Babu Bhatt's Storyline On Seinfeld Hasn't Aged Well
Whether one is a casual "Seinfeld" viewer or a diehard fan, it's practically impossible not to know Babu Bhatt (Brian George), the finger-wagging owner of New York's struggling Dream Cafe.
Like many plotlines on the sitcom, this one was inspired by the real-life experience of a show writer. In a behind-the-scenes interview, Tom Leopold recounted how fascinated he was by the Vietnamese restaurateur on his corner. Leopold felt horrible for the man, whose four tables were constantly deserted. "It was a tiny little postage stamp of a restaurant, but his menu was enormous," he said.
This is practically identical to Babu, who serves tacos, rigatoni, turkey, and everything in between, but can't seem to draw in customers. Jerry Seinfeld becomes obsessed with the Dream Cafe's lack of business and takes it upon himself to change that.
Babu's excitement to finally serve somebody is evident as he provides Jerry with a warm towel and fills his water after every sip. Just as they do at the diner, Jerry's friends Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Kramer (Michael Richards) join him, much to Babu's delight. Therefore, when Jerry urges him to narrow down his menu to only serve Pakistani food –- a surefire way to attract more customers –- he happily obliges. However, Babu's hospitable nature disappears after he gives the Dream Cafe an entire overhaul, and there are still no people. He wags his finger at a confused Jerry, calling him a "very bad man."
Despite Season 3, Episode 7 ("The Cafe") being one of the most memorable episodes of "Seinfeld," the story of Babu Bhatt hasn't exactly aged well.
Seinfeld fans have issues with Jerry and Babu alike
At a glimpse, Jerry Seinfeld has good intentions in "The Cafe" when he notices the struggling eatery. However, his inner monologue says otherwise. As Babu Bhatt praises his only customer, Jerry thinks to himself, "I am a kind man. Who else would do something like this? Nobody." He also muses, "I am a great guy. Who else would've gone through the trouble to help this poor immigrant?"
It seems as though Jerry's actions are to make himself feel good, rather than actually help Babu. After all, he becomes obsessed with the restaurant before knowing anything about its owner, who he makes assumptions about. For example, Jerry is convinced that Babu has family back home in Pakistan who are waiting for him to send money, but he can't due to poor business. Additionally, Jerry recommends focusing on Pakistani dishes without even knowing what the food is like.
Over 20 years after its release, "Seinfeld" fans have more thoughts than ever on the Dream Cafe situation. Some take issue with Jerry, an American who really has no business making recommendations about a Pakistani restaurant. U/adamzissou commented,"I think they were playing up how cocky Jerry was being. He was so full of himself but they needed a way to show the reality of his suggestions." On the other hand, some feel Babu acted too quickly on Jerry's advice. U/Ancalagon523 said, "Babu Bhatt was an idiot with no intuition for business who refused to take responsibility for his own decisions."
According to Seinfeld, there wasn't much thought given to how the characters would come off decades later. He said in an interview, "I don't think there was much self-awareness." Instead, the main goal was to create something that audiences wouldn't see anywhere else.