The Rise And Fall Of Planet Hollywood Restaurants

Las Vegas and great eats are pretty much synonymous at this point. From buffets that cater to all tastes to Frank Sinatra's favorite Vegas steakhouse, you'll be hard pressed to find a disappointing meal in Sin City. While the food options are seemingly endless, there are very few restaurants as highly associated with Las Vegas as Planet Hollywood.

Known as one of the most easily recognizable themed restaurants in the United States, Planet Hollywood was at one point in time a culinary ode to the magic of the movie industry. Founded in 1991 with the first restaurant based in New York City, the restaurant was immediately endorsed by celebrities. The chain quickly expanded and dominated throughout the '90s, culminating in the construction of a giant 500-seater restaurant in Las Vegas in 1994. At the grand opening, 10,000 people watched as famous actors, singers, and even former Presidents walked a red carpet into the restaurant. Alas, the success was short-lived. Not even a decade into business, Planet Hollywood filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Although there are still Planet Hollywood restaurants in operation today, the company's empire is a far cry from its former glory days. While there are plans to open a new one, with updates and changes to hopefully turn the tide, it isn't clear if Planet Hollywood can ever return to its former glory.

The initial secret to Planet Hollywood's success was not necessarily due to the quality of the food but because of the amount of real movie and television props and costumes present inside of the restaurant. Once celebrities started endorsing and advertising the restaurant, Planet Hollywood only got more and more popular. The opening of the Las Vegas location in 1994 further cemented Planet Hollywood in the eyes of the public. From there, the franchise kept growing, reaching a peak of 18 locations total, including one in Disneyland Paris.

However, the good times did not last. The company began to suffer losses as customers complained about paying high prices for lower quality food, as well as less than satisfactory service. Even with all of the celebrity memorabilia on display, diners were not distracted from the subpar eating experience. The most popular and famous Planet Hollywood locations were not safe from these complaints either, eventually leading to the closure of the Las Vegas location in 2023. At first, the company tried to pour the last of its funds into the remaining restaurants to make it a worthy, luxury-style brand, but the downfall only continued. Today, only three Planet Hollywood restaurants are currently in operation. While there are plans to reopen a refurbished and revamped version of the New York City location, the company has yet to recover from its massive losses in the late '90s.