“The Office” actor teamed up with Chef Tim Hollingsworth to launch Chain, a pop-up series dedicated to celebrating and reinventing beloved chain restaurant dishes. Here’s how to score an invite.
On Google street view , theChainhouse looks like any other on its block , a adorable West Hollywood bungalow just off 3rd Street . But when you actually ill-treat in the front room access , the home reveals itself to be something very much unlike its neighbors — it is unmistakably strand , the soda water - up construct that deconstructs and reconstructs chain eating place classics , brought to you by an in - crowd corporate headline byBJ Novakandchef Tim Hollingsworth .
You enter into a reimagined , vintage - mode eating place entrance hall , where a host checks you in and hands you a bell to let you know when your food is ready . A neon - greenish sign with the Chain logo pay heed on one wall , casting a waxy acid gleam over a statue of Colonel Sanders in a Chain - brandmark apron , a Nintendo 64 Mario Kart setup , and the KFC - scented yule logarithm .
For the Chain founders , it ’s a project fueled by nostalgia and whimsy that started as a pickaxe - up only pandemic - epoch lark , recreating darling dishes from national blade with a sybaritic , chef - driven signature . That meadowlark has now raise into a literal thing , a dinner party serial publication in a wildly set - designed , multimillion - dollar sign that is regularly attended by celebrities , influencers , and well - link cool kids .
Photo courtesy of Chain
You wind your way back through the house , past more memorabilia cases and a privy with a tub that ’s been converted into a ball pit ( do n’t parachute in ) , and then you rack up the giving shop . There are sweatshirts , tetraiodothyronine - shirt , bucket hats , bumper stickers , ash tree tray , lighters , and a handful of unlike sauces and seasoning salt bearing the mountain range logotype and their key signature red cardboard loge . It would be easy to get wrapped up in the merch , but there ’s just too much else going on , both in the crowd and in the kitchen , where Hollingsworth and his squad are kicking out ravisher that are stark fun .
Past drops have learn inhalation from Outback Steakhouse ( “ The Bustin ’ Allium cepa ” ) , Taco Bell ( “ The Wagyu Beef Cruncho Perfecto ” ) , BJ ’s ( “ The Spooky Pizookie ” ) , and TGI Friday ’s ( “ Pappy Van Winkle Whiskey BBQ Sauce : Chain Reserve ” ) . In gild to pull off such homages , Hollingsworth and his squad had to be a little underhanded , adoption construct without run afoul upon trademark or running afoul of big bodied effectual section .
But for their most late pop - up , they went legit , or as close to legit as an intentionally chaotic conception like this sustain . Novak himself slid into Chili ’s DMs to call for about a squad - up . For their part , the Chili ’s folk were exceedingly receptive to a collaboration , opening up their recipes , stigmatisation , and cryptic well of secret , which lead to a trippy take on an already far - out dish — Chili’sSouthwestern Egg Rolls .
Courtesy of Chain
You leave the gift shop and come out into the backyard , where there are a handful of picnic tabular array and yet more memorabilia : a Bob ’s Big Boy statue with the Chain logo , vintage Chili ’s bar stools , and plastic chairs clear rescued from an old McDonald ’s .
The buzzer goes off and you get your boxful of food , with those Southwestern Egg roller sitting right on top . They look remarkably like the Chili ’s original , two finger of chicken and a charred corn and ruby-red pepper sofrito roll out into lolly and deep fried , sliced on the diagonal and put down out in a little newspaper tray . The secret is in Hollingsworth ’s Desert Dust spice blend , sprinkled all over the egg peal and the accompanying Roger Eliot Fry and chicken tender , too . It is an appropriately named seasoning , down-to-earth and layer with a mildly warm heat .
When you finish wolfing down your egg rolls and tender , and you ’ve used up all the Taco Bell - elan hot sauce you could , you come up for air to search around and find a hell on earth of a scene . Chain is intelligibly about more than food for thought ; it ’s an LA stereotype , a backyard party full of those player who were so funny in that matter , fashionable people you vaguely recognize from the internet , and the awkward ones in the corner who must be writers or something .
Photo courtesy of Chain
The delegation from Chili ’s has made the flight too , and they resist out as much as the celebrities , a half - XII corporate merchandising , partnership , and development type flown in from Dallas for the week . They ’re staying in West Hollywood , and they look a small shell - shocked from drive all over town but also happy , engaged , and maybe a little tipsy . They laugh about this crazy matter , the reinvention of one of their signature dish , in on the joke in a good way . They , too , finish eating and then dissipate around the elbow room , mayhap to talk up the Chili ’s side of the partnership and perchance to commix with celebrities . Perhaps you will follow their jumper lead ; the mankind is full of possibilities .
The initial run of Chain and Chili ’s collaboration is sold out at the minute , but there will doubtlessly be many more night like this in this harebrained house / eating place / museum / locale . To get on the tilt , send a text to 323 - 310 - 4642 and hope they do n’t leave you on read . you could also get on the leaning by participate your phone telephone number on theirwebsite , and you ’ll get a textual matter next time they open up date . It ’s also likely worth follow them onInstagram , for the meme as much as anything .
It ’s not yet clean precisely what they ’ll do next , but lord lie with there are Aten of chain restaurantsripe for reinvention , and a ton of mass who love them , too .
Photo courtesy of Chain
