RISK: Magic Restroom Café, America’s first bathroom-themed restaurant, hopes to attract the hungry, open-minded crowds of Los Angeles.
By Ruthie Farrell, Staff Writer
October 11 was an exciting day for YoYo Li, the owner of Magic Restroom Café, as she saw her restaurant open its doors for the first time. Her restaurant’s bathroom theme is a perfect match for the (generally) liberal city of Los Angeles. However, for the average, narrow-minded person, the dining experience may not sound so appetizing. Although restaurants similar to Magic Restroom Café have found success in China and Taiwan, Americans are not as willing to “flush away” their uncomfortable first-impressions.
The interior of the place lives up to its audacious name. After walking in, the customer finds him or herself surrounded by a familiar setting with a twist. The chairs are all toilets, along with the food bowls. While a typical restaurant greets customers with a pleasant center piece or a chandelier, the Magic Restroom Café has shower heads that decorate the walls above each eating area. The bathroom motif, which already makes itself evident, does not stop there. The menu includes a chocolate sundae called, “Black Poop,” a strawberry sundae called “Bloody Number Two” and braised pork over rice named “Smells Like Poop.” Sounds…delicious?
Though the names on the menu and the realistic-looking meals might repel customers, excellent service and fabulous food would easily make up for it. However, the restaurant lacks efficiency in the service department. Yelp.com gives the café a whopping two and a half stars out of five; many of the customers complain that the food is often cold and the service is slow.
The restaurant differs from most other restaurants, especially tedious, over-marketed fast food chains. This original advantage will at least attract the daring, strong-stomached youth. There could not be a better place than the flamboyant streets of Los Angeles to establish a bathroom-themed eatery—but even there, YoYo Li’s restaurant is a risky business. This restaurant is going to need more than magic to become successful.
Photo courtesy of www.best-posts.com