operators. That would be the hard part to have some put their egos aside. This could be a write off for those who contribue and an asset to the community by donating proceeds of sales to whatever charities on a rotating basis. That would work to an advantage also, to contact the charitable organization and let them know in advance the proceeds from that week would benifit them. Let them do the advertising. I have many more ideas on this concept not enough time to type them all. I can only see this as a win win situation. Chow Jim

quote:

Originally posted by 6star

I had the "crazy" idea years ago, but never the money to do it…..a restaurant called "Around the World". It would be a very large circular building divided into a central circular section surrounded by spoke-shaped sections (separated by long hallways leading to the center section) dividing the outer ring. The outer spoke sections would be individual ethnic and specialty restaurants (Mexican, Italian, French, German, Chinese, Indian, American, Seafood, Barbecue etc.) The central circular section would be "The Melting Pot" where you could get any combination of the foods that were served in the outer sections. (For example, if you wanted Mexican, your wife wanted Chinese and your kids wanted hot dogs, you could all sit in the Melting Pot and get your individual orders served. Or, if you wanted to eat a broiled lobster with spaetzle [:(], you could get it in the Melting Pot.) The kitchens for each outer restaurant would be on the inner side of the restaurant, next to the Melting Pot, so they could service both their own restaurant and any requests for their cuisine in the Melting Pot.

In Memphis in the early ’70’s there was a place called Food Fair.It was a huge building with about 15-20 vendors wrapped around the ID of the place.Big seating area in the center.I remember Krystal,Sir Beef and Poco Taco but there were lot’s of restaurants in there!Pretty funny we used to drive to go to a food court but this one had some pretty good stuff including a dancing chicken in a cage that was only about 10 cents! [}:)]So your idea is ancient history as they went under just a few years after they opened.It is kinda funny you were thinking about this.Maybe you were there?

I like this name for a restaurant, though, you’d think someone has already used it: Destination.

"You see, I’m an idea man, Chuck."

The Bear