Random Restaurant of Starring Bruce Willis And A Bunch Of Celebs in Planet Hollywood (14 items)

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  (#1) It Was Envisioned As Hollywood's Answer To Hard Rock Cafe

  Bryan Kestner, who appeared as a med tech in the 1987 film The Running Man starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, approached movie producer Keith Barish with a business idea. Inspired by the success of Hard Rock Cafe, Kestner suggested creating a franchise of restaurants themed around major Hollywood movies. His name for the franchise - Cafe Hollyrock - was rejected, but Barish liked the idea and started planning the venture with former Hard Rock Cafe CEO Robert Earl.

  Kestner had a stake in the business, too, but later complained he was given minimal stock in the company and little-to-no credit for the idea. 
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  (#2) The Biggest Names In '90s Movies Funded The Venture

  Keith Barish used his Hollywood contacts to rustle up a group of superstar investors. Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Demi Moore, and Sylvester Stallone held the biggest stakes, and they were sometimes even mistaken for owners. Along with other Hollywood investors, including Whoopi Goldberg and Patrick Swayze, celebrities ultimately made up 17% of the company's ownership.

  Stars were expected to attend openings of new restaurants (for a fee, of course) and occasionally drop in on locations, giving diners the hope they might spot their favorite actors while eating. By all accounts, it was a very faint hope.
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  (#3) Each Restaurant Had Its Own Merch Store

  One way Planet Hollywood initially brought in the dough was with the gift shops attached to its locations. After eating, you could pick up a variety of Planet Hollywood merchandise, including keychains, t-shirts, watches, and leather jackets. The restaurant even briefly had mascots, a dinosaur named Bubba and gorilla named George, now extinct outside of eBay.

  The gift shops were so popular that Planet Hollywood eventually began to open Planet Hollywood Superstores, which only sold the merchandise. 
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  (#4) Movie Props Filled The Walls, But Many Were Unimpressive

  One of the biggest draws for Planet Hollywood visitors was that they would be dining among some of the most beloved movie props and costumes in Hollywood history. The initial batch of items apparently included Dorothy's costume from The Wizard of Oz, the pottery wheel from Ghost, and the Batmobile. Some "props" were less exciting, though, including a plastic replica of the meat slab Rocky uses to train.

  Eventually, it became unclear what was genuine versus a replica, and staff reportedly found it difficult to identify from which movies many of the items originated. 
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  (#5) The Menu Was Full Of Items Like Cap'n Crunch-Breaded Chicken

  Planet Hollywood's menu was unique, to say the least. Most famous of all were the chicken tenders breaded with Cap'n Crunch cereal. Other highlights included handheld lasagna and a dessert called the "Planet Meltdown," a globe of chocolate that melted under hot caramel and slowly revealed a Planet Hollywood logo.

  Critics and most adult visitors savaged the food, but kids couldn't get enough.
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  (#6) The Stock Dropped From 32 Dollars To 75 Cents In Just Three Years

  When Planet Hollywood became a public corporation in 1996, it was an instant success. Valued at $1.2 billion by Bear Stearns, the restaurant chain was a very attractive stock at its initial public offering. The price quickly rose over $32, boosting Planet Hollywood's value to $3.5 billion and making it temporarily worth more than General Motors.

  Planet Hollywood's star crashed like a meteor, however, and by the time the chaos was over, the stock was worth 75 cents.
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  (#7) The More Restaurants Opened, The Worse Things Got

  Once Planet Hollywood became a public company, CEO Robert Earl felt he had to grow the business exponentially to keep stockholders happy. Restaurants opened worldwide by the dozens throughout the late '90s, but this only fueled the problem. Planet Hollywood locations were expensive to launch (estimated at $2 million each), so they took longer to become profitable, meaning the franchise had to debut even more to bring in the desired cash.

  Unfortunately, fewer people started to come, as the novelty wore off and they realized they wouldn't be eating with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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  (#8) The Whole Business Went Bankrupt - Twice

  In 1999, Planet Hollywood's stock was de-listed, and the group declared bankruptcy. Robert Earl blamed the rapid expansion as the main reason for the bankruptcy, believing it was a mistake to open so many places. He was able to reorganize, reducing locations from 87 to 35, and the stock was relisted. But just two years later in 2001, Planet Hollywood went bust again.

  This time, the excuse was a reduction in tourism following the attacks of September 11, 2001. The announcement came just a month later in October.  
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  (#9) Spinoffs Included Ice Cream Parlors And Marvel-Themed Restaurants

  While Planet Hollywood was still popular, Robert Earl came up with a host of possible spin-off businesses. He briefly operated "Marvel Mania," a restaurant themed after Marvel Comics, and "Cool Planet," a chain of ice cream parlors with flavors based on celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg. Some other ideas didn't get as far, like a Planet Hollywood Barbie doll and credit card.

  Perhaps the only successful spinoff was a casino resort in Las Vegas, which not only survived but was completely rebuilt in 2007.
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  (#10) Some Celebrity Investors Dropped Out, While Others Joined In

  Over the course of Planet Hollywood's rocky history, many of its celebrity investors jumped ship. Most publicly, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he was no longer associated with the brand in 2000, expressing his disappointment in the enterprise's failure. Robert Earl, feeling that headliners like Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis were losing their marquee value, started to seek new celebrity investors beginning in the late '90s.

  For a while, they had some success, recruiting stars like Shaquille O'Neal and *NSYNC, but the stale Planet Hollywood brand still struggled to remain relevant.  
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  (#11) The Restaurants Have Been The Scene Of Tragic Incidents

  The opening of a new Planet Hollywood during the company's heyday was always a huge event, with celebrities and media crowding around. Unfortunately, the opening of a Planet Hollywood in Moscow saw a fan fall off a rooftop and perish.

  This wasn't the only tragedy at the glitzy restaurant chain: at Planet Hollywood in Cape Town in 1998, a bomb exploded during dining hours. Thirty people were injured, and one person passed. 
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  (#12) Planet Hollywood Lost A Lawsuit Against Hard Rock Cafe

  When Planet Hollywood CEO Robert Earl started developing the restaurants, he was still working for Hard Rock Cafe. His partner, Peter Morton, turned a blind eye for a while, but Earl kept planning Planet Hollywood locations very close to Hard Rock Cafe locations, intensifying competition. In 1991, Morton sued Earl and Planet Hollywood for $1.25 billion.

  Morton claimed Earl had stolen trade secrets and tried to copy Hard Rock's success but with "substantially lower quality." Morton won the case, with a settlement rumored to be in the millions.
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  (#13) A Few Locations Still Exist, Though They Reportedly Aren't Doing Well

  A few Planet Hollywood locations still exist as of 2018. In addition to three resorts, there are six restaurants: Las Vegas, London, New York, Orlando, Disneyland Paris, and the Los Angeles International Airport. By reports, the supposed decline in food and merchandise quality continues, and the staff at the New York venue apparently seats all the customers near the doors to make the restaurant look busier.

  One customer commented that "the threat from dust falling from the above decorations was enough to put you off."
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  (#14) Bruce Willis Might Have Only Signed On To Get His Band Gigs

  Evidently, a factor that convinced Bruce Willis to sign on as an investor was a promise made by Planet Hollywood co-creator Keith Barish. Willis had recently started a music career, and depending on who tells the story, Barish either promised Willis that his band could play Planet Hollywood openings or that Willis could be the music director for the entire business.

  These proved to be empty promises, and eventually, Willis pulled away from the once-successful chain. 

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