Famous Food

Sizzler's fallen victim to COVID-19 -- the pandemic is forcing the joint to file for bankruptcy in what could be a bad omen for lots of chain restaurants.

One of the country's first casual restaurant chains has filed for Chapter 11 ... forcing 14 company-owned restaurants to close their doors as they struggle to pay rent during the pandemic. Dozens of other locations -- including more than 90 franchised restaurants in America -- are not part of the bankruptcy plan.

Chris Perkins, Sizzler USA's president, said, "Our current financial state is a direct consequence of the pandemic's economic impact due to long-term indoor dining closures and landlords' refusal to provide necessary rent abatements. The hope, Perkins added, is for the company to exit bankruptcy in about 120 days and re-open the locations.

Sizzler started 62 years ago in Culver City, CA with $50 in the cash register. Del and Helen Johnson opened it as "Sizzler Family Steak House." Back then ... Sizzler's steak ran you a cool 99 cents. The good 'ol days, eh?

Sizzler is one of many large companies that have been forced into bankruptcy during the pandemic. J.C. Penny and Neiman Marcus have previously filed for Chapter 11.

Folks are coming up with super creative ways to have a safe and socially distanced Halloween ... like this zipline ghost that's giving out candy, and beers!!!

Ya gotta see this contraption and how it all works ... there's a homemade ghost on a hangar, attached to a zipline and powered by a little bit of gravity and some fishing equipment, and it ferries candy from the front porch to the sidewalk.

No doorbells, no knocks, and no close-quarters contact needed!

Matt Thompson at Thompson Woodworks in Garden City, MI is the man who made it all happen ... and we gotta say, his contraption is pretty ingenious.

It looks like a fun way to get those cute trick-or-treaters some candy, and special props to Matt for hooking up parents up with some light beers -- great use of the DIY Halloween tech!

Add in the rod and reel to bring the ghost back to base for a refill, and you get this reel-y good idea.

Roy Jones Jr., listen up ... here's some sage boxing advice from Rocky himself -- DON'T GET HIT BY MIKE TYSON!!!!

TMZ Sports got Sylvester Stallone leaving Fia in Santa Monica this week ... and when we asked about RJJ's chances in his November exhibition with Iron Mike -- Sly didn't love them.

In fact, Stallone seemed straight-up concerned for Roy!!!

"Well, let's put it this way," Stallone said. "What do you think is going to work? A 22 against a 45???"

Sly added, "Roy Jones is a great, great fighter, but it's just a matter of physics."

Stallone says his advice for Roy when it comes to hanging with Mike in the ring is simple ... "Keep moving!"

"You're talking about, I mean -- everyone knows it. Mike Tyson is a wrecking ball."

The fight is scheduled for Nov. 28 ... and, if you're listening to Sly, that means there's still plenty of time for Roy to not go through with this!!

Here's the "Even Stevens" reunion we've all been waiting for ... Ren Stevens is back, and she's bringing along her trusty sidekick Beans!!!

The "Even Stevens" reunion 17 years in the making went down on Christy Carlson Romano's YouTube series, "Christy's Kitchen Throwback," and she's got a lot of catching up to do with Steven Anthony Lawrence.

Steven, best known for playing fan-favorite and Shia LaBeouf's on-screen pal Beans, has largely remained out of the public eye since the hit Disney Channel show ended way back in 2003, and ya gotta see how Beans looks these days!

As you know, Steven's character was famous for his love of bacon on the show ... but he tells Christy he didn't eat bacon for 3 months after filming wrapped, and he even dealt with nightmares, cold sweats and traumatic experiences just from swine.

Fortunately, Steven's gotten over his bacon issues and is back to eating the best part of the pig. This is Beans we're talking about, after all!!!

It's pretty cool ... Steven also explains how Beans went from a potential one-episode guest star to a series regular and cult favorite ... who Christy credits with saving the show!

Christy and Steven also chop it up in the kitchen on potential future projects ... how does an "Even Stevens" spinoff sound?!?

If that's not enough ... wait till you hear Steven's pitch for Beans on 'The Bachelor.'

Holy cow, it's National Cheeseburger Day!!!

No matter how rich, famous, popular or attractive celebrities are, they still like to chow down like the rest of us ... just maybe not as much as the rest of us.

From actors like Sarah Hyland, Tyler Posey, Debby Ryan, Jesse Metcalfe, Tara Reid and Zoe Kravitz to supermodels like Josephine Skriver and Olivia Culpo -- and even a world-famous crooner like John Legend -- these celebs have no problem getting cheesy.

This might not be the kind of celebrity beef that fuels the headlines ... but it'll certainly fuel your appetite.

A pizza delivery man got a double whammy -- getting fired over his Black Lives Matter mask and then getting cited by cops over what happened when he was fired.

