Hulk Hogan passed away on July 24, 2025, but if there’s one thing everybody knew about the wrestling star, it’s that he did everything big and loud. That’s also the best way to describe the opening of his fast food pasta restaurant, Hulk Hogan’s Pastamania. While the location — and its opening — were massive, the restaurant’s run certainly wasn’t, as it shut down after less than a year of operation.
Located in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, Pastamania opened on Memorial Day in 1995, and it aimed to give guests an extra boost of energy while they shopped. Its launch featured appearances from Macho Man Randy Savage and, of course, Hogan himself. The opening ceremony was filled with one-liners and plenty of Hogan-themed outfits.
Unsurprisingly, the restaurant mainly featured Italian-inspired dishes, with options like mix-and-match pastas that came with salad and bread, international pastas like Swedish meatballs and beef stroganoff, and specials like Hulk’s Power Pasta and chicken marinara. There was even a kids’ menu featuring dishes like Hulkaroni and cheese, cheeseburger pasta, and Hulkios. Unfortunately, Pastamania’s run was short-lived, and Hogan became yet another celebrity who tried — and failed — to break into the food world.
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Why Did Pastamania Fail?
Hulk Hogan’s business model, while offbeat, was intriguing, but Pastamania only survived a few short months inside the Mall of America. The exact date of closure is unknown. Unfortunately, Italian cuisine and fast food weren’t an ideal combination. Even though you could get your food delivered anywhere in the mall, the quality wasn’t worth the price. One Reddit user who claims to have eaten there wrote that the food tasted like “reheated three day old chef boyardee.”
Although Pastamania failed, Hogan opened another restaurant in 2012 called Hogan’s Beach. Located in Tampa, Florida, the restaurant reportedly drew in business but soon saw controversy over a potentially racist dress code, prompting the eatery to rebrand a few years later.
The idea for Pastamania was certainly ambitious, but unfortunately, the execution was lacking. Whether the location, food, or marketing were to blame, the establishment couldn’t keep its doors open for very long. While Hogan may go down as one of the most celebrated wrestlers of all time, his pasta venture will be remembered (or forgotten) as one of the biggest celebrity-owned restaurant fails. For restaurant patrons who still want to experience the wrestler’s legacy, however, Hogan’s Hangout remains open in Clearwater, Florida.
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