How Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Capitalized On A '90s Movie To Become An International Seafood Chain

The Bubba Gump Shrimp Company might be the only restaurant chain in the country where the chicken or egg question — which came first? — is relevant to its origins. Was it the shrimp-focused seafood restaurant with its Pier-style facade or the popular Academy Award-winning 1994 film "Forrest Gump"?

If you've ever been to one of Bubba Gump's 38 global locations, you'd probably guess that the restaurant chain followed the movie's success due to the film-inspired menu and paraphernalia, and you'd be right. Bubba Gump Shrimp was originally dreamt up by "Forrest Gump" author Winston Groom, although in the 1986 book, Forrest starts off by raising shrimps in Vietnam. When Hollywood later adapted the book into a film, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. was born as a shrimp restaurant started by Forrest Gump in honor of a friend who convinced him to go into the shrimp business. 

A year after the film's release, the real-life "Bubba Gump Shrimp Co." was founded by seafood entrepreneur Anthony Zolezzi after he purchased the rights to the name from Paramount Pictures, the studio behind "Forrest Gump."

Anthony Zolezzi was no shrimp interloper trying to make a quick buck off a memorable Hollywood blockbuster. Zolezzi was born into a family of San Diego fishermen going back to his great-grandfather, who started off fishing for cod. 

The San Diego Embarcadero -– once home to the largest tuna fleet in the world — was where Zolezzi honed his fishing skills and business acumen. Zolezzi started young: As he once related to a CBS affiliate in his hometown, "When I turned 12, that's when my dad predetermined that I go fishing." For Zolezzi, there was never any doubt that "I was going to become a fisherman. The whole family was that way." 

Although he moved to dry land, no longer reeling in fish himself, Zolezzi stayed in the seafood industry. His love for the trade of fishing is chronicled in his memoir, "Uncharted Waters, Boat to Boardroom; Lessons that I've Learned," a tribute to the port life that shaped him. Zolezzi credits the lessons he learned on his father's fishing boat for his later success in the seafood industry.

As a young man, Zolezzi oversaw the retail seafood company Meridian Products, a shrimp importer that sold several frozen varieties of the prawn. The business, however, was struggling financially. One major problem for Zolezzi was the lack of a recognizable brand, which is a common reality across the industry. The margins on frozen prepackaged seafood are notoriously thin, leaving little budget for advertising. 

Without a marketing budget, there isn't much of an opportunity to distinguish your products from competitors. Seafood packages on the supermarket aisle often end up looking the same. Thus there is little by way of brand recognition to entice consumers to opt for one company over another.

But upon seeing "Forrest Gump," Zolezzi had the perfect answer to save his struggling business: The brand was already swimming in the cultural zeitgeist, all he needed to do was catch it.

Zolezzi recognized that if he could label his products with the Bubba Gump Shrimp name, he would be able to tap into a recognizable and positively associated brand name, one crafted on the big screen. 

In "Forrest Gump," the titular character opens up the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant in honor of his late friend and brother-in-arms, Private Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue, who was killed in the Vietnam War in front of Forrest. Bubba memorably praises the versatility of shrimp to Forrest: "Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it."

The affecting wartime friendship between Forrest and Bubba, Forrest's suspenseful hunt for shrimp during a hurricane, and the eventual Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant scenes made the Bubba Gump drama one of the more salient features of the film, one that audiences could be expected to remember. 

Zolezzi reached out to Paramount Pictures, and after the studio agreed to license the name "Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.," Zolezzi began selling his prepackaged shrimp products with the logo in supermarkets both domestic and international.

The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. wasn't the only business venture founded by Zolezzi based on fictional characters and settings. By the mid-90s, Zolezzi had successfully turned around three major companies worth at least $500 million and launched the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., but while Zolezzi was "on a roll," as he put it, the bewildering success was "making me somebody I wasn't sure I wanted to be." Feeling alienated from the part of him that prioritized the well-being of people and the health of the planet, Zolezzi decided that organic architecture was the path back to his roots. 

Concerned about the chemicals in children's food, Zolezzi went back to Paramount to license the Busytown characters created by author and illustrator Richard Scarry. Busytown characters were branded on organic graham crackers, and the initial business took off, until a customer call about the taste of the crackers led Zolezzi to order a taste test on all company samples. The rancid oil was unmistakable; it was an accident that proved costly and forced the company to shut down.

Beyond the financial losses, Zolezzi worried that the rancid oil taste would put off children from eating organic again. But he did see a silver lining: He's called the experience his "humble pie" that prevented him from becoming just another "arrogant and sanctimonious CEO." Zolezzi's efforts to improve childhood eating met better success when he convinced Starbucks to carry Horizon Organic strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla milk. 

In 1996, a friend approached Zolezzi about starting a restaurant business with the Bubba Gump moniker. Zolezzi reached out to Paramount for a joint venture, but the studio was initially reluctant due to the involvement of a third business partner, which was eventually swapped for the Paramount-approved Rusty Pelican restaurant. The tripartite collaboration led to the first Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant in Monterey, California.

True to inspiration, the restaurant pays homage to "Forrest Gump" in its menu items named after some of the film's characters. There's Jenny's Salmon & Shrimp (named after Forrest's childhood sweetheart and mother of Forrest's child and namesake) and Mama Gump's Garlic Bread Basket, and Lt. Dan's Pork Ribs & Shrimp.

Naturally, Forrest Gump himself is going to feature in the menu and does so with the Forrest's Seafood Feast. The entree consists of fish and chips, fried shrimp, seafood hush pups, fries, coleslaw, tartar sauce, remoulade sauce, and cocktail sauce and comes in at a hefty 1650 calories.

