Dave Furano, Dell Furano, Gene Simmons, Mike Zsilis and Paul Stanley make up the Rock and Brews founding team.
The first thing Paul Stanley has people try when they walk into a Rock & Brews for the first time is the pretzels.
“There’s nothing that compares to our pretzel,” said the KISS co-founder and Rock & Brews partner. At least, not in the U.S., since they fly in their pretzels from Germany because they haven’t found any in the States that are as good as a real Bavarian pretzel.
That attention to quality food goes beyond just the pretzels and extends to the 80-100 craft beers from local microbreweries on the Rock & Brews menu, which was developed by Michael Zsilis. The restaurateur has opened a number of high-end establishments and brought the same expectations to this venture, including sourcing local bakeries for daily deliveries of fresh-baked bread items.
“I know this sounds crazy, but when you hand cut rye bread, you can make a real great pastrami sandwich,” said Zsilis. “To me, it’s always about the hamburger bun on the burger and the rye bread on the pastrami sandwich, so we interview a lot of local bakeries, because we want that delivery every day. We charge a little more. We don’t have the $5 burger, we have the $10 burger, but fresh-ground, Angus-certified beef, never frozen, and vine-ripened tomatoes; they all make a difference.”
Fellow Rock & Brews founders include KISS band mate, Gene Simmons and Dave and Dell Furano, who are in charge of the business side of the venture. From the beginning they set out to create a family-friendly experience that didn’t skimp on quality and was built on the foundation of rock and roll. The first restaurant location opened in El Segundo, Calif., in 2012 and has rapidly grown to 15 locations, the latest of which opened in The Colony, Texas, on March 14.
“The first time I walked into a complete Rock & Brews, to me it was just a matter of time,” said Stanley. “When things are that right, when the combination of food and service, atmosphere, décor are all in keeping and constant, it’s just a matter of word of mouth. It might have been quicker than I expected and, at this point, our biggest challenge is to hold on to the reins and not get greedy and not lose sight of what we created.”
One piece of business, Zsilis said wasn’t necessarily part of the plan at the start is Rock & Brews expansion into airports and arenas. With two locations at LAX, Los Angeles, and a deal in the works for a Texas airport, the brand is reaching an ever broader audience.
At the end of last year, Rock & Brews opened its first arena location at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, as part of the venue’s $110-million renovation project for the Plaza Level. For the grand opening, they used all the classic rock posters from all the shows that had come to the arena since the 70s, displaying them throughout the building like a historical art gallery.
“Each Rock & Brews is readily identifiable, but each Rock & Brews is your Rock & Brews,” said Stanley. “They all have cuisine touchstones of the local fare or something from the locale in terms of something historical for rock and roll. This is not a cookie-cutter experience, this is your Rock and Brews.”
Beyond the restaurants’ commitment to quality is a commitment to giving back. Stanley said they champion the neighborhoods they’re in and try to be good neighbors through local sourcing and charitable giving. During the Torrance, Calif., location opening, Stanley and Simmons hosted and served over 100 military veterans and are strong supporters of the Wounded Warrior Project.
“It’s all well and good to talk the talk, but you need to lead by example, and that’s why we first opened our doors to first responders and the military,” said Stanley. “We give checks to local charities. We try to spotlight the people who have made Rock & Brews possible, who have made rock and roll possible, who have made America possible. Freedom is only free to the people who have never paid a price for it, and we try to recognize the people that do.”
As the brand continues to grow, Zsilis said they’re interested in expanding their arena business. They’ve received hundreds of mom-and-pop-type requests for franchising, but that isn’t necessarily what they’re looking for in a partner.
“We’re looking for qualified partners throughout the country that already have maybe 10 or 15 stores that we would entrust our brand to develop in their area,” said Zsilis. “We’ve only picked four partners right now, and I don’t see us getting much bigger than that.”
It’s also gone international with two locations in Mexico. Though each location has its unique features, all of them offer a casual environment with picnic table seating and plenty of tributes to legendary rock icons.
“We covet what we have,” said Stanley. “To see something be this successful this quickly, you can go full speed but you can go full speed into a wall. That’s always the danger. If you get people involved who are involved for the wrong reasons, you not only lose control, but you lose vision. We have a very clear vision of what we’re doing and we can’t have it diluted or diffused by people who weren’t there from the beginning. We built this and nurtured this from day one.”
And you can be sure that as long as Rock & Brews continues to thrive, the flat screens throughout each restaurant will continue to play all the classic rock hits.
“This is a restaurant that transcends KISS but embraces it,” said Stanley. “At this point, it’s an honor to be considered classic rock when you’re in the rarified air of Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin. For us to pay tribute to the music that has given us the foundation of who most of us are is such a great touchstone. To have that music as the backbone of not only our lives, but now this amazing restaurant, is something that resonates with people.”
Interviewed for this story: Paul Stanley and Michael Zsilis, (310) 376-6600