Voting Station

Roy Rogers (Fast Food Chain)

Please vote to return to collections.

Corporation

The Resume

    (1968- )
    Roy Rogers Restaurants Franchise Company, LLC
    Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern-based chain
    Headquartered in Frederick, Maryland (since 2002)
    Founded by the Marriott Corporation in Falls Church, Virginia
    Originated as The Hot Shoppes Jr., before being purchased by Marriott executive, Peter Plamondon
    Franchise chain was sold to Hardee's by Marriott for $365 Million (1990)
    Trademark was purchased by Plamondon Companies, LLC (formed by Peter Plamondon's sons), in 2002
    By 1990, had 894 locations; as of March 2016, has 51 locations, 20 corporate locations and 31 franchised
    Offered customers a choice of hamburgers, roast beef sandwiches and fried chicken ('the big three')
    Popular menu items include the Gold Rush chicken sandwich, the Double-R Bar Burger, and the 'Pappy Parker' sandwiches
    Neither owned nor founded by the 'singing cowboy' Western movie star of the same name, although he consented to the use of his name for the franchise

Why Roy Rogers (Fast Food Chain) might be annoying:

    Its original location is now a McDonald's.
    Its devout, and sizable, fan-base is called 'the Royalists.'
    Jon Hein described its almost cult-like following as 'like Apple, without the tech.'
    Kids used to get kicked out for abusing the Fixins' Bar to make salads without actually buying a meal.
    Its best known menu item ('the Trigger Burger') is nonexistent and was never offered as an actual product.
    Roy Rogers licensed his name for use by the Marriott corporation, but had little to no involvement with the franchise otherwise.
    Their motto: 'There's no reason in the world why you can't have good food even if you're in a hurry!' (Clearly Roy and Trigger haven't seen Super Size Me!)
    Management used to force employees to dress in cowboy/girl attire and to acknowledge incoming/outgoing guests with 'howdy pardner!' and 'happy trails!' (drive through locations even bear 'round up to the window' signs)
    After the Imasco/Hardee buy-out of the franchise, some 220 locations were converted to Hardee's restaurants.
    Many other Rogers outlets were later sold to Boston Chicken (later Boston Market), Wendy's, and McDonald's. Ultimately, only thirteen locations ultimately survived the corporate takeover.
    It was sucked into the corporate politics surrounding the Karchers and Carl's Jr. after they were acquired as part of the Hardee's Chain, in 1997. The result was a franchisee lawsuit in 1998.
    It survived the lean years through the handful of cafeteria style rest-stop locations, which remain peppered along the New Jersey Turnpike (usually of infinitely lower quality but with a higher priced menu).

Why Roy Rogers (Fast Food Chain) might not be annoying:

    It was ahead of its time with the Roy's Fixins' Bar.
    It used to be a popular birthday destination for families to take their kids, and apparently used to feature the Birthday honoree's name out on the sign in front of the restaurant (back when that wouldn't have been considered a risk or anything).
    It was one of the first franchises to feature television screens in the dining room wall fixtures.
    Restaurant items predating the Hardee's takeover have attained collectible status (takeout bags, fried chicken buckets, cups).
    It has been called a healthier (and crispier) alternative to KFC. Its roast beef has also been called superior to Arby's.
    While Roy had no direct involvement in the company's marketing, he did shoot several promotional 'Say Howdy to Fresh Food' ads for the company in the 70s and 80s.
    It offered cute membership discounts like 'The Buckaroo Club' card, which entitled kids to get a free soft drink 'with the purchase of a sandwich, chicken, or platter.'
    Would you believe it - the mention of the Rogers name was once interchangeable with McDonald's (back when their slogan was 'you deserve a break today' and before they owned more land than the Catholic Church).
    After the Hardee's takeover, Imasco set about converting Roy Rogers locations to Hardee's. Outraged 'Royalists' protested with boycotts of the restaurants.
    They tried to end the customer revolt by luring them back with new promotional 'flame-broiled burgers' but consumers wanted things back to the way they were. Consequently, many of the stores were 'reconverted' back to their original form.
    In the wake of the Plamondons' re-purchasing the franchise in 2002, it has slowly undergone a merchandising comeback, expanding its holdings in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast to mostly positive reviews.
    Among the perks of the 'Roy Rides Again' promotional campaign, post-2002, was the offering a $100 Cowboy Cash Card to the first 100 Grand Opening 'guests' to enter.
    Paying homage to tradition, all post-2002 locations feature memorabilia posters of Roy Rogers' best known films, like 'In Old Caliente,' 'King of the Cowboys,' 'The Arizona Kid,' 'Days of Jesse James,' 'Saga of Death Valley,' and 'Jesse James at Bay.'

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 8 Votes: 12.50% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 17 Votes: 41.18% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 26 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 14 Votes: 57.14% Annoying