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The Flying Saucer Restaurant (Niagara Falls, Canada)
My family and I recently vacationed in Ontario, Canada for a couple of days to visit Marineland. My wife, always searching for a monstrous place for me to visit, Googled the highly-retro yet surprisingly little-known Flying Saucer Restaurant in Niagara Falls. I hadn’t seen their Web site so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But my interest was peaked when we asked a Niagara Falls merchant if he knew where it was and he replied with nerd-like embarrassment, “Yeah…I eat there all the time.”
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We arrived at the restaurant early in the evening which worked out well for taking photos of blinking, alien lights against a dusk, Ontario sky. We entered through a front entrance that’s designed to look like a futuristic hatch then entered one of the two saucer-shaped dining rooms, one at each side of the restaurant with the kitchen dividing them. As you can see by the photo below, it was like eating on the Jupitor II, the spaceship on Lost in Space. I expected Dr. Smith to come striding in at any moment demanding he be returned to Earth immediately, then comparing me to a “bubble-headed boobie” of some sort. I ordered a cheeseburger and fries (both very tasty) while my wife had a taco salad. Our 3-year-old daughter was wide-eyed with delight when she discovered the chicken nuggets were shaped like stars and moons. They also serve a wide variety of steaks, seafood, ribs and Italian entrees. And of course I couldn't leave without buying a t-shirt! An unexpected surprise (are there any other kinds of surprises?) was their menu that looks like the front of a newspaper like the kind in b-movies that are always spinning towards the camera with shocking headlines! Stories include, “Alien starship bombed Atlantis to smithereens,” “Starship lands on aircraft carrier,” and “UFOs aren’t spaceships – they’re living creatures” not to mention a space trivia quiz. I enjoyed the feature story on the front of the menu so much I decided to post it here for you to enjoy:
In a rare occurrence, matched only by the imagination of Jules Verne, a craft resembling a saucer-shaped object reportedly has landed in Niagara Falls, Canada. Preliminary reports state that the object had been sighted in the skies over the Honeymoon City, apparently hovering and flashing a myriad of lights and finally making a descent on an abandoned piece of land owned by Mr. Henry DiCienzo, later interviewed in this report.
Onlookers couldn’t believe their eyes and in just a short time, thousands of curious spectators converged on the area in an attempt to make contact with the extraterrestrials. However, all attempts to enter the spacecraft were thwarted by the seemingly harmless but powerful force field implemented by these aliens, the likes never before experienced on this planet. Needless to say, it had been an interesting morning.
By later that afternoon, the Canadian and U.S. Armies, along with NATO Forces, and local law enforcement were on hand to keep control of the situation. But this did not stop the crowds nor this reporter from getting a clear view of the upcoming events.
At precisely 6:06 EST, in an astonishing turn of events, a message was communicated from the craft. Property owner Henry DiCienzo was summoned to the scene and allowed to pass through the force field and board the craft. In a later interview, Mr. DiCienzo stated that he had a hard time believing he had been chosen among all earthlings to first greet the aliens.
For hours the crowd kept vigil as night fell upon them, patiently awaiting the return of this privileged being. The questions on everyone’s minds being, “What news or message would be forthcoming? What secrets would be learned? Is Henry still alive?”
Then it happened! Much to the amazement of this writer and all who watched, a brilliant iridescent flash of light prevailed in the sky, then six smaller laser-like beams slowly ascended into the air only to be met by another craft of huge proportions, several times larger than the earth-bound vehicle.
This so-called “super ship” hovered above, absorbing the streams of light that were being transmitted from below. Then, as quickly as it had come, it sped off, leaving the original spacecraft in a light fog and covered with mist from its massive energy beams.
The answers to our questions were soon realized when DiCienzo returned to speak with the crowd. It seems, as per our report, the aliens were running low on fuel (a mineral available only on another planet), and in need of repairs, looking for a permanent landing area.
It appears these aliens have two directives, reported the only human to have contact with them: The first is to seek out and observe all planets in the universe and, secondly, to share the knowledge they gain with the rest of the universe. However, abandoning their spacecraft was not in their original plans. Therefore, they requested a meeting with the owner of the property on which they landed to obtain permission to leave the spacecraft there until they returned to the planet of their origin and obtained repair parts.
