Some of the participating brands at ChainFest (which features classic fast food elevated by famous chefs) were Krispy Kreme, Panda Express, KFC and Red Lobster.
The folks from Tums had a booth that featured a Harlem style chopped cheese sandwich by General Ock that was more like a Jamaican patty and simply exquisite. It comes as no surprise that two flavors of new Tums Gummy Bites were also handed out. A lot of ChainFest guests headed for the Tums booth several times because there was a lot of ingestion of fried food and rich sauces–one of them being a limited edition KFC white BBQ sauce!
There were fun games placed all over the ChainFest grounds including a huge tent of arcade games sponsored by Chuck E. Cheese. In case you’re curious, this is a photo of the human crane machine spearheaded by Red Robin Burgers. The girl pictured above was the first person to climb into the crain for the day and she picked up one of the large random white boxes as opposed to one of the extra large plush animals. I did not stay long enough to see her open the box but I heard through the grapevine that her prize was a wireless speaker.
There is no Cracker Barrel in Manhattan so it was great to get some of their down home chow including amazing chicken and biscuits! There was an adorable giant wooden rocking chair and a seven foot high Cracker Barrel logo barrel for photo ops! Cracker Barrel had a second booth serving Screwball Peanut Butter Sweet Tea Cocktails in honor of the chain’s 55th anniversary.
Red Lobster had a booth in the VIP area and circulated these incredible “lobster rolls” made with homemade biscuits. Every tray that got passed around got emptied in two minutes or less! They also had a simulated fishing game that the younger kids really got into!
BJ Novak and celebrity Michelin-starred Chef Tim Hollingsworth, are the masterminds who put together ChainFest (which has traveled across the country this summer). The photo above is of them hitting up the Krispy Kreme stand! And who could blame them? Novak and Hollingsworth put their hearts and souls into ChainFest, which is considered the world’s largest celebration of chain restaurants. The festival has become a Hollywood pop-culture phenom, drawing in over 5,000 food lovers on Randall’s Island last Saturday!
My “go to” spot throughout the entire fest was the aforementioned Krispy Kreme booth, where warm glazed pumpkin spice doughnuts were handed out in abundance. I have no shame that I ate six of these, LOL! I was thrilled because I did not even know that Krispy Kreme had any pumpkin spice products!
What was my favorite dish served at ChainFest? It was Panda Express’ Bourbon Chicken. This is easily as addicting as the aforementioned Krispy Kreme pumpkin spice doughnuts!
Here is the aforementioned KFC chicken and waffles with their knockout mango sauce (a sweet and peppery sauce made just for ChainFest). I finished every bite and will be trying to recreate this Southern style dish at home with KFC Sweet Tenders (now being made in Original Recipe) and my own homemade waffles. I hope that this fingerlickin’ good dish becomes available on the regular KFC menu!
The most upscale item was the thick and juicy Ted Robin Classic Burgers with Monterey Jack cheese and pickled onions. These fantasy burgers were sided with classic onion rings topped with caviar and a white sour cream sauce! Now that is what you call a “rich” meal!
ChainFest also featured a fabulous deejay who plays songs from the 70s until present and I bothered him with a couple of requests. There is always a blues song or two needed when you are eating classic American comfort food. To learn more about ChainFest and when it is coming your way, go to ChainFest.com. It’s worth springing the extra money for the VIP ticket so that you can enter the event a half hour earlier, eat unlimited items, and have a special area to hang out in with open bar and additional food items not available on the main grounds. ChainFest is a truly unique once-in-a-lifetime family friendly foodie experience full of unique games, so I cannot recommend it enough! This October 5th, LA will be getting ChainFest and my beloved White Castle and Pepto Bismol will bring on hand!
