
Hulk Hogan has lived a life like a king and never feared what might happen to him. He was one of the brightest and legendary wrestling stars this world could ever have. However, leaving his family and fans behind, the Hulkster passed away on July 24, 2025. Apart from being on the cover pages of various magazines and featuring in movies, he had also opened a fast-food pasta restaurant – Hulk Hogan Pastamania.
But despite having a prime location for the restaurant, and him being the face of the place, it didn’t have a successful run. Many might have even forgotten about his restaurant as well as it shut down within a year of its opening. Do you know why it failed miserably? Scroll ahead to read.
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Why Hulk Hogan’s Pastamania Didn’t Work Out?
Hulk Hogan launched Pastamania on Memorial Day in 1995. Located in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, the restaurant was opened to boost the energy of the guests who would come to the mall to shop. It opened with one-liners and many Hogan-themed outfits and even saw special appearances from Macho Man Randy Savage and Hogan.
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Given the name, the restaurant mainly served Italian-themed dishes, including mix-and-match pastas with complimentary bread and salad, international pastas like Swedish meatballs and beef stroganoff, and restaurant special dishes like Hulk’s Power Pasta and chicken marinara. It also featured a kids’ menu that had Hulkaroni and cheese, cheeseburger pasta, and Hulkios.
Despite such efforts, the restaurant’s shelf life was short-lived. Although the exact date of closing is unknown, it shut down almost within a year of its opening. It seemed like the food quality wasn’t up to the mark, and even the fast food and Italian combination didn’t work out. One Reddit user once commented about the food quality after trying it and wrote that the food felt like “reheated three-day-old chef boyardee.”
say what you will about Hulk Hogan, but I’ve always found this photo of a derelict Pastamania—the Hulkster’s short lived dough-and-sauce eatery—quite moving. pic.twitter.com/8H5T5ifHvZ
— john (@johnsemley3000) July 24, 2025
Hulk Hogan’s Other Restaurant Ventures After Pastamania
After Pastamania failed miserably, Hulk Hogan didn’t let go of his desire to be the owner of a restaurant. He opened another diner named Hogan’s Beach in 2012. Located in Florida, the eatery soon attracted a lot of people, and as soon as the business started to grow, it got entangled in a controversy around a racist dress code, as per Daily Meal. This led to the rebranding of the restaurant a few years later. Although Pastamania is not available anymore, if you want to experience Hogan’s legacy in the food business, you can try Hogan’s Hangout, which still serves food in Clearwater, Florida.
The idea of Pastamania was quite unique and ambitious, but it lacked a lot of points. Be it the food quality, the marketing, or even the branding, nothing seemed to have worked out for the restaurant. While Hulk Hogan will always be remembered as one of the legendary wrestlers, even after his death, his venture in the food business might stay forgotten.
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