Johnny Rockets

October 10, 2008 - 11:36 AM
Today staff

Brittany Woodruff/Today staff
Heather Delander, a server at Johnny Rockets at The Shoppes at Norterra in Phoenix, stands with some popular menu items, from top, strawberry shake, the “Original” hamburger, onion rings, cheese fries and a chicken club.

ADDRESS: The Shoppes at Norterra, 2510 W. Happy Valley Road, Suite 125, Phoenix; 9390 W. Hanna Drive in Westgate City Center, Glendale; 10220 W. McDowell Road, Avondale; 7700 W. Arrowhead Center in Arrowhead Towne Center, Glendale.

PHONE NUMBER: Call 623-582-9755 for Norterra, 623-877-2977 for Westgate City Center, 623-643-9222 for Avondale or 623-487-3524 for Arrowhead Towne Center.

HOURS: Vary by location. For Norterra, the hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

OWNER: Richard Riva; Karey Robinson, general manager.

CUISINE: All-American fare.

OPEN SINCE: Norterra opened in July. The J. Rockets Enterprises LLC franchise opened its first location in Avondale in December 2004.

SEATS: 92-150, depending on location.

WEB SITE: www.johnnyrockets.com.

SPECIALTY OF THE HOUSE: Juicy "Original" hamburger; hand-dipped shakes and malts.

POPULAR LUNCH ENTREÉ: Original with All-American fries.

POPULAR DINNER ENTREÉ: Rockets Single with chili cheese fries.

POPULAR DESSERT: Super Sundae.

AVAILABLE FOR: Dine in, take out and accommodate large parties.

PRICE RANGE: $5 to $8.

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW: Johnny Rockets is an international restaurant chain that provides the food, fun and friendliness reminiscent of feel-good Americana. On June 6, 1986, the first Johnny Rockets opened on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. The restaurant teams with local schools and organizations for fund-raisers, with 20 percent of the day's sales going toward the school or group.

UNIQUE TIDBITS: Every original Johnny Rockets restaurant serves up favorites including juicy hamburgers, classic sandwiches and hand-dipped shakes and malts. Guests also enjoy an all-American look and feel, tabletop jukeboxes and authentic décor. Servers dance for the crowd every hour and dole out a couple of nickels for the jukebox.

SPECIALS: Johnny Rockets teams with Harkins and AMC movie theaters to offer meal-and-a-movie deals, where diners can receive discounted movie passes. Military with ID receive a 50 percent discount and seniors receive 10 percent off.

FUTURE PLANS: The Norterra location plans to build a patio, which the other three locations have, in the near future. The chain also plans to open a restaurant in Goodyear next year and in Surprise by 2010, after the Harkins Theater is built.

SLOGAN: "Johnny Rockets...Where the Good Times Roll!"

Do you know of a great restaurant in the West Valley you'd like to see in our Dining Out feature? Call Brittany Woodruff, 623-876-2527, or e-mail bwoodruff@yourwestvalley.com.