‘Roseanne’ Reboot: Pop-Up Lanford Lunch Box To Feature The Conners’ Loose Meat Sandwiches And More

Roseanne fans are about to get a taste of the past via the Conner clan’s favorite cuisine. Just ahead of the premiere of the long-awaited Roseanne revival series, a pop-up version of the ABC sitcom’s famous eatery will pop up during South by Southwest in Austin. A recreation of Roseanne Conner’s iconic Lanford Lunch Box is in the works, and it will take you straight back to 1992.

The SXSW recreation of Roseanne’s Lanford Lunch Box’s menu will include the signature dishes from the Conners’ menu, including Rosie’s famous loose meat sandwiches and the show’s fictional root beer brand, Canoga Beer, according to Eater Austin. In addition, recreations of the show’s living room, kitchen, garage, and more will be featured at the pop culture festival.

During the first two days of the Roseanne pop-up, Roseanne cast members Lecy Goranson (the original Becky Conner), Michael Fishman (the only DJ Conner) and newcomer Emma Kenney (Darlene Conner’s teen daughter on the reboot) will host a meet-and-greet for fans, complete with Roseanne trivia.

Roseanne fans may recall that Roseanne Conner (Roseanne Barr) started her career in the food service business when she got a job as a waitress at the luncheonette in Rodbell’s department store. When that restaurant closed, Roseanne opened her own eatery with her mom, her sister Jackie (Laurie Metcalf), and former boss, Leon Carp (Martin Mull). The Lanford Lunch Box was so popular that General Hospital lovebirds Luke and Laura (Anthony Geary, Genie Francis) even stopped by during one memorable episode.

In real life, Roseanne Barr had her own lunchbox. Three years after they married, Barr and then-husband Tom Arnold opened Roseanne and Tom’s Big Food Diner in Eldon, Iowa, near Arnold’s hometown. The menu featured many of the same items as the fictional Lanford Lunch Box, including those famous loose meat sandwiches. The loose meat lunch sandwich is a concoction of crumbled, fried ground beef with seasoning and liquid cheese, served on a white hamburger bun.

In a 1993 interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Tom Arnold admitted the signature sandwich, which sold for $1.95, wasn’t exactly a healthy menu item.

”Oh yeah, it’s horrible for you—but people seem to like it,” Arnold said at the time.

Roseanne Barr explained that she wanted to serve “real” food at her restaurant.

”We don’t go for having three string beans carved into a swan for the main course. We want real food,” the Roseanne star said.

Twenty-five years later, Roseanne fans can try some of that real food. The Roseanne pop-up will take place Saturday, March 10 through Monday, March 12, Garden at 1209 East 6th Street in Austin, Texas from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

The nine-episode Roseanne reboot premieres on Tuesday, March 27 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.