Gene Simmons to open concert-themed restaurant chain
Gene Simmons is the latest celebrity to join American rocker Jon Bon Jovi and actors Mark and Donnie Wahlberg to parlay his fame into the restaurant business.
Simmons, the frontman for hard rock metal band KISS, has lent his name to a new restaurant venture called Rock & Brews Beer Garden which will be set in an outdoor patio and beer garden, built to simulate the backstage experience at a rock concert with concert lighting, retractable projection screens and speakers for a 360-degree experience.
The chain will serve casual American fare that starts with ‘Opening Acts' like Rock'n Hot Wings, salads like the Woodstock Wedge with iceberg lettuce, bacon and blue cheese dressing, and pizzas 'Any Way You Want It.'
The bar menu will include hundreds of craft beers including lagers, pilsners, Belgian, dark, and pale ales, as well as red and white wines.
The first eatery is slated to open south of the Los Angeles International Airport in El Segundo, California, with more locations in the works for Maui, Hawaii, Denver, Atlanta, Tokyo, and Los Cabos Mexico in the coming years.
Simmons has become a savvy entrepreneur, turning the star power of KISS into a powerful brand that includes everything from wine, comics, mugs, drinkware and clothing apparel.
Similarly, brothers Mark and Donnie Wahlberg capitalized on their star and pun-powered surname to open a burger joint named Wahlburgers in Hingham, Massachusetts, while rocker Jon Bon Jovi opened a pay-what-you-can bistro for the hard-up, called Soul Kitchen.
Rock & Brews in Los Angeles is slated for an April 3 opening.
