TheBuzz Erika Engle

Johnny Rockets to join Honolulu's burger battles

NATIONAL casual dining burger chain Johnny Rockets is planning expansion to Hawaii. Not tomorrow, or anything, but eventually.

"The Honolulu market has already been purchased by an local developer interested in opening Johnny Rockets franchises in the area," said Steve Devine, vice president for franchise operations.

"Though we don't know of any specific sites pending at this time, Honolulu is a great family-friendly market that also attracts a lot of tourism, so it will be a great fit for Johnny Rockets. We look forward to becoming part of the Honolulu community sometime in the near future," he said.

Johnny Rockets became part of the RedZone Capital Fund II portfolio in an acquisition earlier this month. The 200-unit-plus chain has full-service restaurants and food-court-sized operations. It is exploring development of Johnny Rockets Express, a counter service concept, as well as expansion into airports and stadiums, according to "Nation's Restaurant News" magazine.

Johnny Rockets' requires franchisees to have at least five years' restaurant experience as an owner or operator; to live in the market; and to have minimum net worth of $1 million and available liquid capital of between $250,000 and $500,000.

The rest of us, for whom the term 'net worth' causes instant visualization of the beater car we drive, need not apply.

There is no active registration for the Johnny Rockets trade name, but it has been registered with the state a few times -- twice by Bill Emmerson of East Honolulu, in 1989 and 1996, but those registrations each expired after a year.

"I was interested in opening a location, but it kind of fell apart," Emmerson said.

The name "Johnny Rockets -- The Original Hamburger," the wording on the restaurants' signage, was registered again in 2000 by Ali Mahidashti, of Volcano, but it was revoked the following November by Kathryn Matayoshi, director of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, after Johnny Rockets Licensing Corp. contested it.

As seriously as it takes protecting its name, the company also appears serious about fun, with promises to guests that include this line: Always dance on the half hour, twirl straws and serve ketchup with a smile.