Official All Star Café
Official All Star Café was a defunct sports-themed restaurant chain developed by Planet Hollywood and backed by prominent professional athletes.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Official All Star Café was a sports-themed restaurant chain developed by Planet Hollywood International during the 1990s expansion of celebrity-backed themed dining. Rather than presenting itself as a conventional coffee shop, the concept combined restaurant service, sports memorabilia, professional-athlete celebrity participation, and the sale of sports merchandise and souvenirs. Its food offering was promoted as “stadium cuisine,” linking the brand to the familiar concessions and casual dishes associated with major sporting venues. Planet Hollywood recruited a group of high-profile athletes to invest in or support the concept. The participants identified in reference material were Wayne Gretzky, Joe Montana, Shaquille O’Neal, Ken Griffey Jr., Andre Agassi, and Monica Seles. Their involvement gave the chain a strong association with professional sports and was intended to provide the same kind of celebrity appeal that supported Planet Hollywood’s movie-themed restaurants. The brand’s identity therefore rested on a combination of recognizable sports figures, memorabilia-heavy interiors, and a retail component extending beyond meals. The first Official All Star Café opened in Times Square, New York City, on December 18, 1995. This location placed the brand in one of the world’s most heavily visited entertainment and tourism districts. In 1996, the chain added locations in Cancún, Mexico, and at the Showcase Mall on the Las Vegas Strip. The choice of New York, Cancún, and Las Vegas reflected a strategy centered on tourist destinations and high-traffic entertainment markets rather than a broad neighborhood-restaurant network. The concept was also connected to wider hospitality and entertainment-development plans. In September 1997, Planet Hollywood International announced a joint venture to develop an Official All Star Hotel. The proposed project involved Planet Hollywood International, Vornado Realty Trust, and Hotel Properties, Limited, with plans to renovate New York’s Hotel Pennsylvania over a two-year period. The hotel was expected to use the Official All Star name and generate trademark royalties through merchandise sales and room rates. The project did not proceed: the plans were halted by the middle of 1999 after Planet Hollywood sold its interest to a New Jersey-based real estate investment trust. From 1997 through 2001, Official All Star Café locations were planned or operated alongside Planet Movies by AMC entertainment complexes at selected United States sites. The brand also opened a location at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in 1997, the year that complex opened. These arrangements represented attempts to embed the restaurant in larger entertainment destinations and broaden its reach without relying solely on standalone venues. The chain’s expansion coincided with a weakening market for large themed restaurants. By December 1998, Planet Hollywood was reorganizing and had placed Official All Star Café up for sale; a proposed Chicago location was canceled. Planet Hollywood’s first bankruptcy filing, on October 11, 1999, led to the closure of one location, leaving nine corporate locations according to the cited reference. After Planet Hollywood exited bankruptcy, Disney offered to purchase the restaurant at its sports complex in February 2000. The last known Official All Star Café, at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, closed on September 23, 2007. The brand is therefore defunct, with its history primarily representing the rise and contraction of celebrity-led, destination-oriented themed restaurants in the 1990s and 2000s.
History
Official All Star Café emerged from Planet Hollywood International’s 1990s strategy of developing celebrity-centered themed restaurants. Whereas Planet Hollywood used film memorabilia and movie-star associations, Official All Star Café applied a similar destination-restaurant formula to professional sports. Planet Hollywood recruited Wayne Gretzky, Joe Montana, Shaquille O’Neal, Ken Griffey Jr., Andre Agassi, and Monica Seles to invest in or support the concept. Their participation supplied the brand with recognizable athlete associations and helped distinguish it from ordinary sports bars and casual restaurants. The chain’s restaurant format emphasized “stadium cuisine,” a casual food concept modeled on the food culture of sporting venues. Restaurants also sold professional sports merchandise and souvenirs, making retail an important part of the customer experience. The combination of food, memorabilia, celebrity endorsements, and merchandise was designed to appeal particularly to tourists and sports fans. The first restaurant opened in Times Square, New York City, on December 18, 1995. In 1996, the chain expanded to Cancún and the Showcase Mall on the Las Vegas Strip. These locations were consistent with a tourism-focused growth model: each was situated in a major destination market with substantial visitor traffic and an established entertainment economy. In 1997, the brand was extended into broader entertainment and hospitality planning. Official All Star Café operated at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex during the complex’s opening year, and from 1997 through 2001 Official All Star Café locations were planned or operated alongside Planet Movies by AMC entertainment complexes at selected United States sites. These arrangements sought to place the brand within larger leisure destinations and use partnerships to expand its footprint. Planet Hollywood also announced an Official All Star Hotel joint venture on September 25, 1997. The venture was formed by Planet Hollywood International, Vornado Realty Trust, and Hotel Properties, Limited, with the stated intention of renovating New York’s Hotel Pennsylvania over two years. Planet Hollywood would have received royalties for use of the Official All Star name, calculated in relation to merchandise sales and hotel room rates. The project was not completed. By mid-1999, Planet Hollywood had sold its stake and the hotel plans were halted. The restaurant chain faced difficulties as consumer enthusiasm for large themed restaurants declined. During Planet Hollywood’s reorganization in December 1998, Official All Star Café was placed up for sale, and plans for a Chicago restaurant were canceled. Planet Hollywood’s bankruptcy filing on October 11, 1999, further weakened the network and caused one location to close. The cited historical account describes nine corporate locations remaining after that closure. Following Planet Hollywood’s exit from bankruptcy, Disney offered in February 2000 to purchase the restaurant at its sports complex. The Wide World of Sports location became the final known Official All Star Café. It closed on September 23, 2007, marking the end of the chain. No continuing corporate operation, successor chain, or current official website is identified in the available reference material. The brand’s historical significance lies in its role as a sports-oriented counterpart to Planet Hollywood and as an example of the rise, expansion, and eventual contraction of celebrity-backed themed dining concepts.
