First, Johnny Rockets must weather the storm that is the pandemic. Under the umbrella of FAT Brands, it may be better equipped to do so. Wiederhorn emphasized that FAT's business model is based on acquiring and merging brands' back-of-house and corporate operations to save costs.
"By having one back office, one legal department, one accounting department, one purchasing department, there's a lot of savings there," Wiederhorn said.
That doesn't mean that other FAT Brands will cannibalize Johnny Rockets. Johnny Rockets will remain a separate brand, but will start sharing resources with other FAT brands like Fatburger, Elevation Burger, and others. Wiederhorn said that largely things will stay the same. However, Johnny Rockets guests should expect some new menu items in the near future.
"We do plan to innovate the menu by adding plant-based proteins and vegan milkshakes," Wiederhorn said. "But it's a great, well-known brand, it's iconic, and it doesn't need to be fixed too much here."
Wiederhorn confirmed that he plans to add Impossible burgers and Daiya vegan dairy products, which are already served at Fatburger, to Johnny Rockets' menu.