"Fine" Dining

🍔👻 The Burger Den (Denny's?!): We Ate INSIDE a Ghost Kitchen… and It Felt Illegal 👻🍔 Ansley Layne (@spookyfoodie) and I return to paranormally investigate The Burger Den, except…we're now criminals. Eating inside the Denny's, being served like it was completely normal, despite the Burger Den being take-out only?? My stars!! Our waitress actually served us despite not expecting a tip (which she DID receive), the food ranged from "dad cooked this" to "please stop cooking," and there was a claw machine full of absolute nonsense. 🍔 Wake & Bacon Burger and the Double the Fun Burger (But Not Actually That Burger) 🍟 Wavy Fries That Get Worse…and Worse…and Worse 🧅 Onion Rings That Save the Food Somewhat 🥤 Oreo & Strawberry Shakes ❓ The Mystery of the All-American Sauce Remains UNSOLVED 🚽 A Bathroom So Bad Ansley Refuses to Participate 👩‍🍳 Unexpected Table Service at a "Takeout-Only" Dining Concept 🪟 Transparent Ad Screens That Feel Like Sci-Fi 🧸 Claw Machine with Italian AI Brain Rot Plushies (including the Legendary Tire Frog) 💬 COMMENT BELOW: Would YOU eat inside a ghost kitchen if you technically weren't supposed to? 📢 SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY: 🎉 Patreon (Bonus episodes, extended Yelp segments & more): patreon.com/finediningpodcast 💬 Discord (Food talk, memes, cursed Yelp): discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4 🎥 Watch full episodes: youtube.com/channel/UCLbraNhL6KhDPkdSWt2yiuw 🔗 All links: linktree.com/finediningpodcast 🎤 Guest: Ansley Layne | IG: @spookyfoodie Patreon Producers:Sue Ornelas & Joyce Van Patreon Subscribers:David Ornelas, Kellie Baldwin, Jeremy Horwitz, Herbert Amaya, Simone Davalos, Scott Bennett, Amy Reinhart, Josef Castaneda-Liles, & Travis Langley Free Patreon Followers:Joe Warszalek, Lauren Cummings, Grace Krainak, Keri Estes, Robert Duran, Patrick Elliott, Michelle Elmer, Dave Plummer, Nicholas Volney, Michael Gerard, Tracy Molino, Phuong Duong, Tyler Robinson, Brandon Gully, Mason Cruz, Michael Milito, Mez, Aaron Hubbard, Steff, Robert McLaughlin, Jewell Hermann, Renae Michael, Crystal C. 👉 NEXT WEEK: I dive into the history of Torchy's Tacos with my mom.

👻🍔📦 Ghost Kitchens: The Pandemic, Chain Alter Egos, and Uber's Co-Founder 📦🍔👻 This week, I'm joined by Ansley Layne (@spookyfoodie) for a haunted deep dive into the world of ghost kitchens. We tell the entire history like a ghost story, tracing how these delivery-only concepts rose from the shadows to dominate the pandemic era. From secret alternate restaurant identities on delivery apps to celebrity-backed virtual brands, this episode pulls back the curtain on one of the most fascinating and unsettling trends in modern dining. And yes, multiple Yelp reviewers feel personally obligated to warn us that The Burger Den… is just Denny's. 🌫️ The Rise of Ghost Kitchens During the COVID-19 Pandemic 📱 Restaurant Alter Egos Hiding in Plain Sight on Delivery Apps 🚗 The Uber Connection and the Tech Behind the Movement 🍔 Celebrity Ghost Kitchens including the infamous MrBeast Burger 👻 Eat Deets Told Entirely as a Ghost Story 🌴 Ansley's Dream Restaurant Becomes a Haunted Rainforest Cafe 🗣️ Yelp Reviewers Desperate to Expose The Burger Den 🕵️‍♂️ Which Chains Are Secretly Operating Under Different Names? 💬 COMMENT BELOW: Have you ever accidentally ordered from a ghost kitchen without realizing it? 📢 SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY: 🎉 Patreon (Bonus episodes, extended Yelp segments & more): patreon.com/finediningpodcast 💬 Discord (Food talk, memes, cursed Yelp): discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4 🎥 Watch full episodes: youtube.com/channel/UCLbraNhL6KhDPkdSWt2yiuw 🔗 All links: linktree.com/finediningpodcast 🎤 Guest: Ansley Layne | IG: @spookyfoodie Patreon Producers:Sue Ornelas & Joyce Van Patreon Subscribers:David Ornelas, Kellie Baldwin, Jeremy Horwitz, Herbert Amaya, Simone Davalos, Scott Bennett, Amy Reinhart, Josef Castaneda-Liles, & Travis Langley Free Patreon Followers:Joe Warszalek, Lauren Cummings, Grace Krainak, Keri Estes, Robert Duran, Patrick Elliott, Michelle Elmer, Dave Plummer, Nicholas Volney, Michael Gerard, Tracy Molino, Phuong Duong, Tyler Robinson, Brandon Gully, Mason Cruz, Michael Milito, Mez, Aaron Hubbard, Steff, Robert McLaughlin, Jewell Hermann, Renae Michael 👉 NEXT WEEK: We step into The Burger Den and put this ghost kitchen to The Chili's Test to see if the disguise holds up.

