Failures

One of the great things about Hamville has always been the innovation of the restaurateurs that call the place home. Grand designs, seemingly impossible concepts, and unique presentations have always been hallmarks of the city. However, with all the new ways to serve food around, Hamville has also had its share of colossal failures. These are restaurants that, for one reason or another, just didn't work. It could have been a result of poor planning by the designers, or misinterpretation of what the public wanted, or just a flat out bad idea. Here are five of the more notorious failures in Hamville History.

1. The Bubble - The Bubble started out in 1986 as an ambitious project to appreciate nature in its natural habitat, as well as to provide some competition for the recently opened Aqua Tube. However, it just didn't work. The basic idea was to build a large structure in the middle of Hamville Harbor and underwater, with glass walls where diners could look out and see the local fish swimming around. The project was never completed. The expenses were going millions of dollars of budget, the wildlife that did not completely flee the area wasn't all that interesting to look at, and they could never quite solve the problem of how to get people there. The beginnings of the Bubble's structure still remain in the center of the Harbor, in case someone else wants to give it a try. So far, no one does.
2. Drivin' Diner - The Drivin' Diner was simply a double decker bus equipped with tables and a small short order kitchen. The bus would make several stops around Hamville to pick people up and drop others off, then would give diners a moving experience as they tried to eat their dinner. Tried is the operative word here. The unfortunate thing was that no matter what the owners did, every time the bus would take a sharp curve, food and drink would fall off people's tables. This, plus the fact that there were a lot of cases of motion sickness, plus the crowded nature of the diner, plus the length of the drive, plus the problem that if you missed your stop, you'd have to wait at least an hour before you could get off again, made the Drivin' Diner a complete disaster. It lasted for about a month in the spring of 1992, then closed forever. The bus was donated to the Hamville History Musueum, where it can be found in the Hall of Shame.
3. The Petting Zoo - The Petting Zoo was supposed to be a family restaurant where people could come, eat their dinner, and play with the cute barnyard animals. It was built like a barn, with a loft, tables all around, and lots of hay. The animals would walk around amongst the diners. For some reason, it was one week before the restaurant was scheduled to open, in June 1993, before someone in the design team realized how cruel it would be to have someone eating a bacon cheeseburger or chicken sandwich in front of cows, pigs, and chickens. The menu was completely restructured to be exclusively vegetarian, but the problems kept coming. The animals would steal food off of people's plates, people kept geetting bitten, and the stink was awful. The restaurant closed after a week, and no one has attempted to ressurect it.
4. Pizza Art - Pizza Art was probably one of the best ideas in Hamville history that just never found an audience. It opened in April of 2003 with the premise of arranging the toppings into pictures. Diners could choose from a list of pictures that went with the toppings they wanted, or they could just request something new from the pizza artists. At first, it was a hit. However, the pizza just wasn't very special apart from the art on top. People began to get bored with the concept. After all, the art is nice to look at, but pizza is there to be eaten, not looked at, and since the pizza itself wasn't exceptional, people began moving on to other pizza options around town. Pizza Art held on until 2005, then closed its doors.
5. Y - Y was a disaster. In 1971, the restaurant opened on the strength of great buzz. It was going to challenge the traditional concept of a restaurant, and was based on a lot of the popular philosophy and trends of the day. On opening night, patrons came in and were instantly confused. The decor was abstract, the layout was bizarre, and frankly, no one had ever even heard of the foods being offered. The prices were completely outrageous, sparking criticism aimed at the owners' hypocrisy. Somehow, word got around on that night, and people began to argue what they owed, claiming that price was a subjective value and they should be allowed to pay what they want. Y made no money its first night, and on the second night, no one came. Y lasted two nights, giving it the dubious distinction of having the worst collapse in Hamville history.