Playing on the film's recurring running motif, guests can signal their server by displaying a "Stop Forrest Stop" sign or flip the sign to the even more iconic line — "Run Forrest Run" — if they don't wish to be bothered. 

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurants also serve a Run Across America Sampler in a nod to Forrest's cross-country run, another one of the film's memorable moments. The sample features "Fried Shrimp, Seafood Hush Pups, Chicken Tenders, Queso Dip, Tortilla Chips, Dipping Sauces," and at 1720 calories, guests will likely be so stuffed after devouring it, they won't be doing any running for a while.

And while the menu is heavy on shrimp, the chain also serves Southern and Cajun cuisine in honor of Forrest and Bubba's Alabama heritage. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. also hosts a "Forrest Gump" movie trivia night. And movie memorabilia abounds around the restaurant, along with a small storefront where customers can buy movie-related merchandise, including, of course, a box of chocolates magnet.

The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. has fared much better than most novelty restaurants. Its stateside success has led to an international franchise in Japan, Mexico, Indonesia, Qatar, China, and Canada. There are currently 22 locations in the United States and 16 globally. 

It might seem like a modest success, but in many ways it bucks the trend of similar film-inspired dining destinations. Infamously, Planet Hollywood, which was bankrolled by action hero stars Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, quickly lost luster after its 1991 New York City debut. By 1999, the chain filed for bankruptcy, and as of writing, is down to just two locations from its peak of over 60 worldwide.

Not surprisingly, given its shrimp and seafood menu, the restaurant chain is particularly popular at or near seaside destinations. California and Florida each host five locations, and all of Mexico's four locations reside at sun-and-surf destinations Cancun and Puerto Vallarta.

It might come as a surprise that the actor whose character inspired the restaurant in "Forrest Gump," which in turn inspired the real-life Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., has never visited any of the restaurants or been invited to officially collaborate with the restaurant, at least beyond a photo-op appearance. 

Speaking on the Still Here Hollywood Podcast with Steve Kmetko, the actor Mykelti Williamson related that he had never been, by his estimation, "properly invited" to the restaurant chain. Williamson argued that such an invitation should be an opportunity to create a "union" and "value" between the chain and himself, and not a quick drop-in for marketing purposes.

Williamson, conveying his feeling that he has not been given his proper due, further added that "what I brought to the screen was not on the page. It wasn't even close," and that the restaurant chain has never presented a genuine opportunity to recognize what he "helped create."

The actor Tom Hanks, whose role as Forrest Gump won him his second Academy Award for Best Actor, has also stated that he has never been to a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant. No one who worked on the film — neither the director, screenwriter, producers, nor actors — has been involved in any official capacity with the restaurant chain. Only Paramount Pictures has ever financially benefited from the name. 

Nevertheless, Tom Hanks has expressed his affection for the restaurant's homage to the film via its menu and memorabilia. While Hanks is unlikely to be seen at any location, guests are known to snap selfies with a wall poster of Hank-as-Forrest.

There is one Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant connection with Hanks, however, that goes beyond the movie. The actor has previously told an amusing anecdote about how a bank branch in Manhattan that refused to cash his unemployment check when he was a struggling actor is now a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. location.

Despite its association with one of the most popular movies of all time and its modest but notable success, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. remains a small fish in the big pond of the seafood restaurant industry, which is crowded with numerous chains, franchises, and local favorites. 

Despite its recent troubles, Red Lobster, for instance, remains the reigning behemoth of national seafood dining. With over 500 locations, it is the top fish. Another seafood stalwart is Long John Silver's, which has nearly 400 locations worldwide.

With just under 40 locations, of which 22 are in the United States, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant chain has a long way to go before it catches up with industry leaders and competitors.  Its 2010 acquisition by entertainment, dining, and hospitality giant Landry's, Inc. might provide the capital necessary for greater expansion. Moreover, unlike most seafood chains, which often appear similar to one another, Bubba Gump has a more distinguishable and quirky brand identity.

Restaurant chains tend to be the bane of critics but beloved by regular customers, especially families, looking for comfort food in a casual setting. The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. is no exception. Its restaurant in New York City's Times Square has a solid 4.2 out of 5 rating on TripAdvisor with over 14,000 reviewers. As one might expect, the shrimp options were the standout for many customers, with one reviewer posting that the "Fried shrimp [is] on point."

A Yelp aggregate score based on over 22,000 reviews across 22 locations has a slightly lower rating of 3 out of 5 stars. Other reviewers have been less than impressed.

TastingTable ranks Bubba Gump 17 out of 19 seafood chains and criticizes the menu for its alleged "fresh-from-the-freezer taste," and the online restaurant critic "the picky glutton" gave the London, U.K. location 2 out of 5 stars and dubbed it a "cynical tourist trap theme park."

Bubba Gump's Hollywood story did not end with "Forrest Gump." Hollywood action star Chris Pratt of "Guardians of the Galaxy" and the "Jurassic World" franchise fame got his lucky break while working as a waiter at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

In 2000, the then-19-year-old Pratt was living out of a van parked at the beach when he found himself serving the Canadian-American actress and director Rae Dawn Chong. Impressed by his good looks and charisma, she offered to cast him in her upcoming short horror film "Cursed Part 3." Four days later, Pratt was in Los Angeles in a major career shift. 

Appearing on "Live with Kelly and Ryan," Pratt told the audience he was awarded "Gumper of the Year" by the restaurant for successfully executing corporate etiquette, such as greeting customers 60 seconds after they'd sat. Now that's a work ethic that would make Forrest proud.