Foster's Hollywood

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Foster's Hollywood
Foster's Hollywood
Company typeSociedad Anónima
IndustryRestaurant
FoundedMadrid (1971 (1971))
FoundersMark Brownstein
Doug Delfeld
Anthony B. Unger
Stephen A. Unger
Headquarters
Madrid
,
Spain
Number of locations
197
Area served
Spain and Portugal
ProductsAmerican food
OwnerZena Restaurants
Websitewww.fostershollywood.es

Foster's Hollywood is a chain of American food restaurants located in Spain and Portugal, whose establishments are characterized as so-called “casual restaurants”, but understood in a foreign culture to be a type of ethnic restaurant, such as Italian or Asian.[1]

History

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The enterprise was founded in 1971 by four young Californians residing in Spain (Mark Brownstein, Douglas Delfeld and the brothers Anthony B. and Stephen A. Unger) all of whom were directly connected to filmmaking and missed authentic American food. In September 1972 the premier restaurant of the chain opened at 1 Magallanes Street in the middle of Madrid.[2][3] and evolved into the first American-style restaurant chain in Spain and one of the first in Europe.[2] A reporter for The New York Times wrote in his review of the establishment that you could probably eat there “the best fried battered onion rings in the world.”[2][3]

The first restaurant was an immediate success. According to the 1973 Los Angeles Times article, "A Star Is Born - Spanish Burgers a la Hollywood": “Seven nights a week the crowds, resembling a lineup at movieland film premiere, queue up” outside Foster’s Hollywood. “As many as 150 Spaniards and tourists alike wait patiently for the maitre d’s signal while an equal number jam the cavernous hamburger haven.” The article continued, “What inspired the California quartet to gamble $1 million on burgers and french fries? In the words of Stephen Unger: ‘We couldn’t find a good American restaurant in Madrid ourselves'."[4]

With this flagship venue, the chain was created and, by 1994, 22 restaurants were successfully serving customers in Spain and Portugal. At that point, the concept was tested in the United States, specifically in Florida. Following an opening in Tampa,[5] six additional locations (two in Tampa, three in Orlando and one in Lakeland) began operating and plans were initiated to open an eighth in Kissimmee. However, the company abruptly changed its strategy and closed all its Florida restaurants during 1996, even though some of those were open less than a year.[6][7]

Recent activity

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Foster's Hollywood restaurant in Portugal

In 1997, the four founders of Foster’s Hollywood were invited to Madrid by the chain's owners — Grupo Zena — to celebrate the enterprise’s 25th anniversary. The event was covered extensively by Spanish print media (El País) as well as national radio and television. By 2012 the chain had 28 restaurants in Madrid alone, with a total of 186 throughout Spain and Portugal.[8] A high proportion of its restaurants are franchises, which are overseen by Grupo Zena and Grupo Alsea.[9]

Every restaurant with the Foster’s Hollywood brand shares the same aesthetic — typically American like “a contemporary update of a Norman Rockwell painting” infused by Hollywood atmosphere and movie mythology, with numerous film posters covering the interior walls. There is a rustic essence with emphasis upon wooden furniture while, on the tables, the chain uses glassware and dishes faithful to American style and its paperware has personalized graphics highlighting promotions and menu specials.[10]

The menu includes Tex-Mex cuisine, roasted ribs, steaks, sandwiches, fresh salads and — as the emblematic and iconic dish for which the chain was established and became famous — hamburgers cooked on the barbecue.[11] Especially characteristic of Foster’s Hollywood is its Halloween celebration, when all the restaurants are elaborately transformed inside and out, which includes the wearing of costumes by the staff.

References

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  1. ^ Enz, Cathy A. (April 7, 2009). Hospitality Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases. John Wiley & Sons. p. 414. ISBN 9780470083598.
  2. ^ a b c Porter, Darwin; Prince, Danforth (2011). Frommer's Spain 2012 (7th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. p. 134. ISBN 9781118101865.
  3. ^ a b Stone, Peter (2011). Frommer's Madrid. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118013069.
  4. ^ Hulse, Jerry (September 23, 1973). "On the Go / A Star Is Born --- Spanish Burgers a la Hollywood". Los Angeles Times, Travel section Part IX.
  5. ^ Hayes, Jack (April 4, 1994). "From Madrid to Tampa... Foster's Hollywood makes debut in US". Nation's Restaurant News. Vol. 28, no. 14. p. 3.
  6. ^ "Follow-up: Foster's Hollywood". Orlando Sentinel. July 30, 1996. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  7. ^ "Hollywood Grill Closes". Lakeland Ledger. October 11, 1996. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  8. ^ Abascal Rojas, Francisco (2003). "Distribución y franquicia: Oportunidades de negocio ante el impacto de la mundialización/globalización" (in Spanish). ESIC Editorial. ISBN 9788473563581. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  9. ^ "Historia de Éxito: Foster's Hollywood, mezcla del genuino sabor americano y la magia del cine" [Success Story: Foster's Hollywood, a Blend of Genuine American Flavor and Film Magic]. Tormo (in Spanish). February 22, 2012. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  10. ^ Benson, Linda B. (Winter 1984). "Far Away in the Hamburger Palace". Dividend: the magazine of the Graduate School of Business Administration --- University of Michigan 15--18, page 16. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  11. ^ Cruz Ruiz, Juan (2010). Distribución y franquicia: Oportunidades de negocio ante el impacto de la mundialización/globalización (in Spanish). Editorial Alfaguara. ISBN 9788420489889.
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