Each event or pop-up is gonna be different. I would follow their social media and sign up if you are interested. This recent experience was with 'Dread Lobster'. Chain's fun take on Red Lobster and a collaborative promo with the release of 2025's 'I Know What You Did Last Summer'. You basically sign up through a link from their text to schedule a pick up at the locations where the Dread Lobster food truck popped up. When you pick up, you get a meal that consists of a small lobster roll some chips and a drink. Oh, and if you prove that you bought a ticket to the movie, they gave you a free trucker hat as well! When I got out to the location in Silver Lake, there was a line halfway down the block. It moved pretty quickly, though. The person given out the hats was very friendly. So were the people that took your order. As an added bonus, the director/producer of the movie was actually there. I didn't recognize her, but I saw her on a post later that day. I recognize the picture that was posted because I was feet away when it was taken lol. The lobster roll was solid. It wasn't great, but it was free so no complaints here. The line / vibe at the truck was buzzing only because there was a mix of people that love free food or love scary movies or both. Can't wait to see what they do next. read more

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Chain is a project that was started by BJ Novak (The Office) and Tim Hollingsworth (French Laundry, Otium), to elevate dishes and experiences that you could get at your local chain restaurants. Over the years, Chrissy Teigen has also gotten onboard to participate in the project. It comes from their fondness and nostalgia from their own experiences with chain restaurants. I've come to a few of their popup events, and I think they're fun, they're a novelty, but they can be quite expensive and challenging to get a reservation. I've attended events in West Hollywood for their chicken tenders and their homage to Chili's. They thoughtfully homage the source material. They once did their version of a Taco Bell Crunchwrap, but they elevated it by using wagyu. Most of the events happen at their location in West Hollywood; however, today, I went to an event at a "secret location" where they collaborated with Sony Pictures to promote "I know what you did last summer". They had a food truck called "Dread Lobster" and they served complimentary lobster rolls, potato chips, and passionfruit-lime soda. The menu homaged the flavors of "Red Lobster". To attend these events, you need to subscribe to their emails and text messages, so that you can sign up for their events as soon as they go live. For this "dread lobster" event, they "sold out" of 1000 tickets for their lobster rolls in under five minutes. Is this a fun concept? Yes. Is it cool? I think so. Are the meals thoughtful and tasty? Also, yes. If you attend their events, don't be surprised if you see celebrities walking around. If that is your cup of tea, then this would likely be a five-star event for you. For me, what brings it to three stars (A-OK, per yelp) are that the events can be pricey upwards of $40 per person, reservations can be challenging, and sometimes the elevated dishes are not substantially better than the source material. (Note: the event I attended today was complementary as it was co-promoted by Sony Pictures). Nevertheless, I feel that this is a fun experience and it's pretty Hollywood. I hope that they do more collaborations in the future. Go with your significant other and friends and have a good time! read more

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To review 'Chain' is kind of bizarre. It's different at every event or every pop up~~~ but ya girl finally tried them at Vulture Fest. The Chain Walk Thru was really well ran and presented so def gets 5 stars. Since every experience for Chain can be different including the overall concept (it will be some chain related fast food spoof usually), your mileage may vary. My experience was dope AF. The 'Walk Thru' setup they did at the festival was a brilliant idea playing on the drive thrus at fast food chain joints. There were many adorable details as this food experience pop up, like little Jack pez dispensers strewn about as decor. The well thought out pieces were also exemplified in this Ode To Jack-in-the-Box themed version of Chain's menu screens. The slow braised American wagyu not-so-tiny sized tacos were the perfect item for my friend and I to share to tide us over. One filled me up for the next hour to watch a show and it was actually way better than expected. I had low hopes for fest food, but this was anything but! This crispy shelled, perfectly sauced taco came with curly fries. There is no wrong way to do curly fries, so they were unsurprisingly also tasty. So not only was this food all very yummy, it made sense at the fest. Great staff, setups and eats! I'd love to try more of their fun concepts. read more

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First thing first: CHAIN IS NOT A RESTAURANT!!!! Chain is one of the most inventive, clever, and charming experiences ever to spring up in Los Angeles. I have been to 4 different "pop-up events" that Chain have created and so I can say with some confidence that the negative reviews are from people who clearly do not understand what Chain is. THE GOOD: Chain recreates nostalgic favorites, usually in partnership with brands like Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, but with a chefy twist. Every pop-up I've been to has been featured a completely different meal and they always, always, always hit a bullseye when it comes to understanding what makes Pizza Hut's personal pan pizza so recognizable, or a Crunchwrap Supreme so distinctly Taco Bell. THE BAD: The only "bad" thing about Chain is that every experience is different and so it's not consistent. I personally like this, because if I was looking for consistently of experience, I'd go to a damn restaurant!! The first pop-up I went to was a pan fried wagyu Crunchwrap supreme. It was at the original Chain house location and it felt like a really hip dinner party in someone's backyard. I met some cool people and we ended up having a Mario Kart tournament with them and now we're friends. The next pop-up was a Bone Marrow Quarter Pounder with Cheese at a random club venue in Hollywood that they made in partnership with the movie Scream. BEST BURGER I'VE EVER HAD and the vibes were much more like a club. Not in a bad way, but it wasn't what I was expecting. THE UGLY: my only critique of Chain is that when their pop-ups happen seems totally random. I wish they had a schedule that they published ahead of time so I could decide which ones I wanted to go to and get my friends together ahead of time. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Do *NOT* expect a restaurant experience. Their kitchen is like a pop-up under a tent and yet they make really inventive and delicious food! Instead think of Chain as a culinary conversation starter. Go with friends who share a love of whatever chain restaurant they've partnered with is and enjoy the communal experience. You can't order more food, what they serve is what you get. VALUE: Everyone complaining about price is out of their mind! Show me anywhere else in Los Angeles where for $75/pp you get a meal, open bar, games, and a truly unique and charming environment. I suppose if you're comparing Chain to a restaurant the value can seem off, but again, Chain is not a restaurant. FINAL WORD: Chain to me is like Pokemon: you gotta catch them all! Every pop-up is different and because they rarely repeat their offerings, you best get tickets when they go on sale so as not to miss it! read more

