Roku Serves Up Nostalgia and Celebrity Fun with Chain, B.J. Novak and Michelin-Starred Chef Tim Hollingsworth's Dining Phenomenon

Sixty-minute special to stream for free on The Roku Channel

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Jan. 10, 2024 - Today, Roku, the #1 TV streaming platform in the U.S.*, announced plans for a new Roku Original special about ChainFEST, the world's first gourmet chain food festival from the immersive dining phenomenon Chain, founded by actor-writer B.J. Novak and Michelin-starred chef Tim Hollingsworth. The as-yet-untitled special will invite viewers behind the scenes at Chain's Test Kitchen as Chef Tim, joined by a group of famous friends and foodies, prepares for ChainFEST. The announcement comes on the heels of the sold-out and star-studded three-day festival in Los Angeles.

What the diner was to Americans in the '60s, chain restaurants are for Americans today. This 60-minute Roku Original special taps into the deep well of multigenerational nostalgia for fast casual cuisine and culture in fun and humorous ways, featuring a wild group of celebrity guests tasting and dishing on each of the featured menu items, repping their love and fandom for their favorite chain dishes. The special will showcase how one of the most celebrated chefs in America, Tim Hollingsworth, has carefully crafted these exquisite, brand-new menu items in partnership with the world's most recognizable and nostalgia-inducing food and beverage brands: Chili's(R) Grill and Bar, Dunkin'(R), Jack in the Box(TM), Panda Express(R), Pepsi(TM), Pizza Hut(R), Red Robin(R), SONIC(R) Drive-In, Captain Morgan, and Smirnoff.

"The Chain team has brilliantly curated the ultimate foodie experience that is as new and exciting as it is emotive and nostalgic for both diners and the brands it highlights," said David Eilenberg, Head of Content, Roku Media. "We're thrilled to kick off our inaugural project with Chain and look forward expanding the reach of this unique and fun concept by giving millions of streamers across the country the opportunity to immerse themselves in this one-of-kind experience on The Roku Channel."

"We love chains. And it's not just their playful trademarked dishes or silly mascots that we love, it's that they have deep emotional resonance with hundreds of millions of people, across generations, across backgrounds. It's some of the most beloved and delicious IP there is," said B.J. Novak, Founder of Chain.

The special is produced by Chain and is executive produced by Chain co-founders Jack Davis and Nicholas Kraft. Michael Rucker serves as showrunner and executive producer. Olivia LaRoche oversees the project on behalf of Roku Originals.

Chain began as a labor of love, with Chef Tim Hollingsworth cooking up one-of-a-kind gourmet homages to childhood favorites in a parking lot, and quickly grew into a phenomenon.

Co-founded by actor-writer B.J. Novak and Hollingsworth, producer and entrepreneur Jack Davis, producer Nicholas Kraft, talent manager Byron Ashley, and entrepreneur Abe Burns, Chain's instantly sold-out drops and festival in collaboration with the biggest chain restaurants are a testament to just how much love there is for chain culture, and of course, Chef Tim's insanely delicious creations. Chain reinvents the classics for modern palates and expectations without forgetting what made them so beloved in the first place.

The upcoming untitled Chain project joins Roku's growing slate of Roku Originals, including "The Spiderwick Chronicles," "Honest Renovations," "Morimoto's Sushi Master," "The Great American Baking Show," "Die Hart 2: Die Harter," "Meet Me in Paris," "WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story," and more. From award-winning scripted entertainment and engaging documentaries to new breakout unscripted series, Roku Originals gives viewers free access to bold, fresh entertainment from the biggest names in Hollywood.

Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel is the home of free and premium entertainment on the Roku platform. In Q4 2022, The Roku Channel reached U.S. households with an estimated 100 million people. The Roku Channel is a top-five channel on the Roku platform by active account reach and streaming hour engagement (Q3 2023). Today, The Roku Channel features a diverse lineup of more than 80,000 free movies and programs and more than 400 free live linear television channels in the U.S. It licenses and distributes content from more than 250 partners.

*By hours streamed (Hypothesis Group: Q4 2023)

About Roku

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