Blog Archives
‘Food Court Wars’: Chip N Wich vs Oasis
Chip-n-Wich’s Jonathan and Craig pose with Oasis’s Melania and Diana
If Food Court Wars taught viewers one thing, it’s that previous experience owning a restaurant does not guarantee an easy win. Like Taco Spot, Oasis’s Melania Paser and Diana Hadad, who owns World Cafe, faced stiff competition from newcomers Craig Jones and Jonathan Neely, who both have experience as line chefs and would like to get Chip-n-Wich off the ground.
Chip-n-Wich is the “sandwich with a crunch.” In layman’s terms, Craig and Jonathan place homemade potato chips on their sandwiches. It’s a good idea, but Team Chip-n-Wich need to stop passing it off as original because Bobby Flay and probably a million other people have done it first.
Oasis started off as food from every Mediterranean country, which was way too broad. With the help of Tyler Florence, Melania and Diana were able to narrow their menu down to solely Lebanese food.
A ‘Food Court Wars’ Upset
Sarah and Tyler from Casual Joe’s
The Wausau Center Mall in Wausau, Wisconsin was home to the Food Court War between Casual Joe‘s and The Wrap Trap, which is now Carlie and Company. Tyler Sailsbery and Sarah Smith from Casual Joe’s want to give mall goers “A real taste of Wisconsin” with fried cheese curds and brats. The Wrap Trap’s Carlie Peterson & Brianna Shidell want to give shoppers a healthier alternative to standard food court fare.
Food Court Wars no longer features stories that pull at the heartstrings. This week there was one finding yourself story and one partner took everything after the split, so it looks like Food Network realized that normal life stories are good and make people relatable. Sob stories just make viewers feel bad for the contestants.
The Underdog Wins ‘Food Court Wars’
Jenn and Trish Tirado with Tyler Florence
Food Court Wars may not be original, but it is certainly consistent. In this week’s episode, The Taco Spot competed against Tirado’s Empanadas & More.
The two teams had very different motivations for wanting a kiosk at Spartanburg, South Carolina’s WestGate Mall. The Taco Spot’s owner, V.J., and his store manager, Michael, want to expand past their current two locations. If they win the mall space, Michael will get to own a Taco Spot location. The Tirados, Trish and her daughter Jenn, want to move up in the world. Prior to the Food Court Wars, Trish and Jenn sold their empanadas out of a food cart.
Food Network Didn’t Win the ‘Food Court Wars’
Erika Lipe and Stevo McCain from Po’ Boy Station
Food Court Wars, hosted by Tyler Florence, is another competition show from Food Network. The show is nothing more than several self-contained episodes that are all condensed versions of the The Great Food Truck Race‘s final season, when teams with no prior experience running a food truck were given one. Instead of having eight teams compete for a full season, Food Court Wars has two teams compete for one episode with the winner receiving a food court restaurant free from rent for a year.
Wait! What's A Dial? 