The Peach Pit Pop-Up

Stalking opportunities sometimes get away from me.  Such was the case with the Johnny Rockets restaurant on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles’ Fairfax District.  The site, which was actually the well-known burger chain’s first location, had long been on my To-Stalk List.  Though I’d dined there numerous times over the years, I had yet to officially visit it for the purposes of a post when it shuttered unexpectedly in 2015.  So I was thrilled when I learned that a Peach Pit pop-up was being held on the premises last fall!  I quickly secured a reservation and the Grim Cheaper and I headed into L.A. to attend, but the experience wasn’t exactly all I’d hoped for.  Considering the place boasts ties to both Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff, Melrose Place, though, I figured it was still worthy of a blog.

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The original Johnny Rockets first opened its doors smack dab in the middle of Melrose Avenue on June 6th, 1986.  Established by former fashion merchandiser Ronn Teitelbaum, the tiny Streamline-Moderne eatery was a “non-gimmicky” re-imagining of the diners he visited as a boy in the 1940s, namely Santa Monica’s Incline and West L.A.’s The Apple Pan.  Per the Pierce website, “He founded the concept on the belief that everyone deserves a place where they can escape from today’s complicated world and experience the uncomplicated goodness of classic Americana.  The name originated by combining the timeless Johnny Appleseed story with the classic Oldsmobile Rocket 88.  Together, they embody the concept of classic Americana and the promise of the future.”  You can check out an image of the restaurant from its early days here.  Boasting just twenty counter seats, the site became a fast hit and even had its share of celebrity fans including Milla Jovovich, who dropped by in 1987, Bob Hope and Elizabeth Taylor.  Ronn soon began opening sister sites and offering franchise opportunities.  By the time he decided to sell the company in 1995, there were more than 60 locations dotted throughout 6 countries!  When he passed away in 2000, the chain counted 138 eateries in 25 states and 9 countries!

Unfortunately, when the lease on the Melrose outpost came up for renewal in 2015, a suitable agreement between landlord and tenant could not be reached and the landmark restaurant shuttered on October 26th of that year.  It was the end of an era!  Per the Melrose Action website, Johnny Rockets was “the last standing icon of the amazing 80’s era along Melrose Avenue.”  The space has remained vacant ever since, aside from the occasional pop-up like the Peach Pit, which was the brainchild of the Fox network and Pop Sugar and ran in conjunction with the premiere of the BH90210 reboot.

The tiny eatery was completely transformed to resemble the West Beverly gang’s ‘90s hangout.

Memorabilia and cast images were everywhere, along with the familiar vinyl record wall decorations!

There was even a loving tribute to Luke Perry.

And the employees were all decked out in traditional Peach Pit garb.

The photo opportunities were endless.

But while things looked pretty good from afar . . .

. . . upon closer inspection, it became obvious the set-up was rather janky.

No part of it was executed particularly well.

It seemed kind of just thrown together, not to mention dirty (as evidenced below).

We visited during the end of the pop-up’s run and things were definitely falling apart.  The tile floor in the main dining area was actually just some sort of vinyl adhesive and it was apparent from the peeling and rips that high heels had taken their toll on it throughout the six weeks the place was in operation.  (You can see some of said peeling in the bottom left of the pic below.)

The food choices were also extremely limited, with a total of only seven food offerings.  And there wasn’t a French fry to be found!  I can only imagine what Nat would say!  The prices weren’t cheap, either.  Including the cost of admission, we spent about $110 to experience the Peach Pit pop-up and I can’t say it was really worth it.

To be fair, the Peach Pit was originally supposed to run for three days only, but it proved so popular that Fox and Pop Sugar handed over the reins to the team behind the Saved by the Bell-inspired pop-up Saved by the Max who extended things an additional six weeks.  I don’t think the space was built to withstand that much time.

And I know it must sound like I’m nitpicking here, but I wasn’t the only one.  I can’t tell you the number of people I overheard at nearby tables expressing dismay at how poorly executed the whole thing was.  Several of my neighbors had been to Saved by the Max and were shocked at how much the Peach Pit paled by comparison.  One party even asked for their money back upon entering and taking a look at the menu.

Nevertheless, the space was chock full of nostalgia and I don’t regret my visit for a moment – though I can’t say I’d feel comfortable recommending my fellow stalkers shell out $100+ to attend if the pop-up ever re-opens.

It is pretty fortuitous that the original Johnny Rockets was chosen as the site of the pop-up being that Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestley) drove Sheryl (Paula Irvine) by the restaurant while sightseeing in the Season 1 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 titled “The First Time,” which aired in 1990.  Amazingly, despite the passage of three decades (say whaaat?) and a change in paint color, the place is still very recognizable from its cameo.  But that’s not the eatery’s only 90210 connection!

Jason also posed for photographer Jonathan Exley at the Melrose Place Johnny Rockets in 1991.

I remember my thirteen-year-old self first seeing the spread in a teen magazine and knowing instantly that the shoot took place at a Johnny Rockets, though I was unclear which one.  When I first visited the Melrose outpost years later, I recognized it immediately and couldn’t have been more thrilled!

But wait, there’s one more Beverly Hills, 90210 tie!  The burger joint was also featured weekly in the opening credits of the show’s 1992 spinoff, Melrose Place, which you can watch here.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking! 

Stalk It: The Peach Pit Pop-up, aka the original Johnny Rockets from “The First Time” episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 and the Melrose Place opening credits, was formerly located at 7507 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles’ Fairfax District.  Sadly, both the restaurant and the pop-up are now closed.