Aliso Viejo burger chain Johnny Rockets sold

Southern California burger chain Johnny Rockets has a new owner in Boston Market parent Sun Capital Partners.

The Boca Raton, Fla., private equity firm also runs several other restaurant brands, including Fazoli’s.

The financial terms of the Johnny Rockets deal, which was confirmed by the chain, were not disclosed. The transaction was announced by North Point Advisors, which guided Johnny Rockets’ previous owner, private equity firm RedZone Capital.

The Aliso Viejo-based company was founded in 1986 by Ronn Teitelbaum, a men’s fashion retailer. The name was meant to evoke a sense of Americana by mashing the Johnny Appleseed tale with the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 car.

The first branch opened on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.

Now, the 1950s-style diner has 300 restaurants in 30 states and 16 countries. More than 7,500 people are employed at the chain, which said on its website that it serves 17 million hamburgers a year.

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