Kenny Rogers Roasters is a chain of chicken-based restaurants founded in 1991 by country musician Kenny Rogers and former KFC CEO John Y. Brown Jr., who was a former governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Brown had been an early investor in Kentucky Fried Chicken from 1964 to 1971. During his successful music career, Rogers had appeared in several commercials for the Dole Food Company before founding this restaurant chain.
The menu of Kenny Rogers Roasters originally featured wood-firedrotisserie chicken. After closing all of its U.S. operations and a series of ownership changes, Kenny Rogers Roasters operates principally in Asia as part of Malaysian conglomerate Berjaya Corporation Berhad. The Kenny Rogers Roasters brand is owned by Kenny Rogers Roasters International Corporation, a subsidiary of Roasters Asia Pacific (Cayman) Limited which itself is owned by Berjaya Corporation Berhad.[3]
History
The first Kenny Rogers Roasters restaurant in Coral Springs, FloridaA typical Kenny Rogers's plate
John Y. Brown Jr., a business entrepreneur from the commonwealth of Kentucky had worked with the restaurant chains KFC and Lum's. After serving as Governor of Kentucky from 1979 to 1983, Brown decided to return to the restaurant business. He chose to start a chicken restaurant in Coral Springs, Florida, in 1991, forming a partnership with country music singer Kenny Rogers who had previously released his own cook book. The first store opened in September 1991, and Rogers himself was present at the opening. Kenny Rogers Roasters was one of several restaurants to open in southern Florida that year, owing to the popularity of grilled chicken both in that particular market and nationwide.[4]
By 1995, the menu had expanded to include turkey, ribs, and various side dishes. The chain eventually grew to over 350 restaurants, including locations in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.[5][6]
Kenny Rogers Roasters found itself in competition with Boston Chicken (later Boston Market) and several smaller roasted chicken chains.[7] Kentucky Fried Chicken also introduced a roasted chicken line of products called Rotisserie Gold to compete with Roasters and Boston Chicken.[7] In December 1992, Clucker's, a minor player in the roasted chicken market, sued Kenny Rogers Roasters, claiming the chain had copied its recipes and menus.[8] The lawsuit continued until Kenny Rogers Roasters purchased a majority stake in Cluckers in August 1994.[6][8] Brown expanded the company to a chain of more than 425 restaurants before selling his interest in the franchise to the Malaysia-based Berjaya Group in 1996.[9]
In 1994, two restaurants were opened in Athens, Greece. However both were closed only a couple of years later[5][10][11]
In 1996, the chain announced plans to open in the United Kingdom and purchased locations in various cities. At this point, annual sales topped $300million. However, the planned restaurants in Britain never materialized.[12]
A former Kenny Rogers Roasters in Saginaw, Michigan
The company entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 1998[13] and was bought by Nathan's Famous, Inc. for $1.25million[14][15] (US$2 million in more recent terms) on April 1, 1999; as a result of restructuring, many locations closed. Rotisserie-roasted chicken had become commonplace in many food supermarkets. By 2000, the chain was down to 90 franchised restaurants, 40 of those in the U.S.
Nathan's Famous divested itself of Kenny Rogers Roasters in 2008, selling it to their Asian franchisee, Roasters Asia Pacific (Cayman) Limited,[16] a company which is owned by Berjaya Group of Malaysia.[2] The last Kenny Rogers Roasters operating in North America was located in the Ontario Mills mall in Ontario, California, which closed on December 31, 2011.[17]
The 2008 purchase agreement allowed for[18] Nathan's Famous and Miami Subs to continue selling Kenny Rogers Roasters items in their restaurants.[19] Nathan's continues to serve Kenny Rogers Roasters items in select locations, such as its flagship location on Coney Island.[20] Miami Subs (since sold off by Nathan's) no longer has a "Kenny Rogers" section on their menu.[21]
Despite the chain's end in the United States, Kenny Rogers Roasters continues to flourish in Asia under the ownership of Berjaya Group. An article published by Time.com in 2011[22] reported that Kenny Rogers Roasters had grown to almost 140 restaurants across Asia, with continued expansion in Malaysia,[23] the Philippines,[24] and more recently southern China.
