Special Projects: Our team takes pride and special care when working on special projects, we enjoy it. Though the work is custom we stay with-in what we know to execute. From planning/design to fabrication and installation.
Saved by the Max is an incredibly accurate recreation of the iconic diner The Max from Saved by the Bell; the theme restaurant opened earlier in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood but now has moved to Los Angeles,California. The owners of Saved by the Max were nice enough to allow me to check it out on behalf of Nerdist and I am happy to report, as a die-hard fan of anything ’90s sitcom, being there finally made me feel the way TV had promised I could so long ago.
Although the diner falls under the nebulous category of “pop-up restaurant”, after seeing it first hand, it is so much more than what I had expected. Normally, when things like this come about, they can come across as broad-stroke attempts to tug on the heartstrings of fandom. I was expecting something along the lines of a comic con installation designed to exist for only a few days and run as many people through it as possible. This is not the case with Saved By The Max.
The instant you walk in, you’re greeted by the bright red lockers of Bayside students, and that’s just the start of the subtle nods to the show. An enormous Bayside emblem watches over you just begging for selfies. A wall separates the view of the main space from passersby, which only helps to build the anticipation of what you’re about to experience. In only a few short steps, you’re somehow transported into a tangible version your memories of the show. For any Saved by the Bell fan, it’s sensory overload of neon and nostalgia. It’s clear that an incredible amount of work went into getting even the smallest detail as accurate as possible.
The Riot Feast restaurant will fill in the space left behind by Saved by the Max. A late night bar menu will be available after 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights the restaurant will transform into a carnival speakeasy—including “circus freaks” that will entertain guests … and sip right alongside them.
