Aliso Viejo-based Johnny Rockets Group Inc. is pushing ahead with plans to more than double its size in the next 10 years.
The restaurant chain, which plays up an all-American diner theme, recently opened a restaurant in Pittsburgh at the Galleria in the Pittsburgh Mills shopping center.
Johnny Rockets already has two other restaurants in Pennsylvania.
“The opening of our Pittsburgh restaurant is a strategic move in the Johnny Rockets chain’s aggressive growth plan,” Chief Executive Mike Shumsky said in a statement.
Johnny Rockets has 176 restaurants in 29 states and seven countries and plans to add 125 more in the next 10 years.
The company recently hired a new senior vice president of development, Mike Dobrota, to oversee the push. Prior to joining Johnny Rockets, Dobrota led development at various companies, including Dobrota Northwest Atlantic Partners, Kinko’s Inc., Boston Market Corp. and PepsiCo Inc.
Johnny Rockets earlier this year signed development pacts with four franchisees to open 23 restaurants in Arizona, New York and on cruise ships run by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Lloyd Sugarman, a Johnny Rockets franchisee for 14 years with restaurants on the West Coast, plans to open 10 of the planned restaurants in Manhattan.
Arizona is set to see seven openings.
Rod Weeden of Johnny Rockets Scottsdale Inc. plans to open four diners in the Phoenix area, while Derek Damon and Kevin Thomson of Coyote Ventures are slated to open three.
Royal Caribbean plans to open six restaurants on its cruise ships in the next 10 years.
The cruise line already has six Johnny Rockets on its ships. The latest is set to open in January on Royal Carribbean’s Sovereign of the Seas ship.
“There is considerable opportunity and demand for expansion throughout domestic and international markets,” Shumsky said.
Johnny Rockets has been pushing its name on the ships.
One of its recent marketing plays: a restaurant promotion aimed at children ages 10 and younger. Johnny Rockets is offering a kids’ activity book, which has a nautical theme and is available at restaurants in the U.S. and Canada. It also has signs in restaurants directing people to www.johnnyrockets.com for a chance to win a Royal Caribbean cruise.
Other kids’ promotions include giving students a free sundae or kids meal when they reach their monthly reading goals throughout the school year.
Johnny Rockets has stepped up marketing in other ways. In June, it hired Sun Valley-based Hero Product Placement Inc. to get its brand and logo on TV shows, films and other entertainment outlets.
“In filmmaking, everything from locations and props to wardrobe helps identify an environment or a character,” said Julie Weinhouse of Hero. “Our efforts will build on the strong foundation of Johnny Rockets’ all-American image by creating an imbedded presence in television shows and feature films.”
New Del Taco Marketer
Lake Forest-based Del Taco Inc. has a new vice president of marketing.
The Mexican fast food restaurant chain tapped Sharon Fogg, an industry veteran with marketing stints at Burger King Corp. and Hardee’s Food Systems Inc., to replace Joe Senger, who left to “pursue other opportunities,” according to the company.
Formerly, Fogg headed marketing at St. Louis-based Hardee’s Food Systems, part of Carpinteria-based CKE Restaurants Inc., and spent 12 years at Burger King, where she held several positions, including vice president of the West Coast division and corporate marketing director.
Fogg oversaw Burger King’s national and divisional marketing plans and created the company’s “Burger King Kids Club.”
She comes on board at a key time for Del Taco.
The restaurant chain, which has more than 445 restaurants, is in a bid to grow outside Southern California.
Earlier this year, Del Taco signed a franchise deal with Chicago entrepreneurs Mark Kinnare and Patrick Riccobene, owners of Illinois Del Inc., to open 10 Del Taco restaurants.
The chain hopes to sign on about 12 franchise groups to fill out the Chicago area.
Del Taco already has moved into some other markets, including Idaho, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico and Chicago.
Celebrity Gossip
Irvine-based St. John Knits International Inc. is getting lots of ink about the spokesmodel deal it signed with Angelina Jolie.
People magazine again recently cited St. John in an article about Jolie and her romance with Brad Pitt.
The piece mentioned the $10 million to $15 million deal Jolie signed with St. John and how the upscale women’s clothier plans to open a children’s charity for her to head as part of the contract.
Jolie is slated to be the company’s model starting with the spring and fall collections. She’s big on humanitarian causes as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N.
Signing on Jolie is part of St. John’s push to appeal to a younger audience and get a face-lift.
