Latest news with #RoyRogers
New York Post
04-07-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Iconic fried chicken fast food chain opens latest location, eyeing comeback
Roy Rogers Restaurants is reviving its brand on the East Coast. The company – named after the legendary actor, singer and 'King of the Cowboys' – opened a location in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, last week, marking the chain's return to the southern New Jersey and Philadelphia markets since the 1990s. Advertisement 'We are excited to make this long-anticipated return, and Cherry Hill allows us to serve a growing, diverse community and introduce a new generation to the quality and variety that makes Roy Rogers a cut above,' Roy Rogers Restaurants co-President Jim Plamondon said in a statement. The company thanked Cherry Hill 'for the best welcome to the community' on Instagram following its opening and hinted that there is 'more to come.' The Maryland-based chain was founded in 1968. In 1990, Marriott sold the Roy Rogers chain, which had nearly 650 locations, to Hardee's for $365 million. 3 Roy Rogers Restaurants is reviving its brand with a new location in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. X/RoysRestaurants Advertisement 3 The location marks the chain's return to the southern New Jersey and Philadelphia markets. X/RoysRestaurants 3 The Maryland-based chain was founded in 1968. X/RoysRestaurants After the sale, Hardee's converted a significant number of the locations to Hardee's restaurants, and then sold more than 350 restaurants several years later to Boston Chicken, Wendy's and McDonald's, according to its website. Peter Plamondon Sr., a former Marriott executive who became a franchisee of Roy Rogers Restaurants, sold his franchise to his sons, Pete Jr. and Jim, in the late 1990s. Advertisement By 2002, the brothers purchased the Roy Rogers brand from Hardee's parent company CKE Restaurants. The duo have been credited with helping open and operate multiple Roy Rogers restaurants. In the early 2000s, the restaurant concept was 'rebooted' as it began its expansion. To date, there are 24 company-owned restaurants and 16 franchise restaurants in seven states.
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Legendary fast food restaurant Roy Rogers makes long-awaited comeback as it plans East Coast expansion
Roy Rogers, the legendary fast food chain, has made a long-awaited comeback in New Jersey. The business opened its newest location in Cherry Hill last week, making it the first restaurant to open in the South Jersey or Philadelphia area in decades. Jim Plamondon, co-president of Roy Rogers, told 'We knew that making the long-anticipated return to Cherry Hill would be impactful, but we never could have predicted the level of excitement and dedication we have experienced over the past week.' He added: 'We are beyond grateful for the decades-long patrons that have visited the store and shared their stories. 'The nostalgia is certainly a driving force behind what we do and our hope to continue growing upon this momentum into new markets.' The Cherry Hill restaurant is the first location to open since the company made six-store openings in Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey in 2016. Named after 'The King Of The Cowboys', Roy Rogers once ran over 640 restaurants nationwide. Now, the 57-year-old chain runs less than 50 locations across five states. The restaurant celebrated the New Jersey opening with a ribbon cutting and thanked its fans who came out to enjoy 'delicious beef, burgers, and chicken'. Roy Rogers guests flooded the restaurant during its grand opening. One person on Instagram wrote: 'Tried twice going there but couldn't get close to the joint. Cars lined up a mile down the road, cops directing traffic… tried today and same thing, line was out the door and people standing out in the heat waiting to get it.' An influencer known as 'What Should I Eat Philly' on Instagram tried some of the food in a video while visiting the Cherry Hill restaurant. Roy Rogers owner Jim Plamondon suggested she try the Roast Beef Burger, his 'favorite' offering. Reports claimed that everyone was talking about the Double R Bar Burger, while a first-time Roy Rogers eater praised the Chicken Biscuit. The blogger tried all of the recommended foods, and instantly became a fan. Restaurant-goers are now requesting Roy Rogers open new restaurants in states like Florida and Illinois, and a fan even suggested the chain open a location in Mexico.
