Headquarters Ottawa | Founded 1991 | |
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Website www.rockinjohnnysdiner.com Type of business Restaurant chain, franchiser | ||
Rockin' Johnny's Diner is a Canadian restaurant chain themed to North American popular culture of the 1950s. It operates in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Contents
1990s: inception
The company was founded in Ottawa, Ontario by brothers Enzo and Jack Mastromattei who envisioned a chain of family restaurants which would capture the essence of the stereotypical Canadian/American mid-century diner, e.g., homemade food, period-themed music and decor, etc.
The first Rockin' Johnny's Diner opened in Ottawa's Westgate Shopping Centre in June 1991. A second was opened in the Hazeldean Mall in Kanata the following year. 1997 saw the opening of the first franchise in Ottawa's Brittania area.
2000s: decline
By 2002, seven Rockin' Johnny's locations were listed on the company's official website. Two of these were closed in 2003, and a third location in the Hazeldean Mall was relocated to Hazeldean Road the following year. The song "Don't Be Cruel" by Elvis Presley played on the splash screen of Rockin' Johnny's Diner. In the late 2000s, the Orleans restaurant was closed. The Britannia Plaza location closed in 2009 due to an arson of the plaza with no connection to Rockin' Johnny's Diner. Rockin' Johnny's finished the decade with only three stores remaining
2010s: further closings
Rockin' Johnny's closed its St. Laurent Boulevard location in 2012.
Locations
At its peak, Rockin' Johnny's had seven locations in Ottawa. Only two remain open today, one of them being a relocated restaurant:
Former locations
Trademark infringement
Johnny Rockets sued Rockin' Johnny's Diner for its very similar restaurant name and concept. Johnny Rockets has Canadian locations, but not in Ottawa.