🏴‍☠️🐟🍟 Long John Silver's Review: Pirate Music, Fried Sea Water, and Puke Breaks 🍟🐟🏴‍☠️ We're back with Part 2 of Long John Silver's, and my cousin Emma Danger returns as we finally taste what the seafood chain has to offer. There are a few bright spots. The pirate-style orchestral covers of popular songs are delightful, and the Captain's Bell looming overhead feels like a reward we desperately wanted them to earn (though they didn't). Unfortunately, most of the visit sails straight into rough waters, from questionable plumbing ergonomics to fried bits that taste suspiciously like the ocean itself. 🐟 Fried Everything (Including the Grilled Shrimp I tried to Order) 🍟 Waffle Fries and Hush Puppies Join the Feast 🍫 Chocolate Cheesecake Tries to Save the Day (and yes, I actually try it) 🧂 Krumbs That Taste Like "Fried Sea Water" 🚽 Toilet Flushers So High You're Forced to Use Your Hands (Who does that??) 🎶 Surprisingly Great Pirate Orchestrations of Popular Songs 🥤 Emma's Favorite Item of the Meal Is...a Pepsi 🎙️ Emma Shares the Best and Worst Meals of Her Life (including her best giving her imposter syndrome) 📊 Long John Silver's Faces The Chili's Test 💬 COMMENT BELOW: Are Long John Silver's Krumbs a delicacy or a disaster? 📢 SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY: 🎉 Patreon (Bonus episodes, extended Yelp segments & more): patreon.com/finediningpodcast 💬 Discord (Food talk, memes, cursed Yelp): discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4 🎥 Watch full episodes: youtube.com/channel/UCLbraNhL6KhDPkdSWt2yiuw 🔗 All links: linktree.com/finediningpodcast 🎤 Guest: Emma Danger Patreon Producers:Sue Ornelas & Joyce Van Patreon Subscribers:David Ornelas, Kellie Baldwin, Jeremy Horwitz, Herbert Amaya, Simone Davalos, Scott Bennett, Amy Reinhart, Josef Castaneda-Liles, & Travis Langley Free Patreon Followers:Joe Warszalek, Lauren Cummings, Grace Krainak, Keri Estes, Robert Duran, Patrick Elliott, Michelle Elmer, Dave Plummer, Nicholas Volney, Michael Gerard, Tracy Molino, Phuong Duong, Tyler Robinson, Brandon Gully, Mason Cruz, Michael Milito, Mez, Aaron Hubbard, Steff, Robert McLaughlin, Jewell Hermann, Renae Michael 👉 NEXT WEEK: For the 100th restaurant on the main podcast feed, we dive into the world of ghost kitchens with Spooky Foodie (Ansley Layne), focusing on The Burger Den, the Denny's-created delivery-only concept.