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Legendary fast food restaurant makes long-awaited comeback as it plans East Coast expansion
Roy Rogers, a once iconic fast food chain, has made a long-awaited comeback in one state. The business opened its newest location in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, last week, making it the first restaurant to open in the South Jersey or Philadelphia area in decades. 'We've received an overwhelming number of requests from loyal Roy Rogers fans for a location in this area, and we're delighted to make it a reality,' said Joe Briglia, director of real estate and franchise development. 'We plan to build on this success and expand even further in the market.' The Cherry Hill restaurant is the first location to open since the company made six-store openings in Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey in 2016. Named after 'The King of the Cowboys,' Roy Rogers once ran over 640 restaurants nationwide. Now, the 57-year-old chain runs less than 50 locations across five states. The chain celebrated the highly anticipated New Jersey opening with a ribbon cutting and thanked its fans who came out to enjoy 'delicious beef, burgers and chicken.' Roy Rogers guests flooded the restaurant during its grand opening. 'Tried twice going there but couldn't get close to the joint. Cars lined up a mile down the road, cops directing traffic… tried today and same thing, line was out the door and people standing out in the heat waiting to get it,' an Instagrammer wrote. An influencer known as What Should I Eat Philly on Instagram tried some of the food in a video while visiting the Cherry Hill restaurant. Roy Rogers owner Jim Plamondon suggested she try the Roast Beef Burger, his 'favorite' offering. Reports claimed that everyone was talking about the Double R Bar Burger, while a first time Roy Rogers eater praised the Chicken Biscuit. The blogger tried all of the recommended foods, and instantly became a fan. Restaurant-goers are now requesting Roy Rogers open new restaurants in states like Florida and Illinois, and a fan even suggested the chain open a location in Mexico. Fans lucky enough to visit a Roy Rogers restaurant can receive a free regular combo meal every week with Roy's Rewards. The deal will be applied to accounts every Monday for the entire summer. Roy Rogers plans to open more locations in the near future Fast food chains have had rotten luck over the last few years, including giants like McDonald's and Burger King. McDonald's has worked to lure in customers with new foods and policies after its US sales fell 3.6 percent in the first quarter. Burger King's North American sales dropped 1.3 percent in its first quarter after major franchisee Consolidated Burger Holdings filed for bankruptcy. Other fast food brands that have been struggling include Jack in the Box and Subway, the nation's largest sandwich chain that closed over 1,654 stores in the past two years. While these chains have been struggling, others have been prevailing and making comebacks along the way. Krystal restaurants opened its first Texas location in over 10 years last April after bouncing back from multiple bankruptcy filings. Cava is in the process of opening 60 new restaurants following its skyrocketing customer traffic.
Miami Herald
30-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Legendary fast-food chain opens first new spot in decades
You know how the "Friends" crew always chilled out at Central Perk, how often Jerry on "Seinfeld" had insane conversations with George at Monk's Café, and how "Frasier" dad Martin Crane was devastated when they closed his favorite bar, Duke's? We all should have that one place where we feel comfortable, like it's a second home - where, of course, everybody knows your name. That's a place you visit not only for its food and drink offerings, but also because it provides an unmatched experience. An atmosphere where you feel good. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter People have widely differing tastes, interests, characters, and styles. That's why there are so many different coffee places, clubs, diners, restaurants and fast-food chains to meet every demand. When one such restaurant closes its doors, chances are customers will be upset. It's hard to adapt to another place, despite it also having great offerings. It's just different. Remember what happened on "Seinfeld" when Jerry and Elaine went to Reggie's instead of Monk's? A disaster. At a time when all we hear is that another fast-food chain has closed its doors or gone bankrupt, one restaurant is bringing great news of its strong comeback after decades. Image source: Roy Rogers Restaurants Remember Roy Rogers, the legendary Western-themed fast-food chain that was popular in the '70s, and '80s? It all started as the rebranding of the RoBee's House of Beef chain of Fort Wayne, Indiana, acquired by the Marriott Corporation. In 1968, the first Roy Rogers opened in Falls Church, Virginia. Related: Wendy's menu adds something McDonald's, Burger King won't offer In the early 1970s, Roy Rogers launched the "Big Three" by adding Pappy Parker's Fried Chicken and quarter-pound burgers to a menu that already featured roast beef. In 1980, Marriott employee Peter Plamondon, Sr., believed strongly in Roy Rogers, so he left to become a Roy Rogers franchisee. He opened his first location in Frederick, Maryland, in August of that year. In the mid-1980s, the restaurant introduced the famous Fixins Bar, where customers could customize their sandwiches, burgers, and other