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More than 60 television series have a presence at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego, and restaurants in the Gaslamp Quarter adjacent to the Convention Center aren’t immune from the marketing blitz.
Several shows have either taken over all or part of an eatery in the area, offering up food to hungry Con attendees with a hefty side of promotion.
NBC has perhaps the most visible restaurant on the scene, taking over the Tin Fish restaurant right on Gaslamp Square, directly across from the trolley line and Convention Center.
The Peacock Network has staked claim to the Tin Fish repeatedly over the past several Cons, and this year they’ve chosen to wrap the entire building in “The Blacklist” branding.
Series star James Spader’s head is plastered on a giant billboard visible from the distance, with quotes and tune-in information wrapping the outdoor seating patios.
There’s also a giant photo wall outside the main entrance that features fan photos shot inside the NBC experience.
A few blocks away, sister network Syfy has transformed the Hard Rock Cafe into the “Ascension Cafe” to promote the November offering about a space ship sent off in the 1960s on a deep space mission.
Everything from the wallpaper, to the table tops, to the windows, to the hostess stand, to the chairs has been decked out in Syfy or Ascension branding, with reminders that no glass is allowed because it could shatter in times of anti-gravity, to depictions of “today’s specials’ in Automat-style glass doors.
It was at least the third time that Syfy had used the space to promote a new series, with “Eureka” and “Defiance previously setting up shop there.
And although zombies don’t really make for an appetizing mealtime topic of discussion, “The Walking Dead” also got into the food game this year, offering up a series-themed BBQ every day for fans willing to participate in a bit of social media promotion.
The first 200 people each day who took a selfie in front of the series’ Terminus map and then tweeted it would gain admission to the BBQ. The #TweetToEat promotion directed fans to one of two locations to find the map: either the series booth on the convention floor, or outside the terrace entrance to the Hilton Gaslamp Hotel, the home of the BBQ.
BBC America turned the Southpaw Social restaurant into the Clone Club for the first every Clone Club Meetup at Comic-Con, drawing its name from what the members of the “Orphan Black” fan community call themselves. Hours before the 1pm start time the line was already stretching down the block, with “Orphan Black” fans eager to get inside for a Helena Buffet, Cosima Makeovers, Cloneplay Theater Challenge, and a Clone Yourself booth.
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