'Rolling Stone' to rock first restaurant

Hungry like the wolf? Rolling Stone is ready to serve you.                                           

The bi-monthly music magazine this summer will open a restaurant and bar near the theater that hosts the Academy Awards, hoping to drum up business from tourists on the nearby Hollywood Walk of Fame.                                           

"Southern California and the city of Los Angeles are deeply entrenched in the history of both Rolling Stone and rock music, and we''re excited to bring to life Rolling Stone magazine in Hollywood through what will be a very special place," publisher and editor Jann S Wenner said on Friday.                                           

Rolling Stone, which featured John Lennon on its first cover in 1967, is one of several magazines trying to survive a US recession that has crumpled many publications financially amid advertising losses and over-saturation of online content.                                           

Its new venue will include a restaurant, bar, lounge and space for private events and will feature "exposed black brick, tufted leather and vaulted ceilings," said a statement by Wenner and real estate investors, the Lucky Rug Group.

It's not the first time a music publication has tried a restaurant or bar. A nightclub that carried the "Billboard" magazine brand opened in 1996 on the famous Sunset Strip but closed after almost two years.                                           

Other entertainment-themed restaurants have opened in Los Angeles and all over the world. The Hard Rock Cafe plans its own summer 2010 launch of a branch in the Hollywood and Highland shopping center that also will house the Rolling Stone venue.                                           

The center contains shops, eateries and clubs, and it attracts millions of visitors every year. It is also home to the Kodak Theater, where the Academy Awards ceremony has been held for the past several years.