If a 7.8 earthquake happened during lunch time, most of us would forget about food and run for our lives, but at the Disaster Café, in Lloret de Mar, Spain, quakes happen all the time, and all you can do is try to keep your balance and hope drinks don’t get spilled.
Normally, people are terrified of earthquakes, but at the Disaster Café, people actually pay to experience a simulated 7.8 quake while they enjoy a tasty meal. I’ve never been, but according to online customer reviews, the place is so popular you actually need to make reservations in advance, in order to be get a table. I guess people’s appetite for disaster is stronger than I thought.
From the outside, the Disaster Café looks very ordinary and certainly doesn’t show any real warnings about what goes on inside. As you enter, you realize the ground level is an alien-themed restaurant for kids, decorated as a spaceship. During the weekends, little ones can enjoy a show with wacky aliens and lots of fun activities, but for the grown ups, the fun stuff happens below ground. An elevator takes thrill-seeking customers to “the depths of the Earth”, where they’re be seated in a cave-like restaurant. The first odd thing you’ll notice is the staff wearing construction helmets and other safety equipment, then when the food comes, you’ll realize that, for some reason, dishes are a lot heavier than normal. Something is definitely going on, but you’re not going to waste time thinking about it with all that delicious food waiting to be devoured. And then it happens…
You always have to be on your toes at Disaster Café, because you never know when disaster strikes. Here, it’s always in the form of a simulated 7.8 earthquake that shakes the place up pretty good. Lights start to go out, women begin screaming, chairs, tables and pretty much everything in the room starts moving and there’s nothing you can do but wait it out and hope for the best. Unlike during natural quakes of this magnitude, there are never any serious injuries at Disaster Café. In fact all you have to remember is not to wear you’re finest outfit, because spilled drinks and food are very common here. The heavy dishes will stop your meal from flying off the table, but accidents do happen quite often.
You’ll be too scared to savor it, waiting for the tremor, but the food at Disaster Café is apparently pretty good and if you throw in the unforgettable adrenalin rush, this place is definitely worth a visit the next time you’re in Costa Brava, Spain.
