Krusty Krab
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The Krusty Krab is a fictional
fast food restaurant A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast food, fast-food cuisine and has minimal Foodservice#Table service, table service. The food served ...
in the American animated television series ''
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
''. In the television show the restaurant is famous for its signature burger, the Krabby Patty, the formula to which is a closely guarded
trade secret A trade secret is a form of intellectual property (IP) comprising confidential information that is not generally known or readily ascertainable, derives economic value from its secrecy, and is protected by reasonable efforts to maintain its conf ...
. The restaurant was founded by Eugene H. Krabs (often referred to as Mr. Krabs), who is also the owner and
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
. According to '' The SpongeBob Musical'', Mr. Krabs' daughter
Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...
will inherit the Krusty Krab when she grows older.
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
(who works as the fry cook) and
Squidward Tentacles Squidward Quincy Tentacles (, ) is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants.'' Created and designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, he is voiced by actor Rodger Bumpass. ...
(the
cashier A retail cashier or simply a cashier is a person who handles the cash register at various locations such as the point of sale in a retail store. The most common use of the title is in the retail industry, but this job title is also used in the c ...
) are the only full-time employees. The Krusty Krab is open from 9 am to 6 pm six days a week, Monday through Saturday, and closed on Sundays. Deemed "the finest eating establishment ever established for eating" in Bikini Bottom, it is constantly challenged by its primary competitor, the Chum Bucket, which is operated by Sheldon J. Plankton, a
plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against ocean current, currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are ca ...
, and his wife Karen, a waterproof supercomputer. It is noted by Mr. Krabs that the Krusty Krab is clean and disease-free. One of the main settings of the series, the Krusty Krab was introduced in the pilot episode, " Help Wanted", where SpongeBob applies for the fry cook job at the restaurant. The Krusty Krab has also been featured in other media, including a theatrical film series, a Broadway musical, video games, and toys. It has been referenced or parodied throughout popular culture and has also inspired real-life establishments.


Role in ''SpongeBob SquarePants''

The Krusty Krab is a prominent fast-food restaurant in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. It is owned and operated by Eugene H. Krabs (Mr. Krabs), who invented its famous Krabby Patty sandwich and plans to transfer ownership of the restaurant to his daughter,
Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...
, when she is older.
Squidward Tentacles Squidward Quincy Tentacles (, ) is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants.'' Created and designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, he is voiced by actor Rodger Bumpass. ...
and
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
work at the Krusty Krab as the
cashier A retail cashier or simply a cashier is a person who handles the cash register at various locations such as the point of sale in a retail store. The most common use of the title is in the retail industry, but this job title is also used in the c ...
and fry cook, respectively. The other main characters of the series have also held temporary, single-episode positions at the Krusty Krab. Located across the street from the Krusty Krab is the unsuccessful Chum Bucket, owned and operated by Plankton and Karen. Plankton, Mr. Krabs' former best friend, later became his arch-competitor; Plankton's futile attempts at stealing the secret Krabby Patty recipe to replicate the burgers and put the Krusty Krab out of business is a major plot point throughout the series. Mr. Krabs frequently exploits his restaurant's popularity, such as engaging in
price gouging Price gouging is the practice of increasing the prices of goods, services, or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair by some. This commonly applies to price increases of basic necessities after natural disaste ...
and charging his own employees for use of the building's services. In the season 3 episode " Krusty Krab Training Video", the Krusty Krab building is shown to have originally been a run-down retirement home called the Rusty Krab, which Mr. Krabs acquired and converted into a restaurant, adding a "K" to the word "Rusty". In another episode, the Krusty Krab was the name of a pirate ship owned by Mr. Krabs before he started the business, which he named after the ship. The restaurant has seen a lot of temporary changes throughout the show, such as switching to a
24/7 In commerce and industry, 24/7 or 24-7 service (usually pronounced "twenty-four seven") is service that is available at any time and usually, every day. An alternate orthography for the numerical part includes 24×7 (usually pronounced "twenty- ...
schedule and being transformed into a hotel. Other episodes have depicted the Krusty Krab being damaged or destroyed, although due to the show having loose continuity the restaurant inexplicably always appears rebuilt and in good shape the following episode.


