Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
Encyclopedia
The Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Restaurant and Market is a seafood restaurant chain inspired by the 1994 film Forrest Gump
. As of September 2010, thirty-two Bubba Gump restaurants operate worldwide. Twenty-two of these locations are in the United States
, three are in Japan
, two are located in Mexico
, two are in Malaysia, and one each in the Philippines
, Indonesia
and Hong Kong
. The company is based in San Clemente, California
, and has been a division of Landry's Restaurants
since 2010.
The first Bubba Gump restaurant opened in 1996 in Monterey, California
by Viacom Consumer Products. That firm's parent company, Viacom
, is owner of Paramount Pictures
(the distributor of Forrest Gump), and also owns the Rusty Pelican restaurant chain. The Bubba Gump restaurant is named after the film's characters Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue and Forrest Gump. In the film, Bubba suggested the shrimping business and ultimately Forrest pursued the idea after Bubba's death in the Vietnam War
.
San Clemente, California
-based Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. 'potato' Restaurants, Inc. and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Intl. LLC operate or franchise the restaurants as well as "Capi's Italian Kitchen", "Mai Tai Bar", and the sole remaining Rusty Pelican restaurant in Newport Beach, California
. Rusty Pelican locations in other cities were sold to Landry Seafood Restaurants. Although the fictional restaurant chain is based in Alabama, the actual chain ironically has no locations in that state.
during their tour of duty in Vietnam, in which Bubba proposed the idea of going into business as shrimp boat fishermen. Forrest Gump agreed and promised to be his partner after the end of their service to the United States Army. However, Bubba died in the line of duty in Vietnam which left Forrest to be the only member of the proposed company. Forrest then went on to play in the All-America Ping Pong team and after his tour, earned about $25,000 ($24,562.67 after personal expenses) to buy himself a shrimp boat which he named "Jenny" and moved to Bayou La Batre, Alabama
.
Lieutenant Dan Taylor who was Bubba and Forrest's platoon commander initially joked that if Gump became a ship captain, that he would become his first mate. Upon hearing of Forrest's purchase of the boat, Taylor went out to visit him and actually became first mate (although he gave most of the orders). A hurricane would later pass through Bayou La Batre, Alabama that made derelicts out of the area's shrimping fleets except for the Jenny (Forrest's boat), and afterwards his boat was the only shrimp boat to service that area for a while.
The Bubba Gump Shrimp Company later earned a spot in a business magazine
with Forrest and Taylor on the front cover. After finding out that his mother was ill with cancer, Forrest left his shrimping business in the hands of Taylor who then invested some of their profits into "some fruit company" (Apple Computers). Forrest donated some of his profits to a chapel, a hospital named in his honor (Gump Medical Center), and gave Bubba's share to his family.
, as well as Southern
and Cajun cuisine
, due to the main character, Forrest, being from mainland Alabama
and his friend, Bubba, being from the Gulf Coast of Alabama
.
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic comedy-drama romance film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise...
. As of September 2010, thirty-two Bubba Gump restaurants operate worldwide. Twenty-two of these locations are in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, three are in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, two are located in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, two are in Malaysia, and one each in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. The company is based in San Clemente, California
San Clemente, California
San Clemente is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 63,522 at the 2010 census. Located on the California Coast, midway between Los Angeles and San Diego at the southern tip of the county, it is known for its ocean, hill, and mountain views, a pleasant climate and its Spanish...
, and has been a division of Landry's Restaurants
Landry's Restaurants
-External links:*...
since 2010.
The first Bubba Gump restaurant opened in 1996 in Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
by Viacom Consumer Products. That firm's parent company, Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
, is owner of Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
(the distributor of Forrest Gump), and also owns the Rusty Pelican restaurant chain. The Bubba Gump restaurant is named after the film's characters Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue and Forrest Gump. In the film, Bubba suggested the shrimping business and ultimately Forrest pursued the idea after Bubba's death in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
History
In 1995, Viacom Consumer Products, the licensing division for Viacom (the parent of Paramount Pictures), approached Rusty Pelican's CEO, Scott Barnet, and partner, Gordon Miles, with the idea of a chain of family-style shrimp restaurants carrying out the "Forrest Gump" theme. Soon after, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurants, Inc. was formed as a new restaurant chain in a joint enterprise with Paramount Pictures.San Clemente, California
San Clemente, California
San Clemente is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 63,522 at the 2010 census. Located on the California Coast, midway between Los Angeles and San Diego at the southern tip of the county, it is known for its ocean, hill, and mountain views, a pleasant climate and its Spanish...
-based Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. 'potato' Restaurants, Inc. and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Intl. LLC operate or franchise the restaurants as well as "Capi's Italian Kitchen", "Mai Tai Bar", and the sole remaining Rusty Pelican restaurant in Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
. Rusty Pelican locations in other cities were sold to Landry Seafood Restaurants. Although the fictional restaurant chain is based in Alabama, the actual chain ironically has no locations in that state.
Fictional History
The Bubba Gump Shrimp Company started as an idea between Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue and Forrest GumpForrest Gump (character)
Forrest Gump is a fictional character who first appears in the 1986 eponymous novel by Winston Groom. Forrest Gump also appeared on screen in the 1994 film of the same name directed by Robert Zemeckis. Gump was portrayed as a child by Michael Humphreys and portrayed as an adult by Tom Hanks, who...
during their tour of duty in Vietnam, in which Bubba proposed the idea of going into business as shrimp boat fishermen. Forrest Gump agreed and promised to be his partner after the end of their service to the United States Army. However, Bubba died in the line of duty in Vietnam which left Forrest to be the only member of the proposed company. Forrest then went on to play in the All-America Ping Pong team and after his tour, earned about $25,000 ($24,562.67 after personal expenses) to buy himself a shrimp boat which he named "Jenny" and moved to Bayou La Batre, Alabama
Bayou La Batre, Alabama
Bayou La Batre is a town in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. It is included in the Mobile metropolitan statistical area. At the 2000 census, the population was 2,313. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 2,725....
.
Lieutenant Dan Taylor who was Bubba and Forrest's platoon commander initially joked that if Gump became a ship captain, that he would become his first mate. Upon hearing of Forrest's purchase of the boat, Taylor went out to visit him and actually became first mate (although he gave most of the orders). A hurricane would later pass through Bayou La Batre, Alabama that made derelicts out of the area's shrimping fleets except for the Jenny (Forrest's boat), and afterwards his boat was the only shrimp boat to service that area for a while.
The Bubba Gump Shrimp Company later earned a spot in a business magazine
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
with Forrest and Taylor on the front cover. After finding out that his mother was ill with cancer, Forrest left his shrimping business in the hands of Taylor who then invested some of their profits into "some fruit company" (Apple Computers). Forrest donated some of his profits to a chapel, a hospital named in his honor (Gump Medical Center), and gave Bubba's share to his family.
Menu
The menu consists mostly of shrimp dishes, but also other seafoodSeafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
, as well as Southern
Cuisine of the Southern United States
The cuisine of the Southern United States is defined as the historical regional culinary form of states generally south of the Mason Dixon Line dividing Pennsylvania from Maryland and Delaware as well as along the Ohio River, and extending west to Southern Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.The most...
and Cajun cuisine
Cajun cuisine
Cajun cuisine is the style of cooking named for the French-speaking Acadian or "Cajun" immigrants deported by the British from Acadia in Canada to the Acadiana region of Louisiana, USA. It is what could be called a rustic cuisine — locally available ingredients predominate, and preparation...
, due to the main character, Forrest, being from mainland Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and his friend, Bubba, being from the Gulf Coast of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.