The Short-Lived Celebrity Chain Restaurant That Proved Hype Isn't Enough

From Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville to the Wahlburgers chain, it's easy to assume that a boldface name attached to a restaurant equals instant success. Whether a restaurant boasts its celebrity owner on its sign or it's one of the many bars where VIPs are quieter investors, surely there's a certain momentum celebrities bring to their hospitality ventures, right? Wrong, if the demise of one particular restaurant chain is any clue.

The Official All Star Café opened the doors of its first location in Manhattan's Times Square in 1995. And it did so with not one, not two, but multiple celebrity investors, including Wayne Gretzky, Shaquille O'Neal, Monica Seles, Joe Montana, Tiger Woods, Ken Griffey Jr., and Andre Agassi. The Official All Star Café was a sports-themed eatery where an athletic hall of fame met accessible fare like burgers and buffalo wings, just like the Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood had done with music and movies, respectively. These sorts of themed restaurants were all the rage in the 1990s, from the Fashion Cafe to WWF New York. 

After its New York debut, the All Star Café expanded into Orlando, San Diego, Las Vegas, Miami, Atlanta, Cancun, and even Australia. But by 2007, just 12 years after opening, the last location shut its doors for good, proving that even an entire team of sports heroes couldn't keep this restaurant chain afloat.

While it stands out because it had so much star power behind it, The Official All Star Café was far from the only '90s themed restaurant to flop. These eateries proved to be a passing trend. When The Hard Rock Cafe opened in 1971, its success convinced entrepreneurs that themed restaurants were the next big thing. A man named Robert Earl had been CEO at the Hard Rock before opening Planet Hollywood in 1991, then set his sights on sports with the All Star Café. However, by the end of the decade, it seemed that people were over themes that seemed to cover up mediocre food and serve as an excuse to drive up prices.

All Star Café might be one of the failed restaurant chains some of us miss because the locations were indeed like sprawling sports museums, but ultimately, the chain unsuccessfully tried to marry two concepts that didn't go together: a sports bar and a family-friendly eatery. Menu items like a smoked turkey sandwich, chicken quesadilla, chili dog, and penne with chicken and broccoli were just okay, not always justifying their prices. The locations were often too big to fill, and after the buzz of each one's opening, the celebs faded away and people lost interest. That fade became permanent, as the famous investors began pulling their money and even the memorabilia they'd put on display.