Krabby Patty

The Krusty Krab's menu, the Galley Grub, consists mostly of ordinary fast-food items, such as fries and sodas. Its signature sandwich, the Krabby Patty, is comically beloved by the citizens of Bikini Bottom. In '' The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water'', Mr. Krabs states: "The Krabby Patty is what ties us all together! Without it, there will be a complete breakdown of social order!" The sandwich comprises two buns, with the patty, lettuce, cheese, onions, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, and pickles between them (in that order). The recipe of the patty is a closely guarded
trade secret A trade secret is a form of intellectual property (IP) comprising confidential information that is not generally known or readily ascertainable, derives economic value from its secrecy, and is protected by reasonable efforts to maintain its conf ...
, which have led viewers to speculate about its contents. Several fan theories have been formed to guess the secret ingredient. According to animator Vincent Waller, "there is absolutely no meat in the Krabby Patty. There's no animal product in there", something which was always planned by series creator Stephen Hillenburg. Mr. Lawrence, a show writer and Plankton's voice actor, explained that the show's writers are not allowed to depict
fish as food Many species of fish are caught by humans and consumed as food in virtually all regions around the world. Their meat has been an important dietary source of protein and other nutrients in the human diet. The English language does not have a ...
; he stated that there is no meat served in Bikini Bottom except at the Chum Bucket.
Tom Kenny Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He has been voicing SpongeBob SquarePants (character), the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media since its debut in 1999. Kenny has voice ...
, the voice actor for SpongeBob, joked: "Krabby Patties are
hummus Hummus (, ; , , also spelled hommus or houmous), (full name: Hummus Bi Tahini) is a Levantine cuisine, Levantine Dip (food), dip, spread (food), spread, or savory Dish (food), dish made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, le ...
!" Some commentators suggest that there is actually no secret ingredient. A writer for Hollywood.com believes that it is "all a ruse that crafty Mr. Krabs came up with in order to stop Plankton from focusing on the Chum Bucket. It's legitimately brilliant marketing!" On the possibility that the secret Krabby Patty formula will be revealed in future episodes, Waller said in 2017 that he "would not count on it". In 2019, Waller stated that Hillenburg, who died in 2018, is the only person to have seen it.


Development

Along with SpongeBob's
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...
house, the Krusty Krab was originally intended to be where "the show would return to again and again, and in which most of the action would take place". It debuted in " Help Wanted", the series premiere, and has since appeared in more than 80% of episodes . The Krusty Krab was inspired by series creator Stephen Hillenburg's time as a fry cook and lobster boiler at a fast-food seafood restaurant during several summers after finishing high school. SpongeBob's job was directly based on this experience, while Mr. Krabs was inspired by Hillenburg's manager at the restaurant. However, the restaurant owner was not greedy; Hillenburg added this detail to "give him more personality". When Hillenburg first created Mr. Krabs, his surname was spelled Crabs, and the name of the restaurant was the Crusty Crab. Hillenburg changed the spelling shortly before production began on the show's pilot episode, deciding that K's were funnier and more memorable. He based the building's design on a
lobster trap A lobster trap or lobster pot is a portable trap that traps lobsters or crayfish and is used in lobster fishing. In Scotland (chiefly in the north), the word creel was used to refer to a device used to catch lobsters and other crustaceans. ...
.


Appearances in other media

The restaurant was featured in the 2004 theatrical film ''
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie ''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' is a 2004 American adventure comedy film, animated adventure comedy film based on the television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. It was co-written, co-produced, and directed by series creator Stephen Hill ...
'' and its 2015 follow-up (where the secret Krabby Patty formula was a major
plot device A plot device or plot mechanism is any technique in a narrative used to move the plot forward. A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived or arbitrary device may confuse the reader, causing a loss of the suspension of disbelief ...
). The Krusty Krab and the Krabby Patty have been referenced or parodied throughout popular culture. In " Major League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", an episode of the sketch comedy ''
Robot Chicken ''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animation, adult stop motion, stop-motion animated sketch comedy television series created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The twelve-minute ...
'', a segment features Mr. Krabs using crab legs as the secret ingredient for Krabby Patties. Online, the Krusty Krab–Chum Bucket rivalry has been turned into
memes A meme (; ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ...
. The Krusty Krab has been included in many ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' toys, publications, and other
merchandise Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of Product (business), products ("merch" colloquially) to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative w ...
.
The Lego Group Lego A/S, also known as the Lego Group, is a Danish construction toy production company based in Billund. It manufactures Lego-branded toys, consisting mostly of interlocking ABS plastic and rubber bricks. The Lego Group has also built severa ...
has released two
Lego Lego (, ; ; stylised as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. Lego consists of variously coloured interlocking plastic bricks made of acrylonitri ...
construction sets modeled after the Krusty Krab building. The Krusty Krab has also appeared in ''SpongeBob''-related video games, such as '' SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab'', the title of which alludes to the restaurant.
Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...
, which owns
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
, has earned millions of dollars on licensed products bearing the Krusty Krab name, mainly aquarium figurines and children's play sets.


