‘Cobra Kai’ Johnny Lawrence Applebee’s Story is ‘the Pulp Fiction Briefcase’ Creators Tease

At Cobra Kai’s Live and Badass event in May, creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald began a story. They promised to finally reveal why Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) is banned from Applebee’s. But, they decided not to give it away. Instead, they decided to save it for Cobra Kai Season 6. That led fans to wonder if that was all part of a joke, or if they really might show the Johnny Lawrence Applebee’s flashback on Cobra Kai.

Showbiz Cheat Sheet spoke with the creators on Aug. 16. So we asked if they were really saving the story for Cobra Kai Season 6. Here’s what we found out about the elusive Johnny Lawrence Applebee’s story. Cobra Kai Season 5 premieres Sept. 9.

Johnny Lawrence’s Applebee’s ban is the ‘Pulp Fiction’ briefcase

Schlossbserg likened the story to the mysterious briefcase in Pulp Fiction. Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent (John Travolta) recover a briefcase that emits a glowing light for their boss, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). The reason Johnny Lawrence is banned from Applebee’s can be Cobra Kai’s briefcase.

“I like the middle ground of you have the Pulp Fiction briefcase that you never see,” Schlossberg told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “But we actually do get some glimpses but not total glimpses and a little bit more progress each time.”

‘Cobra Kai’ may really include a Johnny Lawrence Applebee’s flashback

At Cobra Kai: Live and Badass, Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg described a situation in which Johnny was enjoying a hot soup at Applebee’s. While the soup scalded the roof of his mouth, Johnny saw a wealthy couple ask for a wine list. It’s clear the story was building to Johnny causing a scene. Heald told Cheat Sheet they just might show the scene one day. 

“I think we may or may not get to a full telling of that story or a flashback of that moment or a continuation of that story,” Heald said. “We wanted to do something fun with the fans that calls attention to one of the silliest mysteries on the show in terms of what gets a guy banned from Applebee’s.”

You’ve heard some of the Johnny Lawrence Applebee’s story

If you’ve paid attention to Cobra Kai over four seasons, you’ve pieced together quite a bit of the Johnny Lawrence Applebee’s story. 

“We dripped out a little bit of stuff here and there through the seasons with the cop that encounters him in season 3 and with him starting to tell Carmen the story,” Heald said. “So we wanted to just take it a step further and have a little bit of fun. But you never know. We don’t hold ourselves accountable if we decide to go full bore and do a full on flashback at some point.”