In Malaysia, the Kenny Rogers Roasters chain of restaurants is developed and operated by Berjaya Roasters (M) Sdn Bhd. Under a corporate exercise by Berjaya Corporation Berhad in 2011, Berjaya Roasters (M) Sdn Bhd became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berjaya Food Berhad.[25]
In March 2011, Berjaya Food Berhad listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia. Effectively, Berjaya Food Berhad is responsible for establishing, operating, and expanding Kenny Rogers Roasters restaurants in Malaysia. This includes developing the Kenny Rogers Roasters brand, managing menu items, and acting as a central procurement agent for Kenny Rogers Roasters restaurants across Malaysia.
Restaurant concept and menu
As a brand, Kenny Rogers Roasters advocates healthy eating as reflected in its brand tag line "less fat...less salt...less calories".[26] -- compared to fried chicken.
Kenny Rogers Roasters, NU Sentral, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
In its 2012 Annual Report, Berjaya Corporation Berhad reported that as of April 30, 2012, Kenny Rogers Roasters restaurants numbered 74 in Malaysia and 8 in Indonesia.[27] It was also mentioned that Roasters Asia Pacific (Hong Kong) Limited has operations in other countries including the United States, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, China, and the Philippines.
In addition, Roasters Asia Pacific has been undergoing expansion in other international territories including India and the Middle East. Kenny Rogers Roasters opened its first outlet in Brunei in January 2013.[28] The second Brunei outlet was opened at Tanjung Bunut in June 2015.
In December 2016, the first KRR opened in Thailand in the Laguna area of Phuket. There are currently plans to open other restaurants within Phuket and then into other parts of Thailand as well.[29]
In February 2023, Kenny Rogers Roasters opens its first flagship restaurant in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in the Salah Al Din locality. Later sometime in May-June 2023, Kenny Rogers Roasters expands to Deira City Centre specifically in the Food Central sector of the mall.
In popular culture
Kenny Rogers Roasters is the center of an episode of Seinfeld, "The Chicken Roaster". After a branch opens in the neighborhood, Kramer cannot sleep due to its neon sign shining through his window, so he hangs up a banner to drive it out of business. The branch shuts down at the end of the episode when Jerry unintentionally sabotages it with a soaked rat hat.[6] The story was inspired by a real-life confrontation between a New York City branch of Kenny Rogers Roasters and a neighboring law office.[30]
Swiss Chalet is a Canadian chain of casual dining restaurants founded in 1954 in Toronto, Ontario. Swiss Chalet has locations in most Canadian provinces, but about 80% are in Ontario and there are currently none in Quebec or British Columbia. Swiss Chalet is among the holdings of Recipe Unlimited, which also owns the fast food chain Harvey's. Swiss Chalet and Harvey's franchises share many locations.
Roy Rogers Franchise Company, LLC is a chain of fast food restaurants primarily located in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States. The chain originated as the rebranding of the RoBee's House of Beef chain of Fort Wayne, Indiana, acquired by the Marriott Corporation in February 1968. However, Marriott first used the Roy Rogers Roast Beef name on conversions of the company's Junior Hot Shoppes in the Washington, D.C. area in April 1968, then the existing RoBee's stores. An aggressive nationwide franchising campaign was launched. At its peak, the chain included over 600 locations. The chain now has 41 locations in seven states, either company owned or franchised.
Roast chicken is chicken prepared as food by roasting whether in a home kitchen, over a fire, or with a rotisserie. Generally, the chicken is roasted with its own fat and juices by circulating the meat during roasting, and therefore, are usually cooked exposed to fire or heat with some type of rotary grill so that the circulation of these fats and juices is as efficient as possible. Roast chicken is a dish that appears in a wide variety of cuisines worldwide.
The Sun is Malaysia's first national free daily newspaper in tabloid form. Available from Mondays to Fridays except on public holiday, with a target audience of white-collar workers and urban youth.
John Young Brown Jr. was an American politician and business entrepreneur from Kentucky. He served as the 55th governor of Kentucky from 1979 to 1983, and built Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) into a multimillion-dollar restaurant chain.
Sime Darby Berhad is a Malaysian trading conglomerate. Its core businesses operate and serve in the industrial, motors and logistics sectors as well as the healthcare, and insurance segments.
Johor Corporation (JCorp) is Johor’s principal development institution for the State. Headquartered in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, its operations span multiple countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Australia,Thailand, Cambodia and Bangladesh.
