A fictional pizzeria from a popular video game and film series will soon open its first permanent real-life location.
Long before releasing two film adaptations, Five Nights at Freddy’s was a multi-installment video game series. The games typically follow a night guard at a fictional pizzeria franchise called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. Players are tasked with surviving the night, from midnight to 6 a.m., while navigating attacks from spooky animatronic characters.
Scott Cawthon, the FNAF creator, released the first installment in 2014, followed by 10 more games, with the most recent, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic, releasing in 2025.
The franchise became immensely popular, particularly with Gen Z, inspiring songs, endless hours of fan-made content, cosplay, and eventually two film adaptations.
Now, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria is opening a real-life location at American Dream Mall, and diners will be immersed directly into the world of Five Nights at Freddy’s.
The quick-service pizzeria will feature two animatronic stages, according to Variety. The main stage will feature performances from Freddy and the Fazbear Band, while the second stage, called Pirate Cove, is home to Foxy the Pirate.
Fans of the series can expect pizza, arcade games, and even immersive survival experiences based directly on the games’ central objective.
“The only way this experience succeeds is if it’s created by a team that knows Five Nights at Freddy’s inside and out,” Atreyu Alcantar, American Dream’s creative manager, told Patch in an interview. “The animatronic show has to be authentic. The food has to be high quality. We’re not building a set that looks like Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, we’re building Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. This experience will immerse longtime fans in the world they’ve imagined for years.”
Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria is expected to open sometime next year. It will be the first immersive restaurant experience based on the franchise.
Five Nights at Freddy’s fans will soon be able to interact with the franchise in a real-life setting, and get a taste of that Fazbear’s pizza they’ve heard so much about.
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
