Seinfeld’s Surprising Business Shutdowns Caused by the Gang

After countless re-watches of Seinfeld, I can’t help but notice that Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer aren’t exactly paragons of virtue. While they do possess some admirable traits, they are often self-centered and petty, with a talent for causing disagreements and turmoil. They may not have brought as much destruction as the gang from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, but upon recent contemplation, it’s become clear that their actions were instrumental in closing down several businesses.

Frequently happening throughout the entire run of one of television’s finest sitcoms, I’ve designed this piece to underscore an aspect of the Seinfeld saga often overlooked and brimming with humor. Keep it in mind before you next watch the show on Netflix or play a disc from the recently launched 4K UHD edition that became available last December.

The Dream Cafe

To clarify, Babu Bhatt’s Dream Café was not thriving before Jerry took an interest. Intriguingly, it rarely attracted customers, which initially drew Jerry to it. Unfortunately, in “The Café” during Season 3, Jerry proposed a significant change to the café’s menu, offering only Pakistani cuisine. However, this costly adjustment proved unsuccessful, ultimately leading to the business’ downfall.

Frozen Yogurt (Non-Fat Frozen Yogurt Place)

On the sitcom Seinfeld, it’s usually businesses getting closed down due to malice or carelessness. However, the frozen yogurt shop from Season 5’s “The Non-Fat Yogurt” is an exception: it was shut down not by negative actions but through positive intentions aimed at helping the local community. Contrary to what the owner claims, the delicious desserts offered by this establishment actually have a significant amount of fat, and when Jerry and Elaine exposed this deception, all its customers stopped patronizing it.

Pendant Publishing

In essence, Elaine, who is typically more intelligent and prosperous than her peers, often makes wiser choices. However, in Season 5’s “The Opposite,” a turn of events unfavorable to Elaine takes place. While George, a larger, less intellectually gifted man with baldness, begins a new romance and secures a position with the New York Yankees, Elaine unwittingly leads Pendant Publishing towards ruin. Her distraction due to eating Jujyfruits prevents her from informing an unwell Mr. Lippman that he left his handkerchief on her desk. This oversight causes him to miss shaking hands with a crucial Japanese businessman, ultimately leading to the collapse of a deal that could have saved the company.

Hot Soup (The Soup Nazi’s Soup Restaurant)

It’s clear that Elaine’s actions resulting in Pendant Publishing shutting down was unintentional. However, the situation with “The Soup Nazi” restaurant from Season 7, Hot Soup, was quite different. Although she respected the culinary skills of Yev Kassem, his stringent rules and rude behavior were too much for her to handle. Consequently, she took decisive action. With only revenge in mind, she plotted to release all of Hot Soup’s recipes. This prompted the Soup Nazi to close down the restaurant and relocate to Argentina.

Jimmy’s Shoe Business

In “The Jimmy” episode from Season 6, the main character earns his income by privately selling plyometric athletic shoes. However, things take a turn for the worse when he slips on a pool of drool and fractures his leg. Jimmy immediately accuses Kramer (the source of the drool) for the accident. When they cross paths again at a charity event, Jimmy lashes out and hits Kramer in the face. George also gets involved, joining forces with Jimmy, but his poor physical abilities prevent him from convincing potential investors to back their venture.

Play Now

In the TV show Seinfeld, characters like George sometimes express desires for businesses to close, but this isn’t the case with George and Play Now. Despite his conflict with the playground equipment company in Season 9’s “The Voice,” George actually wants them to succeed due to a one-year contract he has with them. However, George’s plan unravels when Kramer and his intern, in an attempt to test a tanker bladder system, throw oil out of a Play Now window. This leads to the company being sued, effectively ruining their business.

Magic Pan Crepes

The idea that all food at a restaurant should be prepared solely by the owner’s family members isn’t a sustainable business strategy, and it wasn’t clear if Magic Pan would continue for long. However, Jerry doesn’t seem to contribute positively to the franchise in Season 8’s “The English Patient.” First, his actions (either real or perceived) lead to Izzy Mandelbaum and his family being hospitalized due to his macho antics. Then, he makes a blunder by proposing that Kramer’s Dominican cigar rollers should take over the crepe-making process, which results in customers getting badly burned from hot fruit squirts.

The Mom And Pop Store

In this specific situation, Kramer deserves quite a bit of recognition: In Season 6’s “The Mom & Pop Store,” he encounters a struggling small business owned by two elderly individuals. Instead of exploiting them, he genuinely tries to boost their situation. He brings in Jerry’s shoes for repair and cleaning, thereby attracting new customers. Moreover, he displays concern when he notices unsafe exposed wires overhead, potentially posing a fire risk. Unfortunately, the repairs turn out to be an unfortunate blend of essential and costly, forcing the store to shut down due to financial strain.

Leapin’ Larry’s Electronics

The majority of businesses featured in this list go under due to actions by Seinfeld characters that undermine their operations; however, Leaping Larry’s Electronics from Season 7’s “The Secret Code” stands out as exceptional. Unlike other companies on the list, it doesn’t face financial collapse; instead, the building is engulfed in flames. The responsibility for this disaster can be attributed to both Jerry and Kramer: Jerry accidentally ignites the fire by spilling paint thinner onto some exposed wires, and Kramer hinders any attempts at rescue when he pursues his dream of driving the rear end of a fire engine sent to extinguish the blaze.

Kenny Rogers’ Roasters

In “The Chicken Roaster” episode of Season 8, things don’t escalate to the point where the entire Kenny Rogers Roasters chain is closed down. However, Jerry’s actions result in the closure of one specific franchise location. Unfortunately for him, his attempt to keep the restaurant open after his old college friend takes over as manager backfires. This happens when Jerry, having just come in from the rain, shakes off a hat containing a rat and spreads nutria fur throughout the establishment. The health board promptly steps in to address the issue.

Frank Costanza’s Computer Business

In Season 9’s “The Serenity Now,” Frank Costanza ran a computer business from his garage in Queens. Despite its humble beginnings, it wasn’t designed to rival big-time retailers. However, George, unintentionally or not, contributed significantly to the business’s downfall. Lloyd Braun shares some of the responsibility as his sales were purely fictional. But George took things a step further by deceitfully purchasing computers himself and forging sales transactions.

Every time I watch Seinfeld (which I do quite frequently), I can’t help but ponder an intriguing thought: Why didn’t any of the businesses they frequently visited ever consider suing Jerry, George, Kramer, or Elaine? This question adds to the long list of mysteries that the show leaves unanswered.

2025-02-26 20:07