Bubba started with a belief in good food in a great atmosphere. Find out how a nickname, a lifelong passion for comfort food and two good ol’ boys made Southern hospitality a reality up North. Aug 17, 2009 Bubba Gump covers every aspect of the shrimp business. Including the most important.
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In the (very limited) pantheon of chain restaurants that were directly inspired by a movie (is Goodburger still a thing?), is in all likelihood at the top of the heap. This touristy chain is obviously a spinoff of the 1994 smash Forrest Gump, and even if no visit to is complete without a Run Across America Sampler, we bet that there’s a lot you don’t know about it.The first Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Opened two years after Forrest Gump was released, in March 1996. With a name taken from the fictional shrimp company founded by Gump in the film, the concept must have been a no-brainer for the company behind the chain, Viacom Consumer Products. The emphasis there is on seafood with, with popular dishes including shrimp, “Jenny’s Catch” (tilapia) with lobster butter sauce, Lt. Dan’s Surf and Turf, and Forrest’s Seafood Feast (fried shrimp, and Seafood Hush Pups).As you might have noticed, the chain’s affiliation with the movie is anything but subtle. On top of menu items being named after characters and dialogue from the film (Bubba’s After the Storm “Bucket of Boat Trash” is an actual dish offered), employees tend to be well-versed in Gump trivia, and each location has a gift shop where guests can purchase themed gear and memorabilia like t-shirts, hot sauce, and even ping pong paddles (of course).
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