Landry's, New Owners of Claim Jumper, Now Also Own Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

Flickr user prayitno

​I never liked Forrest Gump, and thought that its spin-off restaurant, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., would go the way of Planet Hollywood, the Superman SNES game, and other horrid synergy attempts. I think most people thought like me on that issue, and boy, were we wrong. The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. became a successful chain, based in San Clemente, large enough to open 32 restaurants and generate $200 million in sales (my italics, because I can't believe it) last year alone--and large enough to attract a big-time buyer, like Landry's.
Nation's Restaurant News has the scoop on the Landry's buyout of Bubba Gump. This is the second purchase of an Orange County-based chain for the Houston company, coming just a couple of weeks after they bought Claim Jumper in bankruptcy court. Now, if only I can muster the excitement to visit Bubba Gump's to actually know what they sell...