Why Planet Hollywood Is Down To Just 2 Surviving Restaurants

Planet Hollywood holds a special place in my heart. I visited multiple times in my teenage years and was lucky enough to spot several celebrities there. While having lunch at the location in Los Angeles, Sugar Ray Leonard was there and so was Matthew Glave. Before this occasion, my mom and I stumbled upon the opening of Planet Hollywood in San Diego where we cheered for Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and more A-listers who showed up. Planet Hollywood saw tremendous success before crumbling to near non-existence within a decade. At its peak, there were over 60 Planet Hollywood locations peppered around the world. Today, there are only two left: one in New York City and one at Disney Springs in Florida.

The chain was just one of a slew of themed, novelty restaurants that sprung up in the 1990s. Similar to Hard Rock Cafe but with a movie theme, Planet Hollywood locations boasted authentic film props, costumes, and cheekily-named dishes. Many found the food to be mediocre and overpriced, but I'll never forget how delicious their Cap'n Crunch-coated chicken fingers were.

Part of the downfall was that the restaurants were expensive to open.  For the most part, customers rarely spotted an on-site celeb. The company expanded so rapidly that when people stopped showing up, the company was left with a lot of expensive restaurants to run and little cash coming in. Planet Hollywood filed for bankruptcy in 1999, 2001, and most recently in May 2025. The company bought Buca di Beppo in 2008, an Italian chain that's faded away.

When you look at the remaining two Planet Hollywood locations, they don't look like they're scaling back spending. Of course, Times Square and Disney World (where they're located) aren't exactly the types of locations to scale down a restaurant. These places are big, bright, and loud; clearly clamoring for the mighty tourist dollar. The Disney Springs, Florida location is four stories tall, with lots of indoor and outdoor seating and signature dishes created by Guy Fieri. There are giant screens indoors to provide constant entertainment for guests. The menu is slightly different from the New York location, including things like neon-colored, candy-filled milkshakes  that fit the overstimulating atmosphere of a place like Disney.

According to its website, Planet Hollywood in Times Square promises to be "an electrifying, out-of-this-world dining experience." Giant, floor-to-ceiling screens surround you as you dive into those Cap'n Crunch chicken fingers, which are now called "World Famous Chicken Crunch." (The cereal happens to be Pedro Pascal's favorite.) As of July 2025, the New York location is featuring a limited menu with dishes and drinks priced at 1991 menu prices. This means "Terminator" cocktails for $9.91, chips and queso for $5.95, and Hollywood Club Sandwiches for $8.95 along with the larger menu at normal prices. These Planet Hollywood restaurants certainly have ample foot traffic to tempt, but only time will tell if the company can make a comeback or if they'll be the last casualties of what was once a star-studded empire.