Only 16 Of These Nostalgic Kitschy Restaurants Remain In The US

Themed restaurant chains oftentimes struggle to have prolonged success, and while Hooters has recently begun struggling financially, other big chains have been floundering for much longer. This is the case for Rainforest Cafe, the tropical-themed restaurant chain that has maintained a cult following since it first opened in 1994. After peaking at 45 total locations in the '90s, Rainforest Cafe has steadily lost customers — and, as a result, closed locations — since its founder, Steven Schussler, sold the chain in 2000. Today, only 16 Rainforest Cafes are still operating in the United States, with one additional location in Ontario, Canada, rounding out the chain's North American footprint.

While this downfall has been fairly steady over the past 25 years, Rainforest Cafe's decline accelerated in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the restaurant industry at large. Back in 2020, we mourned the closure of the Chicago Rainforest Cafe location — one of only two that could be found in Illinois — and several more of the chain's restaurants have shut down in the years since.

The rainforest-themed restaurant has been going through these issues, in large part, due to just how ambitious the concept truly is. While investing in spectacular attractions — from its unique decor to its animatronics — initially set the restaurant apart from other chains, these spectacles have become increasingly difficult to maintain. Because the operating costs for Rainforest Cafe locations are incredibly high, it has been difficult for the restaurant to remain profitable as attendance has dwindled. Even with the help of its tremendous money-making cocktails — which are known to help dine-in restaurants maintain their profits — the restaurant's struggles have persisted (and will likely continue) for its remaining locations.

However, hope is not lost for the beloved chain, as fanfare has begun returning to Rainforest Cafe in recent years. From viral videos about visiting every remaining Rainforest Cafe location in 2022 to the chain launching a pop-up inside the Empire State Building as a result of a viral April Fools joke in 2024, the chain has found itself back in the public consciousness in recent years. While this renewed interest won't necessarily save the chain on its own, it could mean that Rainforest Cafe's apparent downward spiral could begin to reverse course in the future.