Earl couldn't be reached for comment, but wire services report the Orlando restaurateur is sinking $2 million of his own money into the overseas venture. Orlando Montagu, the 30-year-old son of the Earl of Sandwich, is the third principal in the newly formed business.

Planet Hollywood is currently reorganizing after filing for bankruptcy protection from its creditors in October 1999. According to previous Securities and Exchange Commission-filed reports, Robert Earl had about $700 million of his own money invested in Planet Hollywood when he took it public in 1996. The company then had a total market capitalization of $3.1 billion compared with $20 million today, bankruptcy court filings show. Earl draws an annual salary of $600,000. He moved to Orlando after a success career as a London restaurateur.

According to unverified restaurant industry lore, the family of the Earl of Sandwich created the modern sandwich 250 years ago. The sandwich comprised a generous portion of prime Aberdeen Angus beef, horseradish cream and roasted root vegetables layered between two bread slices.