🐟🏴‍☠️🍟 Long John Silver's: Toy Lawsuits, Abandoned by Yum!, and the Worst Restaurant Meal in America 🍟🏴‍☠️🐟 This week I'm joined by my cousin Emma Danger for her fourth appearance on the show as we dive into the history of Long John Silver's. From its time sailing under the Yum! Brands flag alongside KFC and Taco Bell to its rocky financial voyages through bankruptcy, the chain has had quite the adventure. We also grapple with the heartbreaking reality that the Captain's Bell is off-limits unless the crew actually earned it, and explore how a seafood chain wound up entangled in movie tie-ins, pirate holidays, and one of the menu items crowned "Worst Restaurant Meal in America." 🏴‍☠️ From Kentucky Fried Chicken's Corporate Family to Going Solo 💸 Bankruptcy, Buyouts, and Rough Seas for the Brand 🔔 The Captain's Bell We Desperately Wanted to Ring 🎬 Promotional Film Tie-Ins and the Lost in Space Toy Lawsuit 🦜 Talk Like a Pirate Day and the Chain's Nautical Identity 🍽️ The Big Catch Platter Named the Worst Restaurant Meal in America 🍜 Emma Pitches a Dream Restaurant With… Questionable Logistics 📚 A Yelper Expands the Lore of the Long John Silver's Literary Universe 💬 COMMENT BELOW: Have you ever rung the Captain's Bell at a Long John Silver's? 📢 SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY: 🎉 Patreon (Bonus episodes, extended Yelp segments & more): patreon.com/finediningpodcast 💬 Discord (Food talk, memes, cursed Yelp): discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4 🎥 Watch full episodes: youtube.com/channel/UCLbraNhL6KhDPkdSWt2yiuw 🔗 All links: linktree.com/finediningpodcast 🎤 Guest: Emma Danger Patreon Producers: Sue Ornelas & Joyce Van Patreon Subscribers: David Ornelas, Kellie Baldwin, Jeremy Horwitz, Herbert Amaya, Simone Davalos, Scott Bennett, Amy Reinhart, Josef Castaneda-Liles, & Travis Langley Free Patreon Followers: Joe Warszalek, Lauren Cummings, Grace Krainak, Keri Estes, Robert Duran, Patrick Elliott, Michelle Elmer, Dave Plummer, Nicholas Volney, Michael Gerard, Tracy Molino, Phuong Duong, Tyler Robinson, Brandon Gully, Mason Cruz, Michael Milito, Mez, Aaron Hubbard, Steff, Robert McLaughlin, Jewell Hermann, Renae Michael 👉 NEXT WEEK: We actually eat Long John Silver's and see if the seafood shack can survive The Chili's Test.

🌮🔥🥑 On the Border Review: Guacamole Glory, Taco Chips, and The Chili's Test 🥑🔥🌮 We're back with Part 2 of On the Border, and this time Trent Tucker (@TheGOTSPod) and I actually sit down to eat at the former Brinker sibling to Chili's. There are highs. There are lows. There is guacamole made tableside that absolutely slaps. We also encounter a manager radiating peak "Karen energy," raid a Little Free Library mid-meal, and hear "Cable Car" by The Fray so many times it becomes psychological warfare. 🥑 Guacamole Live Is a Legitimate Triumph 🌮 Flautas That Do NOT Live Up to the Ornelas Family Name 🧂 Chips and Salsa Are Decent, But Why Are the Chips Half a Taco Shell? 🎶 "Cable Car" by The Fray Plays an Unreasonable Number of Times 📚 Little Free Library Raid Yields a Parody Songbook and an Education on Spiders 😬 A Manager Check-In That Screams "I'd Like to Speak to…" 🎙️ Trent Shares His Best Meal Ever: Ramen in Japan 🌴 His Worst Meal Ever: A Burger from Rainforest Cafe 📊 On the Border Faces The Chili's Test 💬 COMMENT BELOW: Is tableside guac enough to overcome weird taco chips? 📢 SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY: 🎉 Patreon (Bonus episodes, extended Yelp segments & more): patreon.com/finediningpodcast 💬 Discord (Food talk, memes, cursed Yelp): discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4 🎥 Watch full episodes: youtube.com/channel/UCLbraNhL6KhDPkdSWt2yiuw 🔗 All links: linktree.com/finediningpodcast 🎤 Guest: Trent Tucker | IG: @TheGOTSPod Patreon Producers: Sue Ornelas & Joyce Van Patreon Subscribers: David Ornelas, Kellie Baldwin, Jeremy Horwitz, Herbert Amaya, Simone Davalos, Scott Bennett, Amy Reinhart, Josef Castaneda-Liles, & Travis Langley Free Patreon Followers: Joe Warszalek, Lauren Cummings, Grace Krainak, Keri Estes, Robert Duran, Patrick Elliott, Michelle Elmer, Dave Plummer, Nicholas Volney, Michael Gerard, Tracy Molino, Phuong Duong, Tyler Robinson, Brandon Gully, Mason Cruz, Michael Milito, Mez, Aaron Hubbard, Steff, Robert McLaughlin, Jewell Hermann, Renae Michael 👉 NEXT WEEK: I take Emma, my second cousin once removed to Long John Silver's, and you KNOW we're gonna talk LJS history!