Since it was becoming such a big hit, Planet Hollywood decided to get a number of sports icons to invest in the café. Some of the athletic investors included Andre Agassi, Ken Griffey Jr., Shaq, Wayne Gretzky and Joe Montana, all of whom were quite popular during that era.
Much like the concept of The Hard Rock Cafe chain, Planet Hollywood’s goal was to come up with a safe haven for sport enthusiasts with a theme to match. Unfortunately, the concept did not last too long. Its popularity started to die down, so the company decided to close all of its chains in 2007.
Howard Johnson’s
After a few years in business, the chain started to fall behind its competitors and didn’t leave much room for financial growth and innovation.
“The downfall of Howard Johnson’s was ultimately their competitors. Friendly’s had their ice cream, KFC was all about fried chicken, and in comparison, HoJo’s was just too basic.” According to one critic.
Official All-Star Café
The Official All-Star Cafe was founded in 1995 and owned by Planet Hollywood.
While in its prime, the café grew to a total of 10 locations, which included high-traffic areas like Times Square and Walt Disney World.
VIP’s
VIP’s was a fast-food chain based in Oregon. Starting in 1968, it became popular for being one of the largest restaurant chains to be considered both a coffee shop and a diner.
VIPs had more than 53 locations nationwide, with people flocking in from different places to test the new chain out.
VIP’s
VIPs tried to replicate the concept dining experience of Denny’s, where they serve breakfast meals at any time, day or night. Since most of their locations could be found along the freeway, they became the most accessible dining destination for travelers.
Unfortunately, the diner started going down in the early 1980s and sold 35 of their locations to Denny’s.