Cultural impact


Reception

The Krusty Krab has been recognized by numerous publications—including
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, the New York ''Daily News'', ''
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers. ...
'', and food website ''
The Daily Meal The Daily Meal is a food and drinks website. Launched in October 2010, it was the first site launched by Spanfeller Media Group, founded by former Forbes.com CEO Jim Spanfeller. In 2016, The Daily Meal, along with Spanfeller Media Group, was ac ...
''—as a restaurant they wished were real. Similarly, as stated in
Boston.com ''Boston.com'' is a regional website that offers news and information about the Boston, Massachusetts, area. It is owned and operated by Boston Globe Media Partners, publisher of ''The Boston Globe''. History ''Boston.com'' was one of the firs ...
, "Sure, we can get crab cakes, but we wish we could try the Krusty Krab's signature sandwich, the Krabby Patties. If only we could get a suit like
Sandy Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Sandy (surname), a list of people * Sandy (Iranian music band), Iranian singer, comp ...
's and journey to Bikini Bottom". In another list published by ''The Daily Meal'', the Krusty Krab was voted number one of "all the fictional spots currently on TV that our readers wished they could dine at". In 2016, ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine listed the Krusty Krab as one of the 18 most influential fictional companies.


Real-life versions


Imitations

The Krusty Krab has inspired several real-life establishments unaffiliated with Nickelodeon or its parent company, Viacom. In Santa Elena, Costa Rica, a restaurant called the Krusty Krab opened in 2012 but closed a year later. In
Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...
, West Bank, a company called Salta Burgers constructed a real-life Krusty Krab, which received online attention. It opened on July24, 2014, serving seafood and its own version of the Krabby Patty; the restaurant was in operation , but was shut down by 2019. Some commentators, like in the ''
Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown Houston, Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely ...
'' noted of these foreign imitations that "The long arm of U.S. trademark law doesn't reach across international waters. Every country has its own filing process that must be followed". In
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, a Krusty Krab- themed restaurant called The Krusty Krab Cafe opened in 2016 and also makes unofficial Krabby Patties. In
Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a City of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the List of Philippine cities and municipalities ...
, Philippines, a coffee shop opened in 2017 and sells Krabby Patty-inspired sandwiches; it was named KrustyKrub Cafe because the son of its husband-and-wife owners is a fan of the show. In January 2016, Viacom sued IJR Capital Investments after learning that it had applied to trademark the Krusty Krab name at the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alex ...
(USPTO) in December 2014. The latter was planning to open two restaurants adopting the moniker in Houston and Los Angeles. In the lawsuit, Viacom claimed that the proposed restaurants would be an infringement, even though Viacom had not filed a formal trademark for the Krusty Krab name. IJR owner, Javier Ramos Jr. claimed he thought of the name, referring to "the crust that sticks to the top of crabs when they are put in a seafood boil". He claimed not to have heard of the Krusty Krab in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', and that he chose it after checking Google and finding no restaurants using that name. While the USPTO approved IJR's trademark application, a Texas federal judge ruled in January 2017 that IJR violated Viacom's rights to the ''SpongeBob'' property, citing "ownership of a trademark is established by use, not by registration". The
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * ...
decided in May 2018 that Viacom deserves trademark protection for the Krusty Krab, and that IJR cannot use it.


San Diego Comic-Con 2019

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of ''SpongeBob'', Nickelodeon recreated the Krusty Krab building at the 2019
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
. Inside, attendees could play an interactive game in which they must complete food orders before running out of time. It was part of Nickelodeon's booth at the event, which was dedicated to the show. It featured real-life replicas of
Mrs. Puff Mrs. Penelope "Poppy" Puff is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and every film based on the franchise. Voiced by Mary Jo Catlett, Mrs. Puff debuted in the season one episode "Boating Sc ...
's Boating School and the Chum Bucket, which stood tall and allowed attendees to buy collectibles and have autographs from the show's
cast members In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra to land the role of a character in a script, screenp ...
. The ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' reported that the Bikini Bottom setup "drew hundreds of nostalgic fans" on the first day of the convention. '' Adweek'' named it among its ten "Favorite TV-Themed Activations at Comic-Con 2019".


References


Bibliography

*


External links

* {{good article Fictional restaurants SpongeBob SquarePants Fictional elements introduced in 1999