In consulting with DiCienzo, it was disclosed that he was preparing to commence construction of a restaurant drive-in on this very piece of land. It was at this time that the aliens sugguested he use the saucer-craft for this purpose, as they could not return for seven plutonies (about 900 years) to repair the ship.
At this time, they proceeded to share with DiCienzo their universal secrets and recipes for food that’s out of this world, as a token of their appreciation. |
The Sci-Fi Drive-in Restaurant (MGM Studios, Florida)
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When I first saw this restaurant listed on the MGM Studios map, I expected another
contrived theme restaurant a la Planet Hollywood with plastic ray guns attached
to the walls and a solar system pattern on the carpeting. But this would be no
ordinary dining experience!
A hostess seated behind a drive-in ticket booth greeted my wife and me. We waited
for an open table in an area adorned with classic monster posters from films
like Destination Moon and Attack of the 50 ft. Woman. Behind
the hostess stood a plywood facade, about 30 ft. high that attached to the ceiling.
It looked like the kind they make movie sets with. But what was on the other
side? For the answer, I'd need to wait patiently for 10 long minutes. I won't
kid you. The time went slower than a Bill Paxton movie marathon. But finally
a roller-skating waiter led us inside.
The Sci-Fi Drive-in Restaurant is a re-created drive-in movie inside
a huge darkened room painted to look like the outdoors, complete with a twinkling
starlit sky. It's simply amazing. You can practically feel the mosquitoes on
your neck. The restaurant is about one quarter the size of a Walmart. Dozens
of fiberglass replica '57 Chevys face a giant movie screen. Each car is outfitted
with 3 small tables so that 6 people can dine per car.
Another surprise was the menu. Instead of burgers and fries, they offer reasonably-priced
meals. I had BBQ ribs, an ear of corn (fresh, not frozen) and coleslaw while
Kathy had the catfish dinner with hushpuppies.
While enjoying great food we watched old movie trailers from Invasion of
the Saucermen, Robot Monster, Plan 9 From Outer Space and many others.
Sometimes they mixed in a cartoon (Tom & Jerry Go To Mars) as well
as clips from "futuristic" world fairs. The restaurant was packed with families
having a good time. Even the ladies (no doubt dragged there by husbands) seemed
to enjoy laughing at the ridiculous robots and special effects.
There was only one downside to The Sci-Fi Drive-in Restaurant. But
let me start by saying something about theme parks. If you go to the Rainforest
Cafe or ride the Tower of Terror, afterwards you can buy souvenirs
in their gift shops. In fact, if you were to spit anywhere in Disney, there would
be a tiny gift shop connected to the spit in about 5 minutes. But The Sci-Fi
Drive-in Restaurant has no gift shop! Nothing! No T-shirts, no postcards,
no travel mugs. My wife tried to
console me by saying, “At least you'll have your memories.” But memories won't
keep my coffee warm while barreling 65 down Interstate 90. So my only souvenir
is the napkin I've scanned for you as a sort of greasy certificate of authenticity.
The Monster Cafe (Universal Studios, Florida)
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Another fun place where fans of classic monsters can eat is at Univeral Studio's Monster
Cafe. In the front stands a Kiosk with larger-than-life figures of Frankenstein,
Wolfman and the Creature from the Black Lagoon rotating on top. Each monster
holds a different dish (The Creature, for example, holds a bucket of seafood).
The restaurant's interior is made to look like Frankenstein's laboratory.
The lobby features a glass case that exhibits a realistic wax figure of the Wolfman
in his natural woodsy surroundings. Along the cafe's grey, stone walls, hang
dozens of movie posters, lobby cards and rare photos from America's most famous
monster movies. Pizza, salad, pasta and more are served cafeteria style. I visited
this place 2 years ago but unfortunately this summer it was closed, due to a
slow tourist season. So if you're planning a trip, call in advance to find out
the skinny. So if you're planning a trip to MGM or Universal Studios in the near
future, be sure to check out these establishments for your away-from-home monster
fix!