ISSUE #48 - October, 2004
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This store will be having its grand opening soon and, as I understand it, some last minute preperations are underway. Next month there will be a full write-up with plenty of details, as I will be visiting there in a few weeks. But for now I wanted to take a moment to post a few details and hopefully clear up some confusion.

The restaurant is inside of a giant castle, and is using a previously existing show that was already installed. Although the show hasn't been opperational in some time, it is in the process of being repaired for grand opening. My understanding is that Mr. Hirschfield, the store owner, is wanting to envelope his concept around the Rock-afire Explosion and make the characters a prominent focus. Part of this is evident in the artwork that has been chosen for the store.

The artwork and logo design were done by Jenn (who wrote last month's Bulletin) and has already found application within the store on walls and displays, as well as on store goods such as tokens, tickets, and employee shirts. Possibly even more, I'll have more details on that after my visit.

And while I'm thinking about it, I wanted to offer up an open invitation to anyone living in the California / Los Angeles area to drop by if you wanna meet up. I don't make it out that way very often and it would be cool to get to meet some of you personally if you're in the area and can drop by. I'm getting some last minute travel details together myself, but if you're interested in meeting up just drop me an e-mail at veganova@showbizpizza.com.

I'm really excited to see exactly what this new restaurant is going to be like! I wish this new store the best of luck, as I would any store that houses the Rock-afire. There simply aren't very many left. I have to admit that having spent the last 5 years of my life studing this 'concept', my expectations have gone from those of a starry-eyed fanboy to that which is much more realistic and down to earth. Perhaps tainted by having watched the last remaining remnants of my childhood love dissapear. I've watched first hand as many places start out with a promising start and then fold under the pressures of a weakened economy. My appreciation for the Rock-afire hasn't faded one bit though, and I truly hope that this new store has the lasting power to stay alive through these rough times.

Before I sign off, I want to give a few quick updates as to the status of ShowBiz Pizza.com over the next few months. It may seem like not much has been happening on the updating front, but there has been a lot of tinkering going on behind the scenes. For one, the photo gallery is in the process of being updated. It will be reopening soon with lots of new pictures, a new title, and under new management. The fan section will soon be given the same treatment. Trying to keep up my job and this site has made me realize that I've been spreading myself too thin. So in the interest of the fans, I've decided to allocate more of this site's updates to outside help. So in the coming months I hope that you'll welcome the site's newest webmasters, as you have with Jasper and the Showtape Review.

The 2005 Fan Club is also getting stocked up with lots of new stuff. I've had a full year to gather goodies which shouldn't dissapoint this time around. There's stuff for fans of SPP, CEC, and PTT, plus lots of the blatant self-promoting ShowBiz Pizza.com junk that you've grown to love.

Back in a few weeks,
- VegaNova