In late September, Johnny Rockets restaurant chain introduced its fast casual concept called Johnny’s Burger Factory. Approximately 1000 square feet, the unit is on the second level adjacent to Pole Position Raceway. The new concept was created, in part, to appeal to a new generation of customers, the millennials, who are time-starved and demand faster service without sacrificing high quality and great tasting food. The new Johnny’s Burger Factory opened at Walden Galleria in Buffalo in Western New York. The new unit features an industrial look with colors and materials that include reclaimed wood siding and corrugated metal siding on the walls, with a bamboo-faced dining counter with a darker sleek counter top. Edison pendant lights surround the dining counter. New technology, like a video wall and digital menu board are designed to resemble a hand written chalk boards. A touch screen kiosk allows the customers to place their orders and customize their meals for a hands-on experience. “Our goal with Johnny’s Burger Factory is to broaden our appeal and foster an immediate connection and loyalty with a tech-savvy generation looking for a new kind of restaurant,” said James Walker, President of Global Operations and Development for Johnny Rockets. “This restaurant is designed to serve the highest quality food in the highest quality environment. This, along with personal meal customization and self-ordering, will all contribute to differentiating Johnny’s Burger Factory from other fast casual brands.”  He added that the design has opened up development opportunities in a variety of venues globally. As a result, the company hopes to expand at a faster pace and plans on adding new kitchen technology where it will bake the buns and make ice cream from scratch as the brand evolves. The core menu is fresh, never frozen 100 percent domestic beef burgers and fresh hand-breaded chicken tenders. Four signature burgers have been created as well as the option for guests to build and customize their own personal Factory Burger using beef, hand-breaded chicken tenders or veggie patty. “They are given a choice of cheeses and unlimited toppings,” said Johnny Rockets’ Chief Marketing Officer Joel Bulger. “And to truly make it their own, we have a self-serve sauce bar for their sandwiches or to dip their chicken tenders.”  Founded in 1986, Johnny Rockets operates more than 330 franchise and corporate locations in 26 countries around the world.

CATEGORY: Quick Casual
Chain Name:  Johnny’s Burger Factory
Company Name: The Johnny Rockets Group Inc.
Street Address: 20 Enterprise, Suite 300, Aliso Viejo, California 92656
Tel: 888/856-4669  Fax:
Email: social@johnnyrockets.com  Website:  www.johnnyrockets.com
Menu Specialty: Menu is fresh, never frozen 100 percent domestic beef burgers and fresh hand-breaded chicken tenders. Four signature burgers have been created as well as the option for guests to build and customize their own personal Factory Burger
Introduced: First Johnny’s Burger Factory opened in Buffalo, New York in September 2015.
No. of Locations: One in Buffalo, New York
Areas of Operation:
Types of Location: Malls
BusinessType (corp., franchise, jv): Franchise
Size Req’d: Approximately 1000 sq.ft.
Special Requirements (patio, drive-thru, etc):
Contact Name: Charles Bruce – President, CEO
Joel Bulger – Chief Marketing Officer
James Walker – President, Operations, Development
Marc Abenoja – Vice President, International Operations
Jim Hicks – Sen. Vice President, Domestic Operations
Gene Savage – Director, Franchise Sales & Real Estate
REAL ESTATE REPRESENTATIVES:
FRANCHISE REPRESENTATIVES:
PARENT COMPANY: Sun Capital Partners
Related Chains: Johnny Rockets
Last Report: Restaurant & QSR Expansion Report #145  Last Update:
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