Back Yard Burgers

Back Yard Burgers is a regional franchise chain of quick serve restaurants. Its headquarters is located in Nashville, Tennessee. As of August 2008, there are 171 Back Yard Burgers locations in 20 states throughout the Southern and Midwestern United States, chiefly in Tennessee and Mississippi.

Although it is the most common commercial breed in the country, the franchise's marketing tries to distinguish itself from other hamburger chains by the use of 100% Black Angus Beef. Back Yard Burgers also offers salads, baked potatoes, or other side items as optional replacements for fries in its combo meals, and also offers a vegetarian garden burger.

The first Back Yard Burgers restaurant opened in Cleveland, Mississippi in 1987. Originally, the chain consisted of only drive-through restaurants with no dine-in facilities, but most locations have since added dine-in facilities. In recent years, the company has emphasized the quality of Black Angus Beef.

In 2002, Back Yard Burgers and Yum! Brands, Inc. temporarily entered into a development agreement whereby Yum! had an option to co-brand Back Yard Burgers' trademarks with its other restaurants' trademarks, including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC. In 2004, however, after Yum! chose not to exercise its option, the two companies abandoned this plan as Yum! began revitalization of the A&W brand of hamburgers and root beer.

In August 2007 the then publicly-traded company was purchased for US$38 million by a group of investors led by C. Stephen Lynn, the former Chairman of Shoney's who also previously served as Sonic's Chief Executive Officer, and Reid M. Zeising of Cherokee Advisors. A significant aspect of the purchase was relocation of the company's corporate headquarters from Memphis to Nashville.