While we were asleep last night, a Melbourne, Australia bar set up its Frogger arcade machine.
Now, the George Costanza-themed watering hole is complete.
George's Bar, a bar that celebrates everything about the Seinfeld character, recently opened with Costanza-esque memorabilia adorned on the walls and a menu that includes the Art Vandelay sandwich.
"The bar pays tribute to Costanza without trying to recreate a scene or anything," co-owner David Barrett said in an email. "We are a solid bar offering and not a theme-park ride."
But it's undeniably George. Riffing off the Independent George and Relationship George bit, maybe it should be named Bar George.
Located in a hip part of Melbourne, the walls at George's Bar are full of photos of George and quotes such as "It's not a lie if you believe it." It's gotten international attention and has a Facebook page with more than 14,000 followers. The Frogger arcade machine is a tribute to George's obsession with the 1980s game.
Even George himself -- well, actor Jason Alexander, who swept through Fort Worth with his one-man variety show a few weeks ago -- endorses the joint.
That's right - I may not have an Emmy, but I got me a bar in Melbourne, Australia. G'day, mates.
— jason alexander (@IJasonAlexander) January 1, 2016
George Costanza is not the first fictional character to have a theme bar. Last month, Stay Classy, a tribute to Will Ferrell's Ron Burgundy character from the movie Anchorman, opened in New York (the holiday party included Boozy Santa and the Angry Elves).
Barrett took time from preparing toasties and George Costanza sandwiches to talk about his new business.
Q: Where does this idea come from?
A: "My wife and I came up with the name George's, which is also her father's name. Then we came up with some marketing ideas based around people named George, George Costanza being the main one because we love the show and his character in particular."
Q: Is Seinfeld big in Australia? Do people get the all the inside jokes of living in New York?
A: "Yeah, it was and still is a huge show here. I think we probably miss a few of the jokes, but there's a lot of similarities I think between the Melbourne and the New York personality."
Q: What would happen if George Costanza dropped in? What would he get?
A: "We'd be very excited, and it'd be our shout (Aussie slang for 'on the house')."
Q: Is there a booth like where George, Elaine, Jerry and Kramer gathered to talk about nothing?
A: "There are a few booths and they are definitely great gathering spots or a table to sleep under."
Q: What if this concept doesn't work? What's the threshold of how far you're taking this?
A: "If it doesn't pan out you could be looking at the first George Lopez bar."
