What’s Replacing Johnny Rockets On Third Street Promenade?

SANTA MONICA, CA — For years, it was a place on the Third Street Promenade to grab a burger, fries and a shake surrounded by chrome, red vinyl and 1950s nostalgia.

Now, the former Johnny Rockets is preparing for a new chapter — and the business taking over the longtime restaurant space has barely been open itself for two months.

Dragon Alley Coffee, the independently owned cafe squeezed between Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers and All'Antico Vinaio on Santa Monica Boulevard, is expanding to 1322 Third Street Promenade with a new restaurant called Dragon Alley Kitchen and Burger.

Dragon Alley Coffee was originally founded by local accountants Richard Chand, Sage Chand, Victor Garcia, Jostin Moller and Fernando Garcia. The group opened its roughly 1,000-square-foot coffee shop at 312 Santa Monica Blvd. in June. Now they're already preparing location No. 2.

Chand told Patch the new restaurant is targeting a Nov. 1 grand opening, with plans to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

"We're gonna have steak fries, burgers and some chicken tenders," Chand said.

Chand said the restaurant plans to source its meat from a farm in Texas. Breakfast will include eggs and sausage, while the business is also applying for a beer-and-wine license.

From Accounting To Coffee — And Burgers

The expansion comes remarkably quickly for a business that celebrated the opening of its first location June 17.

Chand, originally from Fiji, moved to Santa Monica as a teenager and attended Santa Monica College before going on to Pepperdine University.

An accountant by profession, Chand said he has no intention of abandoning his original career. He continues to operate his accounting firm and is also moving its office to the Promenade. Instead, the Dragon Alley businesses are an extension of something he has long wanted to do.

Chand said the idea for the coffee shop grew partly from his own morning ritual. Faced with everything the day might throw at him, coffee became an opportunity to stop, collect his thoughts and prepare for what came next.

That philosophy also inspired the unusual Dragon Alley name.

"We are all dragons," Chand said, describing the dragon as a symbol of people's ability to endure challenges and find the strength to keep going.

The symbolism wasn't originally intended as a reference to Dungeons & Dragons, he said, although customers have made the connection. Dragon Alley is now working on plans to host Dungeons & Dragons events at the coffee shop.

A New Look For An Old Restaurant

Anyone expecting the former Johnny Rockets to retain its distinctive retro-diner appearance will find something very different.

Chand said Dragon Alley Kitchen and Burger will instead have a tavern-inspired interior, with wood paneling, butcher-style countertops and concrete flooring.

"It will be like a home kitchen of the dragon," Chand said.

Construction is expected to be completed in October ahead of the planned Nov. 1 opening. Chand said the additional time will allow the business to train staff before opening its doors.

For Chand, taking over the former burger restaurant also has a personal connection.

He remembers walking past the vacant Johnny Rockets and thinking about the kind of place he would like to have there himself — somewhere to grab a burger and fries, meet people and spend time with the community.

"I'm just kind of giving the community what we missed out, like good old American days where we can have a good beer, good burger and enjoy ourselves," Chand said.

The goal, he said, is to create somewhere people can get off their phones, sit down over food or coffee and make memories.

Getting Dragon Alley up and running in Santa Monica has not been entirely painless. Chand said navigating the permitting process has brought some headaches, but considering the difficult reputation Santa Monica is working to shake among business owners, his experience wasn't awful.

"I wouldn't complain too much because I do know they have their plates full," Chand said, adding that officials have been helpful as he works through the process.

For now, Chand has plenty to keep him occupied. He is continuing to operate his accounting business, running a coffee shop that opened in June and preparing to turn one of the Promenade's most recognizable former restaurants into his second Dragon Alley location.

"It's not something I want to stop and jump into something else," Chand said of his accounting career. "I'm just kind of expanding my horizon and learning different things in life as I'm going along."

Related:

• Why Santa Monica Promenade Businesses Went Dark Monday

• Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade Is About To Look Very Different

• Marmalade Closes Santa Monica Cafe 2 Years After Move From Montana Avenue