Johnny RocketsAtlanta Aquarium 280 Luckie Street
Atlanta, GA 30313
404-688-4114
http://www.johnnyrockets.com/index2.phpI had had a long and eventful day. It had begun at the Dr.
Martin Luther King Memorial where I toured Dr. King's
monument and the Sweet Auburn neighborhood where he
grew up and ended at the Georgia Aquarium where I
explored the wonders of the deep while still on dry land.
As I exited the aquarium I was tired and hungry and what
should I spy across the street - like a mirage in the desert -
but a neon sign announcing a Johnny Rockets hamburger
emporium.
Johnny Rockets is an international restaurant chain that provides
the food, fun and friendliness reminiscent of feel-good Americana.
J. Rocks offers guests friendly service and great food in a fun and
nostalgic atmosphere. Every original J. Rock restaurant boasts
great tasting food from a menu of favorites including juicy
hamburgers, classic sandwiches, hand-dipped shakes and malts.
Guests also enjoy an all-American look and feel, servers who
know the secret behind getting ketchup out of the bottle,
tabletop jukeboxes and authentic décor. Or so it says on the
website.
Now, the fifties weren't very good to my people but Johnny
Rockets did look like the kind of place Richie, the Fonz and the
rest of dem might have hung out. And, being from Milwaukee, that
was good enough for me.
So I stepped through the wayback machine and entered the
retro establishment. I was greeted by a trio of white clad em-
ployees wearing white paper hats. They welcomed me to
Johnny Rockets and offered me a seat at the bar or in a booth.
As I was rolling by my lonesome, I chose to sit at the bar.
The waitress, also white clad and wearing a white paper chapeau,
introduced herself, took my drink order (a cup of coffee, a
banana-strawberry milkshake and a glass of water) and gave
me two nickles to plop into the minature jukebox that adorned
the counter and each booth and table in the restaurant. She told
me
this was how the patrons of J. Rocks decide the playlist
of songs heard over the restaurant's sound system.
I listened to
That'll be the Day by Buddy Holly was followed by
Heartbreak
Hotel by Elvis Presley and decided to use my two slugs to select
Oh What a Night by the Dells and
Papa Got a Brand New Bagby James Brown.
When my drinks arrived, I knew I loved the place. The coffee was
hot and strong and came in a big ceramic cup (with cream in a
metal cream dispenser), the water came in a big grown peoples
glass and the extra thick shake was served in a glass with the
remains in a metal shake container. In addition, coffee and shake
were served with real flatware. Also, there were a old fashioned
sugar dispenser thingee on the counter full of straws. I
love straws!
For my meal, I ordered a philly cheese-steak and the half rings
and half fries combination. The half rings and half fries are
a tasty combination and it they were served "with a smile" -
a smiley face made of ketchup. Isn't that too precious for
words?
Now, I have had better everything than I had at Johnny
Rockets - better coffee (although the coffee was "damn
good!"), better philly cheesesteaks, better rings and fries,
and better shakes (okay, the shake
was primo!) but never
had I had better presentation, service or ambiance. I even
got an "impromptu" floor show when Donna Summer's
LastDance came over the sound system. Two of the white clad
staff, one at each end of the bar, did a rousing hand-jive
pantomime to the song replete with dancing disco-lights.
When was the last time you got
that at McDonalds?
Now eating at Johnny Rockets was the quintessential
eating while black experience in Atlanta. Like the majority
of the eating establishments I sampled, the managers were
black as were the majority of the employees. When two
of the few white employees were standing around flapping
their jaws instead of working the black manager made an
intervention. That's when I knew I wasn't in Milwaukee
any more.
Also, when I left the Georgia Aquarium and spied J. Rocks
kitty-corner across the street, I began to make a bee-line
there before a white police patrolman straight out of Smokey
and the Bandit and those old Plymouth commericals inter-
vened asking me where I thought was going. When I told
him I was going to Johnny Rockets, he pointed to the cross
walk and told me that is why they (Atlanta) had those new
thirty thousand dollar stop lights (with walk and don't walk
signs). I thanked him and stood at the crosswalk in front of the
street with no traffic and waited for the light to change.
As I was waiting, an Asian woman and two Asian men who
looked like Tibetan monks came up the crosswalk and appeared
surprised that I was just standing there when no traffic was
coming. I looked over at the patrolman who was watching
me and the Asian woman appeared to be explaining the
"walk" "don't walk" signs to the monks - to their amusement.
The light changed, the "walk" sign came on and we all walked
across the street.
Coda. As I was walking back to my car carrying a narrow card-
board box containing my leftover rings and fries, I heard some-
one behind me. It was the traffic cop. "I see you got one to go!"
he boomed in his southern drawl all hail fellow well met. I stared
at him. "Their hotdogs sure are good!"
"Yes, they are," I said.
So good you'll slap your mama!
It made my mouth happy!
Aiight!
Better than dirt.
Service: Friendly and courteous
Comfortable for black people?: Yes
Recommend to your black and white friends: Yes
Recommend to just your black friends: N/A
Recommend to just your white friends: N/A