The incident went down in Milwaukee, where Patrick McVey says he got fired for wearing his BLM mask while delivering for Rosati's. Patrick, who is white, got pulled outside for a chat with the joint's owner, who told him the rules -- no politics, no religion and no cursing.

In the video, the owner says, for him, the BLM mask intersects with politics -- and he tells Patrick it's far too controversial to wear while making deliveries.

The September 10 exchange was actually pretty calm up until the owner asked Patrick, "Will you adhere to my rules or not?" When Patrick replied, "No," the owner said he's fired and turned to walk back inside. That's when he realized Patrick was recording him with his phone ... and the owner wasn't having it.

He lunged at Patrick and grabbed his phone -- but you can hear Patrick get pissed off, saying call the cops.

Travis Scott's getting dinged for the rowdy gathering at a Mickey D's over his new $6 meal ... but he won't have to pay much more than that to get out of trouble.

Both the rapper and the McDonald's location in Downey, CA have been cited by the city over a whole slew of fans showing up at the fast-food joint last week for the launch of his new meal ... because they didn't have permits.

According to the tickets, obtained by TMZ, Travis failed to obtain an event permit for a crowd over 200 people before he showed up to greet fans who were waiting in line to try his Cactus Jack meal. He also allegedly failed to get a permit to film.

Both citations come with $100 fines, so he's gotta pony up $200 to Downey to square up ... same goes for McDonald's.

As we reported ... Travis showed up to celebrate the launch of his new meal and got mobbed by fans -- many who were maskless and not social distancing -- and had to run for cover.

A spokesperson for Downey tells us cops reported about 500 people in attendance, and the PD dispatched several units to make sure the large crowd stayed safe.

We're told there were no injuries and it doesn't seem like any arrests either, so the only McDamage is to Travis' and Ronald McDonald's wallet ... but it ain't much.

BTW -- Scott getting his very own McDonald's meal is a pretty big deal ... he's the first celeb to have one since Michael Jordan back in 1992.

Order the Cactus Jack $6 deal and you'll get a Quarter Pounder with cheese, bacon, lettuce, pickles, ketchup and mustard ... medium fries with BBQ sauce ... and a Sprite.

It's the nickname born from a strip club chicken wing scandal -- "Lemon Pepper Lou" -- and now Lou Williams says he's trying to lock up the trademark.

The L.A. Clippers star says he's already tasked his lawyer to file for the rights to the nickname ... claiming if anyone should profit from the scandal, it should be him!!!

Remember, Lou was busted at the legendary Magic City strip club in ATL back in July while on an approved leave from the NBA Bubble to attend a memorial service.

He was specifically instructed to stay out of crowded areas due to the COVID pandemic -- but Lou had a hankering for MC's famous lemon pepper wings ... and made a pit stop at the club for some takeout.

Williams tried to keep a low profile, but rapper Jack Harlow accidentally dimed Williams out on IG ... which led to a mandatory 10-day quarantine when Lou finally returned to the bubble.

Social media went crazy over the story -- with everyone referring to Williams as "Lemon Pepper Lou."

But, Williams ain't mad about the jokes -- he's trying to MONETIZE! He immediately called his lawyer and ordered him to try and lock up the trademark for LPL, stat!

The whole trademark process can take a while -- but Lou says it's already begun ... and he's already cracking jokes about it.

"Ya'll make jokes and t shirts but it's gonna cost ya lol," Williams said on IG ... "Yep. First time I've owned a joke lol."

Gotta love the business savvy -- maybe a line of chicken wings next?

Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson just came through in the clutch for each other's cities ... by donating meals to frontline workers in KC and Houston before facing off in the NFL season opener.

The Chiefs and Texans are set to kick-off the 2020 campaign Thursday night ... and the 2 quarterbacks decided to help their opposing team's city by sending some local grub to those battling the pandemic.

The reigning Super Bowl MVP decided to send some grub from Cool Runnings Jamaican Grill -- a Black-owned restaurant in Houston -- to workers at Harris Health System via Postmates.

Watson returned the favor by hooking up workers at the Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City with meals from Niecie's Restaurant, a local Black-owned soul food joint.

Let's not forget -- the last time these guys faced off on the field, the Texans blew a 24-0 lead in the divisional round of the playoffs as the Chiefs went on to win, 51-31 ... eventually winning the Super Bowl.

The guy who helped invent Jelly Belly jelly beans is going full Gene Wilder in these dark times -- promising to give one lucky person their own candy factory if they play his game.

David Klein has kicked off a Willy Wonka-esque treasure hunt that's open to anyone in these 50 states, and he's got the ultimate grand prize ... a professional shop to churn out treats.

Klein explained some of the parameters of the contest Tuesday on "TMZ Live" where he also said that whoever wins the whole enchilada -- one of his actual operating candy factories -- will also get candy-making lessons in a university setting ... plus, his own expertise in running the biz.

