The Restaurant Chain Anthony Bourdain Called 'Soul Destroying'

Despite eating at some of the most critically acclaimed restaurants in the world throughout his life, Anthony Bourdain was always willing to enjoy run-of-the-mill chain restaurants whenever he was stateside. While Bourdain's positive opinions about Waffle House are well documented, one restaurant he simply couldn't get behind was Johnny Rockets, a California-based chain that's been operating since 1986.

Bourdain's negative stance on the restaurant was first revealed in a tweet from 2013 in which the beloved celebrity chef wrote, "If there's a real Mr. Rockets, I'd like to hurt him." alongside the hashtag #ProudlyInedible. However, Bourdain's 2016 appearance on "Conan" was where he really got the chance to air his grievances with the diner-style burger chain. After ashamedly discussing his love for fast food mac and cheese, the "Parts Unknown" host began laying into the American burger chain, calling it among the worst restaurants he'd ever been to. "I've eaten a lot of really nasty things on my show," the esteemed chef prefaced, "but nothing as soul-destroying as my airport Johnny Rockets experience."

Anthony Bourdain's recollection of his trip to one of Johnny Rockets' airport locations was even more damning, as he lambasted the food itself first and foremost. "I order a burger, they throw a cold burger halfway on a bun," Bourdain explained, "reach into the basket for some pre-cooked fries — they don't even dunk it in the grease — they throw a limp pickle on."

Now, seeing as Bourdain was always particular about what makes a perfect burger, the subpar entrée was enough to disappoint the celebrity chef and paint the restaurant chain in a bad light. However, the energy of the airport Johnny Rockets location upset Bourdain just as much as the food. "There were two managers, a cashier, three cooks, and no one else in the airport. I'm alone," Bourdain recalled. "They're all standing there in a row, nothing else going on, no other customers, they slid it across at me ... and we all stood there silently for a second, sharing this moment of perfect misery."

While it's hard to say whether Bourdain's abysmal experience at Johnny Rockets was a matter of location and timing or an indictment of the chain itself, the world traveler noted that the experience haunted him for three days following the meal. Needless to say, Bourdain had no intention of giving Johnny Rockets a second chance after that — just like the kobe burger trend.