Today, Mister Donut has one last American holdout in Godfrey, Illinois-but in Japan, the Mister Donut name is thriving, with over 1,000 locations.Īnd though Shakey's Pizza was the United States' first franchise pizza chain, with over 300 American restaurants by the late 1960s, it now lists only 51 locations in the United States, mostly concentrated in California. Founded in 1956, Mister Donut used to be one of Dunkin's top competitors in the United States, but after it was acquired by Dunkin' in 1990, most of its locations were converted to Dunkin' stores. The idea of an American chain losing its footing in the United States but finding popularity abroad isn't uncommon. If you're a young American, it wouldn't be surprising if you've never been to one, or even heard of the chain beyond the Seinfeld reference. In 2011, Kenny Rogers Roasters closed its last branch in the United States, which had been in the food court of a California mall. It was sold again in 2008 to Malaysia-based franchising company Berjaya Roasters, which opened up locations across Asia. In 1998, the company went bankrupt and was sold to Nathan's Famous, the company known for its hot dogs, and Rogers was separating himself from the chain. At the same time, Boston Chicken, which became Boston Market in 1995, was also making a push into the rotisserie market, with 450 new stores planned for 1994 alone.Īmid all that competition, Kenny Rogers Roasters didn't stick-in the United States, at least. In 1992, Miami's Cluckers Wood Roasted Chicken filed a $10 million lawsuit against Kenny Rogers Roasters-which also advertised wood-roasted chicken-for copying its concept that lawsuit ended in 1994, when Kenny Rogers Roasters bought the majority stake in Cluckers. The chain struggled with its American competitors. In 1996, Rogers and the chicken chain were even popular enough to earn a reference in a Seinfeld episode titled " The Chicken Roaster." "Kenny Rogers' worldwide recognition as an entertainer gives our restaurants immediate international awareness," John Y. The restaurant-turned-chain was riding the rotisserie chicken trend of the 90s, which had enough competition that it earned usage of the phrase "Chicken Wars" long before the Popeyes chicken sandwich drama of today.īy 1993, Kenny Rogers Roasters had more than 100 locations across the United States and Canada, and the company had signed international development agreements for more stores in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and across Asia. The goal of Kenny Rogers Roasters was to be an alternative to fried chicken, selling wood-fired rotisserie chicken and corn muffins instead.
Brown Jr., the former governor of Kentucky turned former co-owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken who's credited with expanding the company. Rogers opened the first Kenny Rogers Roasters in Coral Springs, Florida in 1991 in a partnership with John Y.
But beyond his catalog of entertainment, Rogers' global legacy has also extended to food, through the rotisserie chicken chain that still bears his name all over the world.