Working in restaurants is chaotic, exhausting, and endlessly fascinating. And these restaurant movies and TV shows capture it all.
From high-pressure kitchens to family-run diners, our Back of House staff share their favorite films and series that highlight the intensity, creativity, and camaraderie of restaurant life.
Some are moving, some hilarious, and some just perfectly bring to life the madness of the restaurant world.
Here are our top 11 picks (too many great ones out there to pick just 10!).
11. Somebody Feed Phil (2018–present)
Dan Durkin: I really like the Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil. Phil is a radically un-hip host, whose love of food and excitement at meeting different people making food around the world is so… heartwarming?
10. Black Rabbit (2025)
Dave Smith: I watched this new series recently on Netflix and the whole story revolves around a restaurant called Black Rabbit. I liked Jason Bateman from Ozarks and think he also did a great job here with the writing and acting.
9. Drops of God (2023)
Dan Durkin: This TV show is not really restaurant specific, but definitely restaurant-adjacent. It's an adaptation from a manga about a girl working in a restaurant in Japan and discovering a love of wine, her journey of discovering as much about the liquid as she can, and there's a really good mystery built into it as well. Apple TV produced the series a couple of years ago and did a great job with it.
8. Ratatouille (2007)
Ashley Dunn: Hands down, Ratatouille. I reference this movie frequently, specifically this scene. I think the movie does an amazing job of personifying how contrasting flavors can create beauty. I am specifically referencing when he eats cheese and strawberry together at the same time, and it goes from being a single note to this beautiful arrangement in his mouth. It emphasizes that food is about storytelling and connections — more than just how many stars you have.
7. Vanderpump Rules (2013–present)
Spencer Michiel: Another series that became ridiculous and unwatchable once success and fame hit, but in the first two seasons, it really captured what it’s like to work in a bar or restaurant. Guests sit in a posh West Hollywood dining room while their server is out back, sitting on a bucket, smoking a cigarette just to get through the next four hours. Then, when the shift finally ends, everyone heads to an impromptu house party at someone’s crappy apartment where romantic relationships all get made and broken.
Hilary Young: Oh Vanderpump Rules is an excellent choice, Spencer! One of the greatest TV shows ever made — I was obsessed. And I loved how trashy it got once they got famous, although there was a real divergence from the roots of the show, which were really about the drama that went on behind the scenes at a trendy West Hollywood restaurant. There was such a juxtaposition between the glitz and glamour at the front of house and the really sad cash-strapped reality of the people working in the back of house. Plus, it gave us Scandoval, which was perhaps the greatest reality TV scandal of all time.
6. Tampopo (1985)
Dan Durkin: Tampopo is great, such a weird movie. It piqued my interest in ramen at a time when I thought it was only something you bought for sustenance while in college. The plot is so absurd and hilarious, but the movie's relationship with food is really well done.
Jocelyn Hoppa: Watching Tampopo is like taking a masterclass in food obsession…with a healthy side of ridiculousness that only a Japanese "ramen western" comedy could deliver.
5. The Menu (2022)
Spencer Michiel: I loved how this movie skewered “foodie” culture in fine dining. The Instagram nerd with zero culinary talent who clings to the industry like a fanboy. The awful critics who wield outsized power over restaurants and abuse it with bias. The finance bros who can afford the tasting menu but don’t have a shred of class, or even basic manners. It’s dark, sharp, and brutally accurate.
Jocelyn Hoppa: It’s a full-on roast of wealth and entitlement. Watching these elite diners get served a heaping helping of humility (I’m thinking of the breadless bread plate course) is undeniably satisfying.
4. Waiting (2005)
Spencer Michiel: Love this movie. Even though it’s a comedy that takes some of the subject matter way too far (I worked in restaurants for years and have never seen anyone disrespect a guest’s food like that), it absolutely nails the culture of working in a restaurant. Especially in a chain spot full of young people who are mostly there for the paycheck but still look out for each other. The pressure of the job creates these unshakable bonds that often turn into lifelong friendships.
Dan Durkin: I second Spencer's thoughts on Waiting, there are some great one-liners that you only pick up on repeated viewings.
3. Chef (2014)
Nick Florek: I saw this at a preview at SXSW where Jon Favreau and the full cast did a Q&A after the movie. So it became a unique memory for me. Beyond that, I was moved by the story of finding one's own passion through trial and perseverance, which I find very relatable! Also the Cuban sandwiches looked amazing and was all I wanted to eat for a while after.
David Wisdom: Chef perfectly captures the passion, chaos, and creativity behind running a food business, from the pressures of the kitchen to the joy of reconnecting with why you started cooking in the first place. It’s authentic, heartwarming, and a reminder that food is as much about people and purpose as it is about flavor.
2. Bob’s Burgers (2011–present)
Dave Tomar: Yes, my favorite show about a restaurant is a cartoon. What can I say? I’m a child. Anyway, Bob’s Burgers is the perfect story of one man’s imperfect dream. He runs a small family business in a faded shore town. His wife Linda runs the counter. His three kids provide incredibly shoddy service. The restaurant struggles financially. But Bob is a good dad, a good husband, and an amazing burger chef. His commitment to his craft, his restaurant, and his family sum up so much of what this industry is about, and why it’s worth the struggle.
Rachel Morgan: I mean, Chef and Burnt are awesome movies and Burnt does a great job of portraying the absolute pressure of being a creative on display. But Bob’s Burgers all day. Life’s too serious, lettuce giggle.
Jocelyn Hoppa: I’ve logged a lot of hours watching this show. Like, a lot.
1. The Bear (2022–present)
Dave Smith: The Bear shows the real gritty, tough, and interesting dynamic of restaurant life and the struggles owners go through to keep the doors open. Having had a lot of those same experiences, it hits close to home.
Spencer Michiel: They yell at each other way too much, but this show has some fantastic moments that capture what it’s really like to work in a kitchen. Seasons 1 and 2 are excellent; they completely lost it with seasons 3 and 4. There’s a great line in season 2 where Carmy describes working in a kitchen, how you’re always behind, never ahead, and your hands are somehow both oily and dry at the same time. So true.
Nick Florek: Of course, can't forget The Bear! Great, moving storyline about family and one that brings the intensity of restaurant life to TV. And being in Chicago, you really can't get away from loving it.
Hilary Young: I also love The Bear. They have produced some of the best episodes of television I've ever seen, including the Christmas Eve episode with Jamie Lee Curtis. They somehow manage to make the viewers feel as anxious and stressed out as the characters. I also really love the quiet moments they highlight — really shining a spotlight on the peaceful parts of loving the food industry, just as much as the chaos. The episode "Forks" made me cry, and the time Marcus spent in Denmark was also a highlight.
Why We Love These Shows and Movies
From the adrenaline of a busy shift to the small, quiet victories that make the job worth it, these movies and shows give a peek behind the scenes of restaurant life.
Some make you laugh, some make you cringe, and some even make you think about your own experiences in the industry.
No matter the story, they all remind us why working in restaurants is as challenging as it is unforgettable.
If you'd like to discuss your restaurant challenges (and tell us your favorite movie?), schedule a consultation with a Back of House technology expert.
Thanks to Jocelyn Hoppa and Dave Tomar, writers; Spencer Michiel, Dan Durkin, Rachel Morgan, and David Wisdom, technology consultants; Nick Florek, Head of Back of House; Dave Smith, Partnership Coordinator; Hilary Young, Head of Marketing; and Ashley Dunn, Senior Marketing Coordinator, for contributing to this countdown.
Photo of Jeremy Allen White in The Bear © 2024, FX Networks. All Rights Reserved.