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I went here a little while back to check out a pop up event and the main thing I noticed was that they basically just took poor people food, used rich people ingredients, and served it to rich people as if the restaurant's concept was gentrification. Is there something I'm missing? Was I not nostalgic enough to get it? The vibe here was pretty square to be honest. read more

Chain - Pop-Up Restaurants Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Chain got my attention by way of the recent Trader Vic's pop-up they put together. For a most beautiful second, I was transported back to the last time I sipped on an original Trader Vic's Mai Tai in my home town. Priceless!!!!!!! This is a business to keep tabs on. I love how they married old and new with their decorative elements and I was flattered by seeing some original Tradee Vic's wall art. I am so interested in what Chain is going to do next. read more

Coolest concept I've ever been to! like... wow. went with a foodie friend and didnt know what to expect. don't even know how to describe it. it's like a speakeasy where you get to hang out, meet cool people, and then they serve you this grownup version of a happy meal. we stayed for like 3 hours. closed the place down. staff was super cool and actually one of them jumped in on our Super Smash Bros game and cleaned up! the food was literally the perfect meal. best chicken tender I've ever had in my life. there was a hot dog with frito pie on top that I am still thinking about. fun drinks. Ice cream. like... who the hell is not giving this 5 stars? best value in LA if you're looking for a fun night out. hands down. read more

A truly baffling evening. Apparently a real chef is involved. From the dreadful, leaden "pizzas" to the sickeningly sweet cocktails, nothing tasted professional...more like something some college stoners might put together at 4 in the morning. The boneless buffalo wings were the highlight...but no better than a dozen other fast food joints. As others have mentioned, serving ice cream sourced from Smart & Final is insulting...and bad. Had Allen Funt or the crew from Impractical Jokers come out at the end the evening would have at least made sense. I'm stunned they are opening another one in NYC...this one is one too many! My $90 would have been better served ordering a couple reams of paper from Dunder Mifflin. PS. The staff was terrific...but don't make up for the dreadful chow and dull vibe. read more

I went on Aug 16 at 8pm. I have to be honest- I am stealing from a review below because he got it 100% correct so I am basically just seconding Josh G.'s review from the same night: I went with a friend to their pizza hut inspired night. The service was great and the space was ample with plenty of nice indoor and outdoor places to dine and converse. But there was very little energy at all. I felt like i walked into a quite party where I didnt know anyone and I came to have fun but no one was doing anything "fun". The only fun was the decor and space. The actual thing you are paying for (and paying a lot for - $90/pp), the food and drinks, were both sub, sub par. The most flavorful part of the meal was the special canned non-alcoholic orange creamsicle soda. The pizzas felt almost homemade vs restaurant quality. Thick dough- not very flavorful. The hamburger pizza had almost no flavor. The fried pickle one had almost no flavor. It was supposed to be elevated fast food, IT IS NOT ELEVATED. It was barely delicious. It made me crave a Numero Uno pizza (or Quarter Sheets for 1/4 of the price). I would would have rather eaten actual pizza hut pizzas for $20 versus this no-fancy approximation for $90. The only other appetizer they passed was a chicken tender. They should have had 3-5 others at least- they could have been inexpensive but would gone a long way to making it feel like a $90 dinner. How many chicken fingers can one eat? Not a lot, and that is what they count on. They also count on the fact that you cant drink more than 2 of those super sweet mostly premixed cocktails/slushies sitting in large vats. We couldn't. Only the one cocktail they served initially was worth drinking. I should have saved the $60 on Ubering there - based on the promise of endless cocktails. They also close the bar at 10 without warning so if you come after 8:30 you don't have much time to even consume them. They should note that too. The ice cream is cheap basic toppings and shockingly- not home made ice cream, but First Street brand Ice cream sold by Smart and Final (says so right on the huge vats they bought for $23.49 for 3 gallons). The people and the place could not have been more pleasant. I will not return. Do not believe the hype or the Gram shots with Chrissy Teigen. I am not saying that they can't or won't put on a decent event. But this was not it. For the $200 - my friend and should could have had a way better meal at one of too many places in LA to count. Go elsewhere. read more

went tonight with a friend to their pizza hut inspired night. the service was great and the space was ample with plenty of nice indoor and outdoor places to dine and converse. but the actual thing you are paying for (and paying a lot for), the food and drink, were both sub, sub par. pizzas felt almost homemade vs restaurant quality. was supposed to be elevated fast food, but honestly, i think i would have rather eaten actual pizza hut pizzas, versus this fancy approximation. the drinks were mostly served from those slushie rigs you see at spring break with only one actual cocktail that was worth drinking. they also passed out some very spicy wings that just tasted like hot sauce. and for desert, ice cream they told me was sourced from smart and final. my friend and i were both very disappointed by the comestibles and the booze, but people and the place could not have beem more pleasant. will not return. read more