- 2007
Final location closes
[1]The last known location, at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, closed on September 23.
- 1999
Bankruptcy-related contraction
[1]Planet Hollywood filed for bankruptcy, and one Official All Star Café location closed.
- 1998
Chain placed for sale
[1]Planet Hollywood placed Official All Star Café up for sale during a corporate reorganization; a planned Chicago location was canceled.
- 1997
Disney sports-complex location opens
[1]An Official All Star Café opened at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex during the complex’s opening year.
- 1997
Official All Star Hotel venture announced
[1]Planet Hollywood International announced a joint venture for a proposed Official All Star Hotel.
- 1996
First expansion outside New York
[1]Locations opened in Cancún and at the Showcase Mall on the Las Vegas Strip.
- 1995
First restaurant opens in Times Square
[1]The first Official All Star Café opened in Times Square, New York City, on December 18.
Products and positioning
A destination sports-entertainment restaurant combining stadium-inspired casual food, athlete celebrity associations, sports memorabilia, and merchandise retail.
Restaurant food · 1995
Stadium cuisine
The chain’s food concept was described as “stadium cuisine,” connecting casual restaurant dishes with the food traditionally associated with professional sporting venues. The available reference does not provide a complete menu or identify individual signature dishes.
Sports retail · 1995
Professional sports merchandise
Official All Star Café locations sold professional sports merchandise and souvenirs. This retail component extended the brand beyond food service and supported its positioning as a sports-themed visitor attraction.
Themed hospitality · 1995
Sports-themed restaurant experience
The restaurants combined sports associations, memorabilia, athlete participation, casual dining, and merchandise. The experience was intended to function as an entertainment destination for tourists and sports fans rather than simply as a conventional café.
Brand decisions
2000
Disney offer for the sports-complex restaurantM&ABackground
After Planet Hollywood exited bankruptcy, the Official All Star Café at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex remained an identifiable operating location.
Action taken
Disney offered to purchase the location in February 2000.
Aftermath
The available reference does not specify whether the proposed purchase was completed. The location ultimately closed in 2007.
1998
Chain placed on the marketStrategyBackground
The novelty of large themed restaurants was weakening while Planet Hollywood was reorganizing.
Action taken
Planet Hollywood placed Official All Star Café up for sale and canceled plans for a Chicago location.
Aftermath
The chain subsequently contracted amid Planet Hollywood’s financial difficulties and bankruptcy proceedings.
1997
Pursuit of an Official All Star HotelStrategyBackground
Planet Hollywood sought to extend the restaurant brand into lodging and announced a joint venture involving Vornado Realty Trust and Hotel Properties, Limited.
Action taken
The partners proposed renovating New York’s Hotel Pennsylvania into an Official All Star Hotel. Planet Hollywood was expected to receive trademark royalties linked to merchandise sales and room rates.
Aftermath
The plans were halted by mid-1999 after Planet Hollywood sold its stake in the venture.
Recent events
- 2007
Last Official All Star Café closes[1]
Other
The final known location, at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, closed on September 23, 2007, ending the brand’s restaurant operations.
- 2000
Disney offers to purchase the Wide World of Sports location[1]
M&A
After Planet Hollywood emerged from bankruptcy, Disney offered to purchase the Official All Star Café located at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.
- 1999
Planet Hollywood bankruptcy leads to a location closure[1]
Bankruptcy
Planet Hollywood International’s first bankruptcy filing on October 11, 1999, resulted in the closure of one Official All Star Café location.
- 1999
Official All Star Hotel plans are halted[1]
M&A
The proposed Official All Star Hotel project was halted by mid-1999 after Planet Hollywood sold its interest in the development venture.
- 1998
Planet Hollywood places Official All Star Café up for sale[1]
Other
As the novelty of large themed restaurants weakened and Planet Hollywood reorganized, the parent company placed the Official All Star Café chain up for sale and canceled plans for a Chicago location.
- 1997
Planet Hollywood announces Official All Star Hotel joint venture[1]
M&A · Other
Planet Hollywood International announced a joint venture to develop an Official All Star Hotel through a proposed renovation of New York’s Hotel Pennsylvania.
- 1996
Official All Star Café expands to Cancún and Las Vegas[1]
Other
The chain added restaurants in Cancún and at the Showcase Mall on the Las Vegas Strip, extending its presence into two major tourism and entertainment markets.
- 1995
First Official All Star Café opens in Times Square[1]
Other
The first Official All Star Café opened in New York City’s Times Square on December 18, establishing the brand’s flagship location and its sports-themed restaurant format.
Sources1 sources
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