menu items with various fresh vegetables, sauces, and toppings. The Fixins Bar became a popular feature, attracting many customers. More on restaurants: Analysts reboot Olive Garden parent's stock price targets as earnings loomForget buffets, Las Vegas Strip adds new restaurants conceptNational fast-food burger chain wants to close 76 restaurants In the 1990s, with as many as 648 operating restaurants, Marriott sold the Roy Rogers chain to Imasco, the parent company of Hardee's, for $365 million. The chain experienced a significant decline due to many locations being converted to Hardee's. Then in 2002, Plamondon's sons acquired the chain, and over the last two decades, worked on maintaining their father's vision for offering customers an unmatched experience. In the latest news, Roy Rogers opened its newest location in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, on June 25. This is the company's first new location since the 1990s. "The feedback from the Cherry Hill community since we announced this new restaurant has been overwhelmingly positive, and we have been working hard to make this opening a grand success," said Roy Rogers Co-President Jim Plamondon. "We are excited to make this long-anticipated return, and Cherry Hill allows us to serve a growing, diverse community and introduce a new generation to the quality and variety that makes Roy Rogers a cut above." Related: McDonald's brings back experimental menu item 13 years later Several fans started lining up even before sunrise on the day of the opening, while at 5 a.m. there was already a long line of excited customers. Fans are mainly nostalgic about the fried chicken, roast beef sandwiches, and Double R Bar Burger, which features ham as the main ingredient. Other customers showed up longing for that famous Fixins bar, which allows patrons to fill up their burger as much as they like with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and more. "I came over [from Philadelphia] for Roy Rogers opening for the free fixins bar. I remember growing up and it was about a mile from my house, and that's all I remember growing up is getting all the pickles I wanted, said one customer, as reported by 6 ABC. Many fans took their thoughts on Instagram, asking for the restaurant chain to come back to their states. "Come back to Pittsburgh, Pa., so many good memories from the past," wrote one nostalgic customer. Another was more detailed about what they miss the most: "Open in Florida!! Miss the roast beef and fried chicken." Roy Rogers currently runs less than 50 locations across five states. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Once-Popular Fast Food Restaurant That's Making An Unexpected Comeback
Fast food restaurants come and go, reflecting the changing tastes of consumers and varying success for different business and marketing strategies. What's rarer is to see a chain on the upswing again after a slump. However, that's exactly what's happening with Roy Rogers. The brand once boasted hundreds of restaurants across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic before shrinking to just a few dozen locations. Now, it's beginning to return to areas where it was once a household name. This includes South New Jersey, with a Cherry Hill location opening in 2025, the first in the area since the 1980s. Additionally, the chain is slated to expand in Northern Virginia with a third Leesburg location listed as "coming soon" on the Roy Rogers website as of June 2025. These bring the number of locations to around 40 across five Mid-Atlantic states. More than half are in Maryland, where the company is based. However, that's a far cry from the over 600 locations Roy Rogers boasted in the early 1990s, when the chain was sold to Hardee's. That era no doubt represented the peak for the company, which opened the doors of its first restaurant back in 1968 in Northern Virginia. It had quickly grown through the 1970s and '80s after establishing its famous "Big Three" menu items of roast beef sandwiches, fried chicken, and quarter-pound burgers, along with its iconic Fixin's Bar of toppings. This made it a valuable acquisition for Hardee's, but sadly, the good times didn't last. Read more: Popular Arby's Menu Items, Ranked Worst To Best Things took a turn for the worse for the chain as a result of its acquisition by Hardee's, which tried to convert many of the stores to the Hardee's brand. Years of financial decline ensued as locations closed or were even sold off to rival fast food companies. Some of these were quickly closed, either to protect nearby franchises of the chains that bought them or to take advantage of prime real estate where the Roy Rogers were located. The decision didn't work out well for the company that bought the chain, either; these days, there are signs that it might be Hardee's that's not going to be around for much longer. Today's comeback started in the early 2000s, when Roy Rogers' current ownership relaunched the brand and began a slow but steady expansion over the past two decades. This reversal of fortunes is particularly impressive considering it was among the burger chains that are disappearing across the country, just a few years ago. Although it might be a while before Roy Rogers makes it back anywhere near its prominence from the past (if at all), there are certainly signs of hope for fans of this classic brand. If trends continue, it might soon be a lot easier for millions of Americans to chow down on roast beef, fried chicken, burgers, and other Roy Rogers treats. Read the original article on Mashed.
