Everyone has their favorite one-off Seinfeld character, whether it’s the Caped Lawyer or the Soup Nazi. It was series co-creator Larry David who donned the questionable accessory to play the former, though there doesn’t appear to have been a real-life equivalent. The exacting soup chef played by Larry Thomas, however, was inspired by Al Yeganeh, founder of The Original Soup Man restaurant chain in New York. The strict rules at his Soup Kitchen International were adopted by the Seinfeld character, but Yeganeh was never all that thrilled about the “homage.” He wouldn’t allow “no soup for you” jokes at any of his restaurants, though he did eventually license his recipes—including jambalaya—and moniker to Soupman, Inc., which went all in on the Soup Nazi stuff. The company even teamed up with Thomas for promotions.