History
In 1991, Country singer/songwriter Kenny Rogers ventured into the fast-food business and co-founded Kenny Rogers Roasters with former KFC owner John Y. Brown, Jr. By 1995, the menu had expanded to include turkey, ribs, and various side dishes, and the chain had grown to over 350 restaurants, including locations in Canada, the Middle East, and Asia. The establishment became so well known an entire episode of Seinfeld ("The Chicken Roaster") was dedicated to Kramer's love of Kenny Rogers Roasters chicken which started after he and Jerry Seinfeld switched apartments due to a bright red neon light shining through Kramer's window so he couldn't sleep.
Roasters immediately found itself in competition with Boston Chicken (later known as Boston Market) and several smaller roasted chicken chains. Kentucky Fried Chicken also introduced a roasted chicken line of products called Rotisserie Gold to compete with Roasters and Boston Chicken. In December 1992, Clucker's, a smaller player in the roasted chicken market, sued Kenny Rogers Roasters, claiming the chain had copied its recipes and menus. The lawsuit continued until Roasters purchased a majority stake in Cluckers in August 1994. Brown then took Roasters public and expanded it to a chain of more than 1,000 restaurants before selling his interest in the franchise to the Malaysia-based Berjaya Group in 1996.
The company entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 1998 and was bought by Nathan's Famous, Inc. for US$1.25 million (US$2 million in more recent terms) on 1 April 1999; as a result of restructuring, many locations closed. By 2000, the chain was down to 90 franchised restaurants, 40 of those in the United States.
Nathan's Famous divested itself of the chain in 2008, selling it to their Asian franchiser, which is owned by Berjaya Group of Malaysia. The last Kenny Rogers Roasters operating in the United States was located in the Ontario Mills mall in Ontario, California; it closed on December 31, 2011. The 2008 purchase agreement allowed forNathan's Famous and Miami Subs to continue selling Kenny Rogers Roasters items in their restaurants. Nathan's continues to serve Kenny Rogers Roasters items in select locations, such as its flagship location on Coney Island, and Miami Subs (since sold off by Nathan's) also has a "Kenny Rogers" section on their menu. Despite the chain's end in the United States, Kenny Rogers Roasters continues to flourish in Asia, particularly in Malaysia. and the Philippines. Some branches in the Philippines also serve Seattle's Best Coffee products.
Read more about this topic: Kenny Rogers Roasters
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