Pot Luck Diner
Origins According to the Company Napkin
Following his tenth gastrointestinal problem originating from poorly-prepared restaurant food, Walter Marcus Whittaker resolved to take action and open an eatery where everyone could be assured of a good, hygienic meal. Unfortunately for Walter, two difficulties stood between him and his dream: first, he wanted to "bring the restaurant home"—his instinct told him that everyone enjoys home cooking, but the flavor and feel is always lost when meals are prepared at eating establishments. To preserve the home taste, Walter knew he'd have to somehow find a way to fix the food at home and then bring it to the restaurant for serving. The second problem facing Walter was his total lack of money, financial sense, business experience, or any culinary skill beyond the production of charcoal briquettes. It did not take long for Walter's unique brilliance to provide a solution that would not only resolve these issues, but also inspire the name for his business: he would establish the world's first diner where customers cooked and brought their own food.
Shrewdly, Walter immediately recognized a potential pitfall with his innovative idea: while people would easily and voluntarily arrive with meals suitable for others to eat, there was the very real potential for customers to provide food that was poorly made, composed of bad ingredients, or cooked unhygienically. Walter's unrelenting genius sprung to action again resulting in the priority one health mandate of the Pot Luck Diner: all food presented by a customer is subject to a random sampling by said customer (no exceptions allowed).
So appealing was Walter's venture that the Pot Luck Diner has become a global venture—in each of our 64 enjoyment locations, a distinct culinary experience is brought to over 200 people every day.
Origins According to Historical Fact
Walter Marcus Whittaker[1] suffered[2] severe[3] paranoia[4] and[5] would always[6] make people[7] taste the food they offered him before he would eat it.[8] Eventually convinced that even this was inadequate, he demanded that they consume a portion he randomly selected before he'd even smell the aroma.[9] Walter Marcus Whittaker quickly lost nearly all his friends and, more importantly, stopped receiving invitations to free dinners.[10] Then he met Nelson Ronald Slate—a congenial, well-dressed, honest-looking confidence trickster. Nelson saw Walter as an easy mark and thought he'd be able to bilk loads of money from him by convincing Whittaker that his fastidiousness provided the precise element required to turn Nelson's diner idea into an overwhelmingly successful reality.[11] So, Nelson sold the exclusive rights of the potluck diner idea to Walter and headed off from the town immensely proud of his con. Yet Nelson severely overestimated Walter Marcus Whittaker's intelligence, as well as that of the entire population—it wasn't long before the Pot Luck Diner became a huge franchise and Walter Marcus Whittaker's intellectual rights' purchase more than made up for itself.[12]
Company Slogans
The Pot Luck Diner: We Serve What You Make!
No Menus. No Cooks. Only Authentic Home-cooked Meals!
Bibliography
[1] Yes that is his real name.
[2] He would disagree on this point.
[3] And this one too.
[4] A condition common to crazy people. See, for example, Walter Marcus Whittaker.
[5] A conjunction in its proper function.
[6] Well, there was one time when he didn't.
[7] The other creatures walking around that resemble your form but refuse to talk to you or even look you in the eye. No, they are not a product of your imagination—they really exist and just don't like you.
[8] Numerous first-hand accounts are available from various correspondences of Katrine Denton, Steve Foghorn, Barry Horker, Greg Martin, Rachel Meyer, James Milton, Emme Muhmon, Jimmy Planton, Sylvester Styles, Tom Wallace, and Sylvia Wonton.
[9] Numerous first and second hand accounts are available from Katrine Denton, Steve Foghorn, Barry Horker, Greg Martin, Rachel Meyer, James Milton, Emme Muhmon, Jimmy Planton, Sylvester Styles, Tom Wallace, and Sylvia Wonton.
[10] If even tangentially asked, Katrine Denton, Steve Foghorn, Barry Horker, Greg Martin, Rachel Meyer, James Milton, Emme Muhmon, Jimmy Planton, Sylvester Styles, Tom Wallace, and Sylvia Wonton will gladly supply the exact date and time each of them decided to stop inviting Walter over to dinner. Yes, they are still very bitter about the whole thing.
[11] How Human Stupidity Conned the Conman: the Memoirs of Nelson Ronald Slate, Nelson Ronald Slate, Prison Press, St. John's Penitentiary.
[12] "The Restaurant without a Cook", Modern Food and Business Journal, Volume 42, p24.
Information Entered On: 2008-10-25