Rolling Stone Gets Into Restaurant Biz

Aiming to sidestep the pitfalls that have bedeviled countless other entertainment-industry players, Rolling Stone magazine is opening its own Hollywood restaurant. “We've been looking for the ideal opportunity to expand the Rolling Stone brand," co-founder Jann Wenner tells the Los Angeles Times. And no, it’s not because of the impending demise of print journalism. The publication tries to “increase revenue” in “any economic climate.”

The magazine takes pains to distance its new lounge from similar ventures with tumultuous financial histories, like Planet Hollywood and the Hard Rock Cafe. “The food will be higher-end than Hard Rock,” a partner says. “The venue itself will be for higher-end audiences." And the décor will be standard late-night lounge. “We don't want it to be a museum,” the partner continues. “We won't have Elvis costumes on the walls." Zing! (More Rolling Stone stories.)