It’s a tale as old as time: once fame is achieved, the newly famous must immediately release their own line of….something.
Beauty, skincare, clothing, hell, even chocolate bars (if you’re Mr. Beast.) It’s nothing new, but before they were CEOs of random product lines, celebrities could be found christening the openings of novelty restaurants in a way that is almost obsolete now. Scouring the depths of Getty Images, you can find thousands of pictures of celebrities from all levels of fame next to a milkshake joint with their name on the menu, or a burger-and-fries combo named after them. Nota pap pic of someone leaving Nobu or Carbone here and there, but a full red-carpet event adorned with its very own step-and-repeat backdrop.
For a practice that was once commonplace — and almost a rite of passage for d-list celebrities — what happened to such celebrity restaurant endorsements?
In the ‘90s, there was a boom of themed restaurant chains popping up across America. Think Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock Cafe or the very short-lived Fashion Cafe. They placed an emphasis on celebrity culture, but rather than direct endorsements from stars, these chains used these celebrities as the theme of the restaurant itself. You were never gonna run into Arnold Schwarzenegger at Planet Hollywood (minus the day of the opening.) However, you may run across Kim Kardashian at Millions of Milkshakes — or think that you could, and at the very least, order the same thing she does.
As the aughts transitioned into the ‘10s, the social lives of the rich and famous were moving from the tabloids to the internet, yet there was still a hard line between their world and ours. There was no daily documentation listing who liked to eat where or who frequented what — only weekly tabloid coverage or nightly entertainment news programs. One would get the occasional blog report with pap pics of stars, especially on Gawker and Perez Hilton or ONTD, but there weren't the consistent, everyday mass updates we have now. Think about it: apart from him being from Boston, we would never know that Ben Affleck orders Dunkin'... a lot, or that Bethany Frankel apparently is the queen of chicken salad. While yes, silly, we as an audience, through the small act of eating at the same place or the same thing that they do, feel a little bit closer to being a star.
In the 2000s, America saw another massive shift: chains like Sprinkles Cupcakes (which actually closed all stores this past December), Dylan’s Candy Bar, and, as mentioned, Millions of Milkshakes began using celebrities to market themselves. These kitschy, curated and colorful stores each had their own gimmick, of course, but all of them gained massive popularity by earning the celeb appearance. By hosting these widely photographed events, they were able to solidify their business status as beloved by stars, utilizing the burgeoning digital celebrity news landscape to their advantage.
Celebrities from all areas of the entertainment world would attend these events, including athletes, actors, comedians and reality television stars. Anyone who was available received an invitation. I almost miss that in today's celebrity culture. Apart from award shows or a random party here and there, you don’t see such a mixed bag of guests interacting with each other outside of, say, Coachella or Fashion Week.
There's something very old Hollywood about this style of promotion. Young DCOM stars walking down the carpet and flashing the branded goodie bag they were given, smiling hopefully, drinking a milkshake, biting into a cupcake, filling up a candy bag. They would treat this event with the same level of excitement they would if they attended the Grammys.
Some may say it’s semi-embarrassing or slightly humiliating to look at it through today's lens. They even made a whole show about it: Kathy Griffin’s My Life on the D-List.
Gone, though, are the days when a contestant from Survivor and an Oscar nominee would brush past each other on a red carpet not at the Las Culturistas Culture Awards, or when Beyoncé and Johnny Knoxville would interview each other, or present an award together. In today's over-produced landscape, everybody is extremely aware of how they're perceived at all times, making it hard to have organic interactions when they’re too worried about it getting posted to TikTok and then X, or worse, Threads..
Despite the embarrassment, what was once called a “humiliation ritual” was actually like a stepping stone in one’s career, proof that they were marketable and moving forward in the world. Once anyone enters the spotlight today, they completely skip the step of random brand deals or these vintage styles of promo events. There's no awkward stage of building their perception in the world; they come out looking cool, sexy even, and make sure they don't do anything that deviates from that image. Everybody is just one good post or movie away from being the next Louis Vuitton ambassador.
Like these events, the stores came and went, filing for bankruptcy, being bought out by private equity or quietly shuttering their doors. The days of trendy chains quietly drifted away, as have the “humiliation rituals” I love scrolling through on Getty Images.
Images via Getty
