Jerry Seinfeld's Real-Life Soup Nazi Encounter After Episode's Release Recalled By Writer

Summary The writer responsible for Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi" episode recalls the inspiration for the character kicking Jerry Seinfeld out of his shop.

The character is based on Ali "Al" Yeganeh, a real soup shop owner in New York City who had strict rules.

"The Soup Nazi" is among Seinfeld's most memorable episodes ever and it remains widely-known today.

Seinfeld writer and producer Spike Feresten recalls Jerry Seinfeld's real-life encounter with the Soup Nazi inspiration after the release of the iconic episode. First airing in 1989, Seinfeld chronicles the daily life of the eponymous New York City comedian and his friends, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards. A number of funny scenes and episodes have lived on from the show, which concluded in 1998, but season 7, episode 6, "The Soup Nazi," remains one of the show's most-loved episodes.

In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Feresten shares his recollection of the time Jerry attempted to get soup from the shop upon which the iconic Seinfeld Soup Nazi character was based. According to the writer, the shop owner, Ali "Al" Yeganeh, was less than pleased with his depiction in the show. Check out Feresten's comment about the encounter below:

"Nobody knows it's me who wrote it. It made me hesitant to ever go back there, just in case someone said, 'That's the one who wrote it,' because the real guy in New York was not happy that we wrote that episode. "You know the story, right? The next summer I brought Jerry back there, and he said, 'Hey, I'd like to order soup,' and [Yeganeh] said, 'Get the F out of here,' and threw him off the line. [Jerry] goes, 'What's the problem? I made you famous,' and he said, 'You didn't make me famous -- The Today Show made me famous.' He said, 'Well, I want soup,' and then he literally said a real version of 'no soup for you' with a lot of expletives -- no effing soup for you, get out of here.'"

Is The Soup Nazi Seinfeld's Most Memorable Episode?

Why The Soup Nazi Character Has Lived On

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Although the divisive Seinfeld finale aired more than 25 years ago, the show has continued to live on. Part of this, of course, is due to the rise of streaming and the fact that all nine seasons of the series are now available to watch at the click of a button. Another factor, of course, is that Seinfeld featured very strong writing and performances, giving rise to many funny jokes, characters, running gags, and episode premises that continue to be well-known today.

Related 10 Best Seinfeld Episodes, Ranked Seinfeld maintained high standards over its nine seasons, but some of its 180 episodes proved more memorable than others, making them the best.

"The Soup Nazi" is one such premise, with the episode essentially involving Seinfeld butting heads with a particularly tyrannical and short-tempered soup shop owner. The shop owner, played by Larry Thomas, is memorable on his own, but it's his line, "No soup for you!" that has really cemented the episode as one of Seinfeld's best. Despite this episode truly standing the test of time, it's a challenge dubbing it the show's strongest simply because of the other strong contenders.

"The Comeback," for example, is another memorable episode, with the story revolving around George attempting to craft the perfect response to his coworker's insult. "The Contest," too, has become iconic, with the main Seinfeld cast of characters entering into a friendly bet to see who can remain "master of their domain" the longest. While the most memorable Seinfeld episode will ultimately be a matter of personal preference, it's clear that "The Soup Nazi" isn't something that its real-life inspiration took kindly to.

Source: ComicBook.com