Planet Hollywood decides it won't be back in Dublin

Little more than two years after it opened, Dublin's Planet Hollywood is to close.

The Irish branch of the restaurant chain founded by some of the world's most famous over-actors has, ironically, under-performed. The venue is now expected to become a bar.

It was a major coup for the then Opposition leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, when in the middle of the 1997 general election campaign, he co-starred with Sylvester Stallone in the launch of the US company's Dublin project.

As Taoiseach, he was there again the following December, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and others when the outlet opened. At that time, even he must have doubted that his Government would outlast the restaurant.

However, Planet Hollywood's mixture of B-movie food at big-budget prices proved to be of limited appeal.

The venue's ambience included such props as a Schwarzenegger "cyborg" model from the Terminator movies, complete with a bloodied hole in its head. For most food critics, though, even that had more taste than the food.

Still, a three-course meal of "buffalo wings", cheeseburger and a chocolate brownie, with a drink, cost at least £20. And the thrill of eating in the company of Michael Collins' bicycle (the one in the film, that is) or a flimsy dress worn by Jessica Lange in Rob Roy, was not enough to overcome the problem many theme restaurants experience: persuading first-time customers to return.

The Dublin outlet had a £4 million turnover in its first year. And when the US arm of the company faced restructuring under bankruptcy laws last autumn, the general manager of the Irish branch said this would mean "nothing at all" here, where the restaurant was the chain's fourth most profitable in Europe.

The parent company has now agreed to sell the lease for £2.3 million to the Capital Bars group, which already operates two bars around the corner in South King Street. The premises is expected to undergo similar conversion when its new owners take over later this year.

It was business as usual in the restaurant last night, with about 50 customers, mostly couples with young children.

The staff were upbeat and there was no sense of imminent closure, apart from the PA system playing an old Queen song, Another One Bites the Dust.

One of the cocktails on offer to diners was The Terminator, named in honour of Schwarzenegger. "This one will leave you saying: `I'll be back," said the menu. Not enough customers tried it, obviously.