Celebrity Partners Serving Roles

Sure, Kevin Costner’s latest film, “For the Love of the Game,” didn’t set the box office on fire. But the Oscar-winning director isn’t about to give up his day job now that he is a partner in the new Clubhouse restaurant at South Coast Plaza.

Costner--the star attraction at a grand opening party for the eatery Sunday--won’t be required to make personal appearances at the restaurant, nor are the other celebrity partners actor Robert Wagner and pro golfer Fred Couples. But all said they do plan to show up every so often.

“We all have other jobs that we do,” Costner said. “We’ll come here because we want to come here. It’s not something you put on paper.”

Costner, a former Orange County resident and graduate of Cal State Fullerton, said it took more than a year for Clubhouse founder Keith Rudman and his partner, Jerry Kleiner, to persuade him to invest in the venture.

“I realize they meant what they said and weren’t going to just pick someone else,” Costner said. “They were willing to wait. I hope I’m a good choice for them. I know they were a good choice for me.”

Rudman said that it was important to land Costner because “in our mind, he’s sort of the American ideal. A great American guy who represents the good life.”

The two-story Clubhouse, which features what Rudman describes as “American eclectic” food ranging from steaks to chicken pot pies, opened Aug. 31 without much fanfare. The first restaurant opened in Oak Brook, Ill. The company expects to open a third restaurant in Atlanta during the second quarter.