The Lunch Box
4632 S. Maryland Pkwy, Suite 20
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(702) 722-6400

Remember those good ol' days when the best part about school was showing off your rad Power Rangers lunchbox and getting to indulge in the simple comfort food within? Now, you can relive those pre-tween years thanks to Joseph Moore.

On Monday, Moore opened a new restaurant The Lunch Box, an updated version of those elementary school snacks for a more matured set of students. Located very close to the UNLV campus, The Lunch Box serves up a menu as simple and wonderful as its nostalgic theme. Sandwiches, salads, Chicago style hot dogs, and more all served with a side of chips, coleslaw, or a fruit cup, for under $5. Sure beats those old squished PB&Js and bruised bananas of yesteryears, doesn't it?

Moore opened The Lunch Box to give LasVegas college kids something that challenged him during his school days: good food, good prices.

"When I was in college, you just wanted cheap prices for a great value and that's something I wanted to bring. I thought the college crowd would be a great place for that because you get sick of dorm food and orange chicken and cheeseburgers."

And Moore definitely delivers a delicious escape from dorm drudgery as well as fun trip down memory lane. While the outside of The Lunch Box may be sparse, inside the eatery is filled with vintage lunchboxes featuring all the classic designs, from old cartoons to board games to film and music stars.

Unfortunately, the boxes are only for decoration and not for food service...yet. Moore has considered the idea for the restaurant's future if it continues to thrive.

Moore is also accepting lunch box donations to add to his recently started collection. But like with every good quest, there is always the one that got away.

"I didn't start until within the past few years, but the one that I had that I don't own anymore was the GI Joe. If I could get that again that'd be it."

So if you happen to have access to a GI Joe lunch box that holds little-to-no-sentimental value, head on over to The Lunch Box. Moore would be more than happy to put it on display. Plus, it'd make the customers happy as well.

Moore describes how much, in the few days the restaurant has been open, customers really relate to and really enjoy the vintage feel of The Lunch Box.

"We've had customers come in and point and say, ‘Yeah I had that!' It's fun to see something light up their eyes."

Another way Moore is trying to keep the light in the customers' eyes (and the customers returning) is to take the nostalgic concept and apply it to every aspect of the restaurant, not just the décor.

"We're trying to push a lot of the glass-bottle drinks to go with the nostalgia feel, and we're trying to push for pure sugar cane sodas as opposed to high-fructose corn syrup," says Moore.

And for dessert Moore has a deliciously vintage upgrade as well, provided by Bread Merchant.

"The cupcakes...if you went to school with a lunchbox maybe you'd get one of the Hostess ones, only this is extremely better. It's the best cupcake. There's nothing mechanically done or any additives. Its straight-up chocolate and eggs and the filling is delicious."

The Lunch Box seems to have it all. Cheap food? Check. Good food? Check. Awesome, kitschy décor? Check. What more could we really ask for? (Besides that GI Joe lunchbox, of course.)