Johnny Rockets was founded on June 6, 1986, by Ronn Teitelbaum of
Los Angeles,
California, and "crafted as a 'nongimmicky' recreation of the 1940s-vintage malt shops of his childhood". The first restaurant was established as a 20-stool counter operation on
Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. Teitelbaum died from
brain cancer on September 11, 2000, at age 61. that RedZone Capital, the private equity firm of
Daniel Snyder, was set to acquire the chain. Snyder announced plans to expand the chain both within the United States and worldwide, including the launch of smaller outlets known as Johnny Rockets Express. Snyder recruited industry veteran Lee Sanders from Buffalo Wild Wings, formerly with Dunkin Brands, General Mills, and Pepsico, to serve as president, CEO, and board member. Sanders ran the business for almost four years. A sit-down restaurant owned by Six Flags Great Escape (RedZone was the largest shareholder at the time), Trappers Adirondack Grill, was converted to a Johnny Rockets in June 2008. A few years later, Six Flags New England also got a Johnny Rockets near the Superman: Ride Of Steel. In April 2009, the new
Yankee Stadium opened with Johnny Rockets stands throughout the site. These stands serve traditional Johnny Rockets hamburgers, french fries, shakes, and malts, among other menu items.
FedExField, home of the
Washington Commanders (the stadium and team were owned by Snyder, whose company owned Johnny Rockets at the time), features Johnny Rockets concession areas. The world's largest Johnny Rockets franchise opened on June 6, 2012, at the corner of Abraham Lincoln Avenue and Bolivar Avenue in
Santo Domingo, the capital city of the
Dominican Republic. The restaurant has more than and seating for more than 200 guests. In 2013, RedZone Capital Management sold the company to
Sun Capital Partners. , Bolivia, an international location On August 13, 2020, Johnny Rockets was acquired by
FAT Brands (parent company of
Fatburger) for $25 million. On January 26, 2026, parent company FAT Brands filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in an effort to shed billions of dollars in debt. The company listed assets and liabilities between $1 billion and $10 billion.
International Johnny Rockets operates restaurants in
Australia,
Bahrain,
Bolivia,
Brazil,
Canada,
Chile,
Costa Rica,
Cyprus,
Ecuador,
Honduras,
India,
Indonesia,
Iraq,
Italy,
Kuwait,
Mexico,
Nigeria,
Norway,
Oman,
Pakistan,
Panama,
Paraguay,
Peru, the
Philippines,
Poland,
Qatar,
Saudi Arabia,
South Korea,
Spain,
Tunisia, and
United Arab Emirates. The first Johnny Rockets restaurant in Pakistan was opened in 2013 in
Karachi. and later in Lahore and Islamabad in 2014. Johnny Rockets opened its first branch in Paraguay on December 16, 2016, in Shopping Mariscal,
Asunción. In 2016, it also opened branches in Peru and Bolivia. The first European Johnny Rockets restaurant was opened in
Brescia, Italy, on September 22, 2016, in Elnòs Shopping Center. Johnny Rockets Canada had some Canadian locations, two in
Victoria, British Columbia, two in the Toronto area, and two in
Vancouver, British Columbia, before all were closed in 2022. One location remains in
Windsor, Ontario. In Indonesia, Johnny Rockets has several locations located across Jabodetabek metro area, but after the 2020 pandemic, all were closed, leaving two branches left in the country. One is located in Terminal 3 of
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and one in the city center of
Jakarta inside Grand Sahid Jaya Hotel. Several Royal Caribbean International cruise ships have Johnny Rockets restaurants operating on board. ==See also==