Celebrity Dining Spots May Be on Menu for O.C. : Restaurants: Versions of the Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood, both of which draw famous clientele, are being proposed for Orange County.
Two of the hottest celebrity draws in the restaurant business, the Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood, may be coming to Orange County soon.
The Hard Rock, the international restaurant chain known for its T-shirts and rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia, has been negotiating with Newport Center Fashion Island officials to open a restaurant in the upscale Newport Beach mall. No lease agreement has been signed so far, but mall officials say that a decision could be announced as soon as next week.
Meanwhile, a restaurant group has been pursuing the possibility of opening an Orange County version of the Planet Hollywood restaurant that premiered in New York last year. The restaurant, which has been a big draw with movie stars, combines Hollywood glitz with fancy cheeseburgers. An official with the restaurant group said the deal could be closed by the end of the month.
Although the restaurant industry has suffered during the recession, both the Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood concepts are unique enough to prosper when the economy improves, said one analyst.
“When we start to come out of this recession, these (restaurants) are set to go bonkers,” said Janet Lowder, an industry consultant in Rancho Palos Verdes. “People realize they have been depriving themselves and need to be entertained.”
The Hard Rock Cafe group got started in London in 1971. The Hard Rock empire later broke in two, with co-founder Peter Morton heading up a Los Angeles-based company, Hard Rock America. The company operates 11 restaurants, including one at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. It is building its Las Vegas restaurant into a hotel-casino.
Part of Hard Rock’s allure is filling the restaurant with rock history memorabilia, such as the cape that rock star Prince wore in the movie “Purple Rain,” which can be found in the Los Angeles restaurant.
Fashion Island and Hard Rock America officials confirmed that discussions have been held but that no deal had been signed. Fashion Island manager Rick Oliver said there would be no word until at least next week.
The new Hard Rock would likely take over the Amen Wardy designer clothing store that closed last year. The building is near the movie theaters, across from the Atrium Court section of the mall.
Meantime, a Long Beach-based restaurant group that operates three restaurants in the South Coast Plaza area in Costa Mesa is trying to bring a Planet Hollywood to Orange County.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone were among the celebrities who opened the first Planet Hollywood in Manhattan last October. The 350-seat restaurant, serving a mix of American and California-inspired cuisine, has such movie memorabilia as Schwarzenegger’s motorcycle from “The Terminator” movie and a dress worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz.”
Adam Schroeder, a Planet Hollywood spokesman in New York, said the company hopes to open six more restaurants this year, including one in Los Angeles. But he said he was unaware of any plans for Orange County.
Enzo De Muro, a partner in Italatin Inc., would not discuss potential locations, though he ruled out Fashion Island. He said the group expects to have an announcement about Planet Hollywood in Orange County in the next two weeks.
Italatin operates the Trattoria Spiga restaurant in Crystal Court, Antonello Ristorante in South Coast Plaza Village and the new Emporio Armani Express restaurant in South Coast Plaza.
Although both restaurants would likely draw heavily on the tourist trade, Muro said he thinks there would be sufficient local business for both Planet Hollywood and Hard Rock Cafe.