"The Chicken Roaster" is the 142nd episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the eighth episode for the eighth season, originally airing on November 14, 1996. The episode's story follows the mishaps which follow when Kenny Rogers Roasters opens a branch in the characters' neighborhood. The restaurant's neon sign shines into Kramer's apartment, disturbing first him and then Jerry after they switch apartments, but Jerry opposes Kramer's efforts to shut the restaurant down since a college friend of his is assistant manager at the branch. Meanwhile, Elaine is in danger of being fired from J. Peterman after she misuses the company account for personal purchases.
Marrybrown Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian-owned multinational chain of quick service restaurants originated in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. Being one of the largest global halal fast food-establishments, the chain has since expanded to over 500 locations throughout Malaysia and across 15 countries. The restaurant focuses on Malaysian and western dishes.
MMC Corporation Berhad is a Malaysian utility and infrastructure conglomerate, with diversified businesses under three divisions: Energy & Utilities, Ports & Logistics, and Engineering. Syed Mokhtar Albukhary is the company's biggest shareholder at 51%, while several government-linked investment companies own over 30%.
Kulim (Malaysia) Berhad is a Malaysian company. Through its subsidiaries, it engages in oil palm plantation, investment holding, and property investment businesses in Malaysia. The company also manufactures rubber-based products, oleochemicals, and esters; produces oil palm clones by plant tissue culture technology; and distributes tropical fruits, as well as engaging in crude palm oil processing. The Corporate Office of Kulim (Malaysia) Berhad is located at Johor, Malaysia.
Berjaya Corporation Berhad is a Malaysia-based corporation which controls a wide array of businesses, including consumer marketing, property development and investment, as well as hotels, resorts and recreation development. It also specialises in gaming and lottery management, food and beverage, motor trading and distribution, investment on environmental services and clean technology, and telecommunication and information technology-related services and products.
SCR Corporation Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian halal-certified chicken rice fast-food restaurant in Sarawak. The chain is operated by SCR Corporation Sdn Bhd which was established in 1987. Since its birth, SCR Corporation Sdn Bhd has grown to become one of East Malaysia's biggest home grown food names with international outlets in Brunei and Indonesia.
KFC was founded by Colonel Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur who began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, during the Great Depression. Sanders identified the potential of restaurant franchising, and the first "Kentucky Fried Chicken" franchise opened in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1952. KFC popularized chicken in the fast-food industry, diversifying the market by challenging the established dominance of the hamburger. Branding himself "Colonel Sanders", the founder became a prominent figure of American cultural history, and his image remains widely used in KFC advertising. The company's rapid expansion made it too large for Sanders to manage, so in 1964 he sold the company to a group of investors led by John Y. Brown Jr. and Jack C. Massey.
Rotisserie chicken is a chicken dish that is cooked on a rotisserie by using direct heat in which the chicken is placed next to the heat source.
Queensbay Mall is a shopping mall within George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located at the suburb of Bayan Lepas, the mall was opened to the public in 2006. It covers a gross built-up area of 2,500,000 sq ft (230,000 m2) and contains over 400 shop lots spread out over five floors, attracting several established international brands. Its main anchor tenant is AEON and a Golden Screen Cinema complex is housed within its top floor. The mall has basement parking and multilevel parking lot for shoppers.
ÆON Mall Kuching Central is a shopping mall in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. Located at Jalan Datuk Patinggi Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, formerly known as Jalan Kereta Api, it was opened in April 2018. It is ÆON Co. (M) Bhd.'s first mall in East Malaysia and 27th overall nationwide.
KFC is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, one of the largest restaurant companies in the world. KFC had sales of $23 billion in 2013. KFC is incorporated under Delaware General Corporation Law, and has its headquarters at 1441 Gardiner Lane, Louisville, Kentucky, in a three-story colonial style building known colloquially as the "White House" due to its resemblance to the US president's home. The headquarters contain executive offices and the company's research and development facilities.
↑ "Nathan's Bid Up For Vote". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Sun-Sentinel.com. January 6, 1999. Archived from the original on June 12, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
↑ "Great Sports Quotes From "The Sopranos"". Sports Business Journal. June 7, 2007. Retrieved June 23, 2022. What a shame Barry Sanders retired. He's a real sweetheart. A.J., did you tell your dad and your grandpa how I served him when I was a waitress at Kenny Rogers?
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