Glitz, atmosphere, location and great food are one thing, but a celebrity name can make a restaurant a star.

Latest to join the lineup of sizzling celebrity hot spots is the knockout Beso in Hollywood, where Eva Longoria Parker is an owner.

Just what prompted her to take the plunge?

“I have always loved the power of food in bringing people together,” notes Parker. “I am constantly cooking for friends and family for game night or dinner parties, so opening a restaurant felt natural, especially with the help of someone as talented as Todd English (the celebrity chef who is also one of the owners).”

Parker has influenced the menu (guacamole and tortilla soup are made with her recipes), decor and design. And the wall to the entrance has poems by Parker’s sister etched in the glass.

Some diners may even get a chance to hobnob with the Desperate Housewives actress — she often greets guests when she is on the premises. Buzz has it that she has been at the restaurant about 10 times and eaten there about six since it opened last month.When they invest, some celebrities are hands on, others not. Jennifer Lopez, owner of Madre’s Restaurant in Pasadena, which opened in 2002, says, “I was more involved in the beginning. Now it’s more of a self-sufficient business.”

And yes, she still eats there once in a while.

When cooking at home, she says, “I love to cook Puerto Rican food mostly — kind of like Madre’s menu.”

There’s more to operating a restaurant than just names and buzz. Famous celebrity investors don’t guarantee success. Restaurants must deliver appealing decor, good food, professional service and, hopefully, a memorable dining experience.

“So many times with these celebrity restaurants, the celebrity is just a front person (that) the public-relations people build a whole promotional campaign around,” says Richard Martin, executive editor of Nation’s Restaurant News.

“Often these people are just one piece of the puzzle. If you can attract star-struck tourists with the buzz about the celebrity owner, that might work in the short term, but then word spreads that the celebrity really isn’t there, and the restaurant has to live or die on its own merit,” he adds.

The one that breaks the mold in terms of gaining attention and hands-on success is Jeri Ryan (Shark), Martin says. She and her husband, chef Christophe Eme, formerly of L’Orangerie, started Ortolan — it received one star from Michelin recently — and she was involved in getting the restaurant off the ground.

“It’s very helpful to have an owner that understands the restaurant business. If the person whose money is backing the venture doesn’t really understand the restaurant business, it can be difficult to execute the necessary cost controls and management fundamentals and the oversight of the kitchen,” points out Martin.

Lee Maen, partner in the Innovative Dining Group — which owns eight restaurants in Los Angeles, including Boa, Katana, Sushi Roku, Robata Bar and Luckyfish — notes there are some benefits to having celebrity investors. “Ryan Seacrest (a major investor in the group’s restaurants) is a foodie. He loves food and wine and loves to get involved.”

While none of the investors is hands-on when it comes to operations, adds Maen, “Celebrities can give better word-of-mouth or buzz than the average person. When Ryan is on the radio and mentions one of the restaurants, it hits more people than the average person speaking to their friends.”