Johnny Rockets Has A Plan To Survive The Mall Apocalypse

Most of Johnny Rockets' restaurants are located in malls and shopping centers.

But as mall traffic declines, Johnny Rockets has a new plan - build drive-thrus and infiltrate drive-in movie theaters, writes Venessa Wong at Bloomberg Businessweek.

Johnny Rockets is a burger chain that is designed to resemble a vintage diner. Servers wear vintage paper hats, and serve up hand-spun milkshakes.

Executives told Businessweek that the drive-thrus will propel sales by offering a more convenient option than sit-down or takeout. The brand has just begun adding this option to restaurants.

Drive-in movie theaters are experiencing a resurgence in America.

The company USA Drive-Ins is planning to open more than 200 drive-in theatres by 2018, writes Venessa Wong at Bloomberg Businessweek. Many of the venues will include Johnny Rockets restaurants.

Malls are hard-hit by closures of anchor stores like Sears and JCPenney.

About 15% of U.S. malls will fail or be converted into non-retail space within the next 10 years, according to Green Street Advisors, a real estate and REIT analytics firm. That's an increase from less than two years ago, when the firm predicted 10% of malls would fail or be converted.