Foodies Assemble! Epic Eats from San Diego Comic-Con
Over the years, we have had the opportunity to bring our culinary skills to one of pop culture’s biggest stages: San Diego Comic-Con. From TV Dinners to PAC-MAN inspired desserts, we have created the big screen’s most iconic food in real life.
San Diego Comic-Con is one the biggest annual events that brings some of the biggest franchises and their fans together. One of the most unique elements of Comic-Con are the larger than life and immersive activation experiences. Activation experiences are some of the most effective ways to create memorable experiences with guests and continue to build community.
When we’ve partnered with different franchises at Comic-Con, we have taken the immersive experience to the next level. Our food becomes a key part of the guest experience, bringing the franchise and its fans together.
Here are some of our favorite Comic-Con experiences from years past:
Blade Runner 2049
We cooked over a ton of noodles- seriously, a literal ton. This was one of the Comic-Con’s biggest and most immersive experiences to date! The Blade Runner franchise is a cult classic for sci-fi fans. The White Dragon Noodle Bar is a featured restaurant in the film that serves, you guessed it, noodles! Fans were able to become fully immersed in a replica of the futuristic, 2049 version of Los Angeles, just like in the film. We served a cold udon noodle salad inspired by the film that guests were able to sample when they visited the White Dragon Noodle Bar.
Xfinity TV Dinners
Our team created everything from egg rolls to Jolly Rancher shanks to hand bloodied wolf cookies. We created 3 different T.V. dinner menus that were inspired by 3 different shows: Game of Thrones, Orange is the New Black, and Luke Cage. It’s not everyday we have the opportunity to make shanks out of Jolly Ranchers, in fact, we used over 15,500 pieces! After encountering some unique challenges, we were able to serve several thousand T.V. dinners.
Bird’s eye view of the Xfinity TV Dinner Activation at Comic-Con.
Gray Man
This was the second time we worked at an event at Comic-Con that Ryan Gosling was part of! At the launch of Gray Man, they hosted a press reception and we provided a grazing table and tray passed small bites. As simple as this sounds, food has a way of truly extending a warm welcome and creates an inviting space.
Our team was able to enjoy part of the Gray Man activation just before guests came into the area.
Comic-Con has become a staple in San Diego and they recently opened the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park. At this venue, they showcase different exhibits centered around pop art, comics, and much more. By celebrating the magic of Comic-Con all year long, we’re able to continue bringing creative ideas to the venue. In one of the very first events at the museum, launching the Amazing Spider Man exhibit, we served comic book and Spider Man themed bites while our team wore Spider Man themed aprons for uniforms. During Comic-Con 2022, the museum hosted the PAC-MAN Celebration. The menu took a lot of inspiration from the original video game featuring fruit infused bites and PAC-MAN shaped cookies. Bringing in inspiration from the event’s theme is important when we’re creating menus and planning the overall design of our food presentation. These details help our team make these events more personalized and unique.
Each year we look forward to seeing what projects are coming up and explore new opportunities to expand our creativity with food. We welcome new and exciting ways to entertain guests with food that go beyond the con but also into personalized experiences at events.
