Aliso Viejo-based Johnny Rockets Group Inc., a chain of 1940s-style hamburger diners, has landed a deal to put its restaurants in amusement parks operated by Cedar Fair LP, with the first set to debut later this year at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.
Cedar Fair, a publicly traded partnership, owns and operates five amusement parks including Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park and four water parks, including Soak City in Buena Park. Last year, it entertained 11.7 million people at its nine properties.
Cedar Point’s attendance last year was up 4% to 3.4 million people. The Johnny Rockets there will be at the park’s main entrance in a building that once housed the 130-year-old park’s popular Fascination game, whose parts have become increasingly difficult to find.
Under Chief Executive Michael R. Shumsky, who took over the reins from Glen Hemmerle in May 1999, the restaurant chain has been finding new ways to expand its brand through expansion into tourist destinations as well as into new states with multi-unit franchises.
Over the past year, Johnny Rockets has inked deals to put its restaurants aboard five Royal Caribbean Cruise Line ships. The company has grown to more than 2,600 employees company-wide and now operates 128 restaurants in 25 states with sales of roughly $120 million.