There's one catch ... in order to play, ya gotta pay $50 and you're automatically entered into the ultimate factory lottery. As for the hunt itself, yes, there is a "gold ticket" component involved, and if you find it in your state ... you'll win $5,000 guaranteed.

The details are probably best explained by DK himself from the site he launched just for this new venture.

As for why he's doing it, Dave says it's his way of helping people get their minds off all the turmoil in the country.

Sure, we'll take a little sugar high for now. Why not?!

Travis Scott's latest food delivery can be summed up with one simple phrase -- he's lovin' it.

The rapper's still riding a McDonald's high after the launch of his very own meal at the fast-food chain, making him the first celeb to have one of those since a guy named Michael Jordan back in 1992.

Travis had bags of the grub and sodas delivered to his West Hollywood office Tuesday, and ya gotta think there's more than one Travis Scott Meal in there ... a $6 deal that comes with a Quarter Pounder with cheese, bacon, lettuce, pickles, ketchup and mustard, medium fries with BBQ sauce and a Sprite.

Scott was also sporting his own Cactus Jack-themed Mickey D's shirt as he hopped in his red, $3 million LaFerrari sports car and took off.

As we reported ... the rapper got mobbed by fans at a McDonald's in Downey, CA Tuesday when he showed up to show them some love for waiting in line to try his new meal.

Travis Scott made a McDonald's look like one of his concerts ... he got mobbed by a huge throng of fans waiting in line to get his new fast food combo meal.

The rapper stopped by a Mickey D's in Downey, CA Tuesday to celebrate the release of the Travis Scott Meal, and ya gotta see the video -- people went absolutely bonkers.

Travis left his red sports car and grabbed a McDonald's employee's shirt on his way over to the huge line of people, but folks broke past the barricades and swarmed ... sending TS running for cover.

In a split second, social distancing and mask-wearing went out the window ... and all Travis did was show up and show love.

Maybe Cactus Jack's combo meal can calm these folks down ... it comes with a Quarter Pounder with cheese topped with bacon and lettuce, plus medium fries with barbecue dipping sauce and a Sprite.

BTW ... Travis is the first celeb to get his name on a McDonald's meal since Michael Jordan and the McJordan burger way back in 1992 ... no wonder fans are making such a big fuss.

Wiz Khalifa says don't be fooled by the marijuana-inspired menu for his upcoming delivery-only restaurant chain ... because you don't have to light up to bite down on this food.

We got the rapper leaving Mr. Chow in Bev Hills and our camera guy asked him the hard-hitting question about his new restaurant venture, "HotBox by Wiz" -- namely, is it a stoners only establishment??

'HotBox' is definitely catering to the cannabis crowd ... with a "top-shelf munchie menu" featuring burnt ends rebranded as "blazed ends" and a "mile-high dark chocolate brownie."

However, Wiz told us you don't have to smoke weed to place an order -- it's for everyone, whether you're stone-cold sober or blazed outta your mind. There is one requirement though ... ya just gotta be hungry.

The virtual restaurant venture is scheduled to start delivering Oct. 1 in Chicago, Houston, L.A. and New York City ... and Wiz tells us what he's looking forward to ordering.

Safe bet he'll blaze up beforehand ... but no peer pressure for the rest of you!

This pooch went from not lovin' it to REALLY lovin' it ... and all it took was a little Heinz-sight.

Let's face it ... McDonald's has some of the best french fries out there in fast food land, but plain 'ol fries aren't cutting it for this German Shepard mix. The K-9 turns its nose on the naked fry.

But then ... the owner ups the game with the condiment of choice -- ketchup. The dog attacks the partially red target ... gobbling it up with no reservations.

We got to wondering ... is this a good advertisement for Mickey D's? Humans dig fries even without ketchup, but we're guessing the majority of dog owners prefer their fries with the red stuff.

If you don't think people's nerves have been frayed during the pandemic, check out this scene from Dunkin' Donuts.

An enraged customer swung the front door open as she charged in the donut shop, demanding answers from an employee she claims threw a bag at her friend in the drive-thru.

As she screams at the employee, he implores her to stop speaking to him like that. He gets emotional as he walks away, and then the customer sets her sights on another employee, demanding that the employee in question gets fired.

The woman claims when she and her friend went through the drive-thru, the employee got their order wrong, so they drove back to get it done right. The woman says the employee threw the bag at her friend's head.

The manager at DD asked the 2 women to return the next day. He told them the employee was having a bad day and, coincidentally, it was his last day on the job. The manager said the employee was not fired ... Friday was going to be his last day even before the incident.

As Dr. Seuss might say ... this owl made him howl, and it's all because of the owl's bowels.

This dude probably thought he had one cool video to post on Instagram after someone with a pet owl popped into the restaurant where he was eating. The owl somehow ends up on his head, which amuses him to no end. And, speaking of ends, he didn't know what was coming.