"Celebrity-owned restaurants are everywhere. Some are subtle - like Nobu, the popular Japanese-Peruvian fusion spot co-owned by Robert De Niro - while others are more overt, like the late-Jimmy Buffett's many tropical, anything-goes Margaritaville restaurants around the world. But sometimes, a restaurant's branding is so closely associated with a celebrity that the public simply assumes ownership when none actually exists."
"It's no surprise that many assume Hanks holds an executive role in the company, given that framed pictures and memorabilia of the actor (albeit in character as Forrest Gump) adorn the kitschy walls and shelves of the company's locations. Instead, the company was founded by Anthony Zolezzi, an entrepreneur-slash-seafood industry veteran who rebranded his seafood company to that of Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. after a successful deal with Paramount Pictures. Originally, the deal was only made for pre-packaged, frozen shrimp at the grocery store."
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. takes its name and much of its branding from the film "Forrest Gump," with framed pictures and memorabilia of Forrest Gump displayed in locations. Tom Hanks has no ownership stake. Anthony Zolezzi, a seafood-industry entrepreneur, rebranded his company after a licensing deal with Paramount Pictures originally for pre-packaged frozen shrimp. A subsequent agreement with partners Rusty Pelican Restaurants enabled the first restaurant to open in Monterey, California, in 1996. Locations concentrate in tourist hotspots such as Times Square, San Francisco's Pier 39, the Mall of America, and Universal Studios Hollywood. The chain expanded steadily after the first opening.
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