By: Edoardo Giribaldi
New York’s “Mehran's Steak House” was never a real restaurant: crafted by a group of young tech workers, the fictitious chophouse drew crowds and legal threats, leaving patrons puzzled and amused.
It all began when Mehran Jalali, a 21-year-old creator of an A.I. startup, got into the habit of cooking steaks for his roommates, who modified their address on Google Maps as Mehran’s Steak House, leaving enthusiastic feedback on the reviews section.
The New York Times recounted how, after a random couple walked into the apartment asking for the famous steak, the group of friends decided to take the joke to another level, creating a website and a waiting list.
The more the demand exponentially increased, the more people composed the restaurant’s phone number, one of Jalali’s roommates, begging for a table, reaffirming New Yorkers’ indisputable dedication to the reservation-hunting practice.
As food critics started inquiring about the respected and yet mysterious chophouse, the group of friends, who, in the meantime, had moved to the West Coast, decided that it was time to bring the restaurant to life as the crowning glory of the prank.
Speaking with the New York Times, Jalali recalled thinking “If more people look into it, the whole thing is going to come down.”
He left nothing to chance, visiting several steakhouses in New York and interrogating waiters about serving logistics.
After renting a space in the East Village, the fake chef called up a bunch of friends to compose an improvised staff offering an apparently upscale menu based on the lifecycle of a cow but, in reality, made up of Target’s steaks.
The New York Post reported on the bizarre selection of pictures on the walls portraying Jalali at the table with celebrities such as John Fitzgerald Kennedy or Marilyn Monroe.
It was the first hint warning that something was not right.
The New York Times reported growing patrons’ skepticism, with one asking, "Is this a social experiment?"
Not everyone was amused by the prank, as one couple threatened to pursue legal action against Jalali and his friends.
However, most of the presents took the prank with philosophy and left Mehran’s Steak House with a smile on their faces.
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