The tiny eatery was completely transformed to resemble the West Beverly gang’s ‘90s hangout. It was the end of an era! Per the Melrose Action website, Johnny Rockets was “the last standing icon of the amazing 80’s era along Melrose Avenue.” The space has remained vacant ever since, aside from the occasional pop-up like the Peach Pit, which was the brainchild of the Fox network and Pop Sugar and ran in conjunction with the premiere of the BH90210 reboot. Unfortunately, when the lease on the Melrose outpost came up for renewal in 2015, a suitable agreement between landlord and tenant could not be reached and the landmark restaurant shuttered on October 26th of that year. By the time he decided to sell the company in 1995, there were more than 60 locations dotted throughout 6 countries! When he passed away in 2000, the chain counted 138 eateries in 25 states and 9 countries! Ronn soon began opening sister sites and offering franchise opportunities. Boasting just twenty counter seats, the site became a fast hit and even had its share of celebrity fans including Milla Jovovich, who dropped by in 1987, Bob Hope and Elizabeth Taylor. Together, they embody the concept of classic Americana and the promise of the future.” You can check out an image of the restaurant from its early days here. The name originated by combining the timeless Johnny Appleseed story with the classic Oldsmobile Rocket 88. Per the Pierce website, “He founded the concept on the belief that everyone deserves a place where they can escape from today’s complicated world and experience the uncomplicated goodness of classic Americana. Established by former fashion merchandiser Ronn Teitelbaum, the tiny Streamline-Moderne eatery was a “non-gimmicky” re-imagining of the diners he visited as a boy in the 1940s, namely Santa Monica’s Incline and West L.A.’s The Apple Pan. The original Johnny Rockets first opened its doors smack dab in the middle of Melrose Avenue on June 6th, 1986. Considering the place boasts ties to both Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff, Melrose Place, though, I figured it was still worthy of a blog. to attend, but the experience wasn’t exactly all I’d hoped for. So I was thrilled when I learned that a Peach Pit pop-up was being held on the premises last fall! I quickly secured a reservation and the Grim Cheaper and I headed into L.A. Though I’d dined there numerous times over the years, I had yet to officially visit it for the purposes of a post when it shuttered unexpectedly in 2015. The site, which was actually the well-known burger chain’s first location, had long been on my To-Stalk List. Such was the case with the Johnny Rockets restaurant on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles’ Fairfax District. Stalking opportunities sometimes get away from me.