Blockbuster Trolls Netflix For Opening Its Own Restaurant

Cooking shows like Chef’s Table, Nailed It!, Is It Cake?, and Iron Chef: Quest For an Iron Legend have become a big part of Netflix’s television library. And who doesn’t love a cooking show? They’re light, they’re entertaining, and they require very little mental exertion so they’re perfect to watch after a long day of work. (I am not saying this to be insulting; they’re my main go-to after a long day of work myself.)

There’s really just one problem with cooking shows: You watch people create all this amazing food, but then you can’t eat it. I would guess that is part of the impetus behind Netflix’s latest venture: Their very own pop-up restaurant.

Netflix Bites will pop up in Los Angeles later this month. According to the official press release, the temporary restaurant will “spotlight acclaimed chefs from popular Netflix series such as chef Curtis Stone (Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend), who will collaborate with other beloved Netflix chefs including Dominique Crenn (Chef’s Table, Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend), Rodney Scott (Chef’s Table: BBQ), Ming Tsai (Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend), Ann Kim (Chef's Table: Pizza), Nadiya Hussain (Nadiya Bakes), Jacques Torres (Nailed It!) and Andrew Zimmern (Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend)” for a special tasting menu.

Of course, you might say: “Netflix: You’re a streaming content company. Even if you stream cooking shows, does that really qualify you to open a restaurant? You stream a lot of TV shows about spies; you’re not getting into the clandestine espionage business, are you?” (Then again, maybe they are — how would we know???)

On social media, skeptics are using the announcement of a Netflix restaurant to take some shots. For example, Netflix’s old arch-nemesis Blockbuster Video — the former giant of the home video space that Netflix basically put out of business a decade ago — took the opportunity to poke fun at Netflix’s recent (and very unpopular) decision to begin cracking down on password sharing. “As with password sharing,” they wrote on Twitter, “Netflix will kick you out of the restaurant if you share anything from your plate.”

The nearly defunct video store wasn’t the only one to make that kind of joke. Lots of Twitter users gave their GIF game a workout poking fun at what happens if you try to share food or the bill at the Netflix restaurant:

If you want to try the food for yourself, or you just want to troll Netflix from a much closer vantage point, the Netflix Bites pop-up will open on June 30. The restaurant is located at 115 S. Fairfax Ave in Los Angeles; the hours are 5 to 10PM, with a brunch menu on the weekends. You can get more info or make a reservation at their official website.