From Phil Edwards.

The rise and fall of kitschy 90s restaurants.

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When smoky 1950s dive bars met the sleek mid‑century styling of Howard Johnson’s, baby boomers staged a design rebellion. They raided 1890s nostalgia, stuffed chain restaurants like TGI Fridays, Chili’s, and Applebee’s with Tiffany lamps, brass horns, and fern‑draped windows, turning singles bars into riotous “fern bars.” Inside this video you’ll meet Henry Africa’s mastermind Norman Hobday, decode why the Gay ’90s aesthetic exploded, and see how restaurant history, interior design, and pop‑culture shifts built the chaotic good vibe we miss.

Then we fast‑forward: Millennials rip out the flair, repaint everything beige, and leave us wondering why chain restaurants got so boring. From restaurant design trends and cultural nostalgia to the economics of branding, I track how family dining went from cluttered personality to minimalist monotony—and what we lose when we erase that soul. Dive in, share your own memories, and hit the newsletter link for the rabbit hole I couldn’t squeeze in. #ChainRestaurants #RestaurantDesign #TGIFridays #FernBar #Nostalgia