But the pop-up was nothing like he'd been promised. Attarian showed up at Celia's Mexican restaurant to find what he describes as a "backyard kid's birthday party" in a private room at the back. There were a bunch of balloons tied to a tiny stage, a cluster of tables covered in what looked like dollar-store tablecloths, a few LEGO bricks piled on the tables and some sad chicken sandwiches on the menu.
"It was just nothing like we were promised in the articles that we saw, the social media pictures that we saw," Attarian told Narcity.
Courtesy of Arash Attarian
Celia staff told Attarian the whole thing came together at the last minute, despite the fact that he had bought his tickets five months in advance.
"I do apologize for the inconsistencies with the service that was promised and the service you are receiving," one restaurant staffer told the gathering in a video Attarian shared with Narcity.
Celia's did not respond to Narcity's request for comment. However, Attarian lays the blame squarely on Explore Hidden, the event promoters who set this up in LA and many other North American cities — and whom he says still haven't given him a refund.
Complaints around Explore Hidden
This is just one of many disappointing stories Narcity uncovered about Explore Hidden, an online group that advertises pop-up experiences in over 30 cities around the world.
You might recognize Explore Hidden as the name behind Tinseltown, the Alice Cocktail Experience, the Dancing Queen Dining Experience, the Wizard's Den, Karen's Diner, the Broadway Diner, the Burton Bar, meals themed around Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, and many other themed experiences. Each of these events is advertised as an immersive experience with photos showing stunning decor, killer costumes and a menu full of on-theme food and drinks.
However, Narcity has identified dozens of complaints on social media and in news stories from ticketholders in Canada, the U.S., New Zealand and Australia over the last few years and has heard multiple complaints about the events from our own readers — and even staff — in recent months.
The sources vary, but the allegations are similar: that Explore Hidden experiences get cancelled without notice, that some customers are not given the right location for the event and that some events don't live up to the marketing. Regardless of the issue, ticketholders end up chasing Explore Hidden for a refund and, when they don't hear back, they turn to social media for help.
Many of these social media comments — such as those shown in the screenshot below — appear to have been deleted from Instagram since Narcity first contacted Explore Hidden for comment.
The vast majority of deleted comments on their promotional posts — such as the one above — were negative, and referred to events in multiple different cities where Explore Hidden operates.
Others have complained in the press. In October, for instance, B.C.'s Victoria Buzz reported on a series of pop-ups that were cancelled without notice or refunds. Earlier in the year, New Zealand's Stuff News shared a first-hand account of three cancelled pop-ups, then spoke to several others who went through similar experiences without a refund. The Pittsburgh City Paper reported a similar series of problems in 2021.
Regardless of why these events fell through, ticketholders say it's extremely difficult to get a refund from Explore Hidden when something goes wrong. Instead, they say Explore Hidden will offer to rebook ticketholders for another experience, even after failing to stage multiple events. Eventually, ticketholders say that Explore Hidden simply stops responding.
In one case, Narcity saw emails from a woman who said the company scheduled and then cancelled four events for her that never happened. She also said she still hasn't received a refund.
Explore Hidden told Narcity the news reports are "isolated cases" and they can't control what people say on social media. They also described the incidents Narcity shared with the company as one-off mishaps.
However, the sheer number of complaints is hard to ignore. When Narcity reached out to the accounts sharing feedback on social media, each one turned out to be a real person who was eager to share details and evidence.
What is Explore Hidden?
Explore Hidden is part of The Viral Group, an Australia-based organization that lists many of the same pop-up experiences on its website. The group has used names such as Immersive Ventures and Viral Ventures in the past and was responsible for the Karen's Diner pop-up that became a hit during the pandemic. Karen's Diner even went on tour and hosted events in Canada.
Explore Hidden co-founder James Farrell told Narcity that Hidden and Viral Ventures are "distinct companies, with Viral using our ticketing services." They both share the same parent company, The Viral Group, and Farrell is the co-founder of all three organizations.
As for how this all works, Explore Hidden appears to come up with a viral concept and sell tickets for the event, before partnering with venues to make the event happen in different markets.
Explore Hidden says on its website that it has staged more than 2,500 experiences worldwide in 35 different cities, resulting in 1.7 million "happy customers" and 1.53 million "subscribers." It also says it brings in about 100,000 attendees annually to its various pop culture-themed immersive experiences.
"Hidden is rated 9.6/10 by thousands of customer reviews," the company's website says. However, only eight reviews appear on the website — each with a 5/5-star rating — and there's no way to look up any other reviews, although there is an option to submit one.
Hidden describes itself as a "marketplace" that works with "carefully selected event promoters" to host live and virtual experiences around the world. However, cases like the LA Brick Bar suggest everything isn't always fully sorted out in time for these events.
"Most events are a hit, but we're mindful of occasional issues," Farrell told Narcity in a statement.
"We work with many global promoters to ensure high-quality events. If there's a cancellation or postponement, we usually offer refunds or credits. We also review any events that don't meet expectations and discuss these with the promoters."
Why did Karen's Diner shut down?
Explore Hidden owes much of its popularity to Karen's Diner, one of this group's earlier immersive experiences that first appeared in Australia.
Karen's Diner had a few permanent locations in Australia, but they shut down over the summer after multiple staffers alleged sexual and physical harassment on the job, per Australia's ABC News.
