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Wallpapering one’s place of business with headshots is not uncommon in LA. My acupuncturist does it, beloved coffee shops and dry cleaning places do it. And certainly it’s not endemic to LA–not always headshots, but signed portraiture in general seems to lend a credibility and intrigue to, say, an Italian restaurant or donut shop competing with all the others down the strip. The Kermit-at-Sardi’s scene in Muppets Take Manhattan proves the excellence and fun of this kind of wall display. I’m sure I’ve been unconsciously swayed by a photo series of headliners from 70s TV all eulogizing the same Penne alla Vodka. And definitely if it’s a signed John Candy; that should ensure a lifelong 30-point rating on Zagat. And until I heard about it on NPR, I certainly wasn’t aware of the Polaroid-flanked interior of Detroit’s Lawndale Market. Looks like my old office at MTV! Or the bedroom I would have loved to have as a kid. Anyone repping Detroit-Metro out there ever frequented this place? Otherwise, I’d be interested to hear of other any other photo-heavy watering holes you want to put on the radar.
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Oh my gosh! I love Lawndale Market. It’s awesome there. Great produce.
posted by Mattie on 8-10-2007 at 8:25 pm
Bandido’s, a Mexican restaurant in Chapel Hill, N.C., posts a Polaroid of every patron who finishes El Gigante, a $15 punch-in-the-stomach of a burrito. The walls are surprisingly full.
Keep in mind, this thing could probably kill you.
posted by ks on 8-10-2007 at 9:17 pm
Fontella’s Sandwich Shoppe in Terre Haute, IN has a $15 “Porker” sandwich that contains THREE POUNDS of the most delicious pulled pork in a smoky sauce – and if you can eat the whole samdwich – plus chips! – in 15 minutes or less, it is free! Plus you get your picture plastered on the counter and a free “I Porked Out at Fontella’s” T-Shirt…for those of us with lesser appetites, the other (smaller) sandwiches are among the most delicious – and unique! – you will ever encounter…
There is also Eddie’s in Brazil IN, which has a Wall of Fame for anyone who can eat twenty or more hamburgers in one sitting – and a Wall of Shame for any who try and fail… Eddie’s is simply one long counter, and the burgers are served on sheets of wax paper, with onions and pickles available in big buckets on the counter. Everything on the menu is under a dollar, except drinks which are exactly a dollar. Besides the delicious little burgers (available at this site since 1931!) you can also have an egg sandwich or fried bologna…
posted by Pat on 8-10-2007 at 11:22 pm
Not exactly customer pics, but my kids were fascinated by the picture wall at Fat Cat’s Ice Cream in Kill Devil Hills, NC. There were pictures of submitted fat cats from all over the country!
posted by Miss Cellania on 8-11-2007 at 7:21 am
Cheeburger, Cheeburger in Auburn, AL. They line the walls with poloroids of customers that are able to finish their one pund burger.
posted by jenni on 8-12-2007 at 5:10 pm
Bub’s in Carmel/Indianapolis, IN has a 1 pound hamburger called the Big Ugly Burger. If you can eat the whole thing, they put your picture up on their wall. My dad ate it, and he wasn’t hungry again for another day and a half.
posted by Lauren on 8-12-2007 at 10:10 pm
Lawndale is awesome, im a detroiter and actually mine as well as most of my families pictures in the market…….awesome!!!!!!
posted by Rob on 8-13-2007 at 1:53 pm