Vicious victuals: at WWE's Times Square eatery, you may not be able to smell what the Rock is cooking, but you can get a decent burger. - New York, New York - restaurant review

Wrestling Digest, Oct, 2002 by Keith Loria

IT'S EASY FOR A WRESTLING FAN to be blown away when he first steps foot into the WWE restaurant in Manhattan, because for a short while the fan is totally in his element as every facet of the place just oozes wrestling. Of course, before getting to the place you will actually eat, you are bombarded with souvenirs and merchandise that comes at you faster than a Booker T Spinarooni.

"My kids have wanted to eat here for months so we took a ride to the city and made our way here," says New Jersey resident William McCalley, who traveled with sons Billy and Tye to the entertainment complex on a recent afternoon, "Their reaction was bigger than when we went to Disney World. We've been up here [in the WWE store] for almost an hour and they still can't get enough of playing with the items and soaking it all in. I want to eat."

Since it's a Thursday afternoon, the actual restaurant isn't too crowded, something a waiter says has unfortnnately been the case lately. But those who are there seem thrilled, and there is an energy in the air. In one corner, under a screen showing the Hardy Boys, sit two women who could be mistaken for WWE divas. There are also two men in ties who look-like old members of Right To Censor, a table full of young teenagers; a few families; and a man who sits by his lonesome with a look that reminds you of Mick Foley in his craziest Cactus Jack days. I hear a bell and almost expect a full-blown battle royal between patrons to begin, but it's only the sound of a nearby cell phone. For the record, my money would have been on one of the teenagers who came prepared with a replica belt hanging over his shoulder.

My menu arrived and I have to admit I was somewhat disappointed in my waiter. It wasn't that the service wasn't good, but I expected him to weigh 300 pounds and have some sort of gimmick. Maybe he would smash dishes over people's heads and have a clever catchphrase like "I can serve it up." But my waiter, who previously worked at Planet Hollywood, was a meek-looking 160 pounds in his fashionable uniform. Where were his tights and boots?

Checking over the menu I thought Rikishi might be a little dissatisfied. There's a standard American flavor with burgers, chicken fingers, assorted sandwiches, and the usual appetizers you find on any menu in a theme restaurant. There weren't even clever names for the items. Where was the Cold Stone Steak? The Hulk Hoagie? The RVD BLT? [For a look at the menu and some of our suggestions, see "What? No "Raw" Meat".]

"I existed some outrageous stuff but it's normal food," says fellow patron Larry Marano. "It's tasty though, and I come back here for more than just the atmosphere since I work up the block."

At the WWE's restaurant, you may not be able to "smell what the Rock is cooking," but there's no real way to hide the distinguishing scent of meat that penetrates throughout the restaurant as burgers are the most popular item on the menu.

"We get lots of teenagers here and kids like burgers," says waiter Don Edwards. "But we have a big selection and there's something for everyone. You look around and the place is obviously geared toward using the appearance of the place as a selling factor, but the food is good and that's what is going to keep most people coming back."

That aesthetics of the restaurant include a dozen big-screen televisions situated around the dining area displaying the top names in sports entertainment There's dazzling music, bright lights, a great bar, and then those things that define the place for WWE.

One of those things is a stage where they shoot live segments of "WWE Heat" and have wrestlers appearing as guests during the other WWE television events. It is the live appearances that are the biggest selling point of the place.

"When we go live or have wrestlers make appearances, people of all ages come out in droves," Edwards says. "It's uncanny how fast this place fills up, and the line is out the door because so many people want to be a part of it."

Again, you might expect some battles to rage in the fight to get in, but there has been barely an incident since the eatery first opened its doors. That's not to say that when the cameras are rolling, there haven't been some scripted on-air skirmishes between wrestlers that make the entire place go nuts.

I had my food and let's face it, it wasn't the stuff of epicureans. But I was entertained by the televisions and the great people-watching. I still was hoping that two customers were hired help and that at any moment they would put on a staged fight for us, starting with one of them pouring. a milkshake over the other's head. But, alas, there were no food fights to be found on this day.

All About WWE New York

Location
43rd and Broadway (Times Square)
New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 398.2563

Restaurant Hours
Monday-Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to midnight
Friday-Sunday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Retail Store Hours
Monday-Thursday: 10 a.m. to midnight
Friday-Saturday: 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The World
Nightclub Hours
Friday-Saturday: 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.