Jeff Houck

The Tampa Tribune’s food writer since 2005, Jeff Houck covers the way people live through their food. He also hosts the Table Conversations food podcast and believes that everything crunchy is good.

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Five Memorable Food Mascots [We Are Suckers For Anthropomorphic Foodstuffs]

Posted Aug 30, 2011 by Jeff Houck

Updated Aug 30, 2011 at 03:29 PM

If you’re like me, your dining choices are frequently decided by which restaurant has the coolest sign or best eye-catching mascot.

Call it a character flaw, if you must. Perhaps it’s due to years of formative childhood eating with The King, The Clown and The Colonel that I remain susceptible to mascot charms.

Regardless, a cool logo goes a long way to drawing customers to your establishment. Here are a few of my favorites from around the Tampa Bay area.

1. Hooters

All discussion of local food mascots begins and ends with this delightfully tacky yet unrefined bird of prey with the undilated pupils. Hate this middle school double entendre all you want for being misogynistic, but the icon remains immediately recognizable 28 years after its debut. And, since the chain originated in Clearwater, Hootie the owl is Tampa Bay’s most indelible contribution to our nation’s bewb-joke culture. You’re welcome, America!

2. Taco Bueno

There’s something sweet about this Dover restaurant’s logo. Then again, I have a soft spot for excitable, anthropomorphic Mexican foodstuffs with facial hair, tortilla freckles and ill-fitting work boots. That he’s also playing maracas while wearing a modesty enhancing sarape only adds to this delicious, sombrero-bearing amigo’s charm. Although it would be sad to end our friendship in such a way, I would eat him without hesitation.

3. Cupcake Spot

Cuppy D. Cake has a bit of a retro, let’s-all-go-to-the-lobby-and-get-ourselves-a-treat vibe in this logo for the cupcake bakeries in south Tampa and downtown St. Petersburg. (What does the D stand for? I’ll let you decide.) Never underestimate the power of a baked good with T. rex-length arms, bedroom slippers and puppy dog eyes to make you hungry for a decadent sweet treat. .

4. Buddy Brew

This intimate south Tampa coffee shop is festooned with a caricature of the owners’ dog, Buddy. On days when I’ve slurped too much caffeine, I sometimes imagine what message the wry, James Franco-like look on the dog’s face is trying to convey. My best guess: “Would you prefer I lay on your pillow or your toothbrush?” I really should dilute my next cup of Ethiopian Harrar.

5. Babe’s Pizza

An institution in Brandon for decades, this barn-sized neighborhood pizza joint is best known for its spectacular double-decker pie. The not so subtle message: THE BEST TOPPING YOUR PIZZA COULD HAVE WOULD BE ANOTHER ONE OF OUR PIZZAS. I’ve always been haunted, though, by the image of the teething infant hoisting the pie on signs facing the restaurant’s parking lot. It’s a little too Danny DeVito in Depends for my liking. Here’s hoping E*Trade doesn’t get any wild ideas for their next campaign.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Green Iguana Bar & Grill

Big John’s Alabama B-B-Q

Holy Hog Barbecue