By Hera Rizwan
Mehran’s Steakhouse in Manhattan’s East Village has a series of glowing online reviews and a long waiting list of customers to its name. The food enthusiasts who gathered at the steakhouse to devour their meal last weekend were under the impression that they had finally secured a table at a highly exclusive, century-old chop house after waiting for years.
This Manhattan Steakhouse seems like an out-of-reach restaurant with its all-time booked waiting list, except it isn't, because the restaurant does not exist. This one-night-only dining experience started as an inside joke which later turned into a transient reality, thanks to the internet-generated hype. Both The New York Times and the New York Post covered this incident of 'culinary mirage'. Here's how it went by.
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The idea of the one-night-only dining experience was orchestrated by Mehran Jalali, a 21-year-old founder of an AI startup, along with approximately 65 of his companions. This practical joke involving a renowned, formal dining establishment came to life in 2021 during the pandemic.
Jalali and his 16 housemates, in celebration of the biweekly steak dinners he prepared for them, decided to humorously label their Upper East Side residence as a chop house on Google Maps.
Creating a Google listing is a very simple process, which includes selecting a name, business category and adding a few additional details. There is no compulsion of verifying the listing to proceed, as one can opt for 'Verify later'.
The teenage tech professionals posted enthusiastic reviews online about the newly discovered establishment, attracting curious strangers to their doorstep in search of the all-hyped steak. Despite being purely fictional, the restaurant started to attract attention. In 2022, a couple arrived at the apartment, inquiring about a table. The couple was politely declined, but this incident inspired the roommates to toy with the idea of opening a real restaurant.
They went ahead and set up a website for their solidly booked, “revolutionary steak experience” and, by the end of 2022, managed to accrue a 2,600-person waitlist. Their website stated, "The steakhouse is fully booked for the next six months. Leave your telephone number below, and we will be in touch when tables are available."
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Giving into the internet hype, the group decided to give their joke a form of tangible reality. For this, they booked an event space in the East Village, contacted people from the online waiting list, and did some market research. They developed a four-course menu worth $114. Jalali along with his “staff” which comprised of mostly college students and tech dropouts who had never worked in a restaurant before, prepared for dinner service.
The group also went to extraordinary measures to execute the plan, such as acquiring a one-day liquor license and permits for food handling.
Located in a discreetly transformed public bathhouse on East 11th Street, Manhattan, Mehran’s Steakhouse didn't appear to be a one-night-only thing. The guests savored their meal, relishing a delightful outing, unaware that they were actually participating in a made-up reality. The steak prepared by the amateur chefs received mixed reactions. Some diners praised it, while others sent theirs back.
Not the first instance of culinary deception
Nonetheless, this isn't a one-of-a-kind instance of a fictitious restaurant leveraging the internet hype into duping the public to think that it's real. A similar prank was pulled off by British author Oobah Butler back in 2017. He registered his non-existent establishment, "The Shed at Dulwich," on TripAdvisor and persuaded acquaintances to post favourable reviews. Within six months, it soared to become London's top-rated restaurant.
Butler ultimately organized a meal in his backyard, offering pre-packaged meals and canned soup to unsuspecting patrons. His prank achieved widespread notoriety, resulting in his many media appearances and a best-selling book.
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