Karen's Diner, known officially as Viral Ventures (Australia) Pty Ltd, agreed to voluntary liquidation earlier this year. The company previously claimed in a 2021 crowdfunding document that it was on track to earn $10 million that year, though it's unclear what those liquidated assets are worth today. The same leadership team now runs The Viral Group and Explore Hidden.
Kali Arumugam, one of the Karen's Diner staffers who came forward with allegations against Viral Ventures, says the organization has done nothing to make it right with her. Instead, she says Viral Ventures execs have simply restarted the company under a different name to avoid accountability.
"From my side, the liquidation was pretty much the end of our legal proceedings against VV," she told Narcity. She added that many of her former coworkers at Karen's Diner were also hit hard by the sudden liquidation. "It came as a complete surprise and ambush to the current employees of the branches that shut down, including the managers," she said. "All of them lost employment overnight and were not paid out anything, and some of them were still owed money by VV that was never paid."
Farrell described the Karen's Diner accusers as "two disgruntled ex employees that were terminated due to a multitude of performance issues." He added that his company has done its utmost to "protect our employees at all times — we even have rules in play to optimise their safety."
Karen's Diner blamed inflation and operating costs for its collapse in a statement to News.com.au earlier this year.
'Bait and switch'
While Narcity staff have personally had some positive experiences at Explore Hidden events, there have also been some misfires. The team has also heard from readers who have witnessed Explore Hidden falling short.
Narcity spoke to Explore Hidden customers in Canada, the U.S. and Australia who felt ripped off by Explore Hidden in one way or another. Several of them told us that the event they paid for never happened and that when they asked for a refund, Explore Hidden offered them tickets to future events instead of giving their money back.
In Attarian's Brick Bar case, he refused to attend another event and demanded his money back, according to an email chain with the company that he shared with Narcity. Explore Hidden told him they'd escalate the issue to a manager on November 22. He says that's the last he's heard from them.
Farrell said Explore Hidden will occasionally run into "unexpected hiccups" with some of its events, given the company's large scale.
"The LA brick burger event had a delay with the burger buns, though it's been a success in other cities," he added.
Attarian laughed at that response and said the entire experience was a "joke."
As for a refund, Farrell said his company uses PayPal, "But sometimes there are delays due to funds being held, affecting our ability to quickly process refunds in some cases."
Attarian is not the only customer who has struggled to get a refund.
Kathryn Goater, a PR director in Australia, told Narcity she bought tickets for a Great Gatsby pop-up in Melbourne in November 2022. The event was cancelled at the last minute, much to the disappointment of Goater and her three friends. She says Explore Hidden rebooked and then also cancelled her spot at three subsequent events in an attempt to make up for the original failure.
Goater eventually demanded a refund and says they agreed to give it. However, she says no funds were ever sent and that when she flagged it as a scam with her bank, they couldn't do anything because it had been a full year since her initial purchase.
"They are so immoral and have to be stopped," Goater told Narcity.
Several other ticketholders in Canada and the U.S. told Narcity their initial event was cancelled and they're still waiting for things to be made right.
Others, like Attarian, attended an Explore Hidden event only to find that it fell well short of the promises made in the marketing materials.
Attarian and Oliver Housman, another visitor to the same LA Brick Bar event, say they're still waiting on refunds.
"The event showed a photo and experience, and what was presented was far from it," Housman told Narcity. "The whole event felt like a bait and switch."
When asked by Narcity about the discrepancy between promotional photos and reality, Farrell said Explore Hidden uses photos "from similar past events or other cities if it's a new venue."
What is Explore Hidden's refund policy?
According to the FAQ on Explore Hidden’s website, "Tickets are non-refundable."
If an event is cancelled or rescheduled, the FAQ says, "Ticket holders will be offered seats at any rescheduled event up to the face value of the ticket, or if the ticket holder is unable to attend the rescheduled event or the event is not rescheduled, a refund."
The site says you should contact Explore Hidden with your order number for a refund. However, it doesn't say how long a refund can take.
"Internal approval generally takes 24-48 hours depending on the day/time of the event," Farrell told Narcity.
"If as per our terms that an event is not happening then customers are refunded," he added. "If an event is postponed the first port of a call is to offer a credit to that or a future event." He said if customers can't attend a future event, "Then a refund is given."
When Narcity shared this info with Attarian and Goater, they each said they hadn't received a refund after three weeks and 12 months, respectively.
The FAQ also says it's "your responsibility to ascertain whether an event has been cancelled and the date and time of any rescheduled event."
Narcity asked Farrell why Explore Hidden doesn't communicate that info via email if a change happens.
"All our events have confirmed venues and we inform our customers in advance through SMS and emails if they choose to receive updates," he said.
He also said there has been an "ongoing issue with PayPal" that affects some of the refunds.
Goater told Narcity she didn't pay for her tickets via PayPal and has not received any payments through it since she asked for a refund.
With all these complaints piling up against Explore Hidden, it begs a simple question: How can you trust that you'll get what you pay for from them?
When Narcity posted this question to Farrell, he didn't respond.
As for Attarian, he doesn't know if he'll ever get his $100 back, but he says it's not about the money at this point.
"For me, it's, 'You guys screwed up, you need to own it,'" he told Narcity. "I was expecting them to do a public apology, but nothing. Nothing at all."
