Kenny Rogers Roasters
The logo used since 2012
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| Restaurant chain | |
| Founded | 1991 |
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Number of locations
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156 (Worldwide) |
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Area served
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Malaysia, Philippines, China, Indonesia, Singapore, India, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Dubai |
| Owner | Berjaya Corporation |
| Website |
kennyrogersroasters.com (International) krr.com.my (Malaysia) kennys.com.ph (Philippines) krr.com.bd (Bangladesh) kennyrogersroastersme.com (Dubai) |
Kenny Rogers Roasters is a chain of chicken-based restaurants. It was founded in 1991 by country musician Kenny Rogers and former KFC CEO John Y. Brown, Jr., who is a former governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky. John Y. Brown Jr. had also been an investor in Kentucky Fried Chicken from 1964 to 1971. In addition to his successful music career, Kenny Rogers had also appeared in a number of commericials for the Dole Food Company before this restaurant chain was founded.
The menu of Kenny Rogers Roasters was originally centered on wood-fired rotisserie chicken. After closing all of its U.S. operations and a series of ownership changes, Kenny Rogers Roasters now operates principally in Asia and is now part of Malaysian conglomerate Berjaya Corporation Berhad. The Kenny Rogers Roasters brand comes under a worldwide franchise owned by Kenny Rogers Roasters International Corporation, a subsidiary of Roasters Asia Pacific (Cayman) Limited which itself is owned by Berjaya Corporation Berhad.
In 1991, country singer/songwriter Kenny Rogers ventured into the fast-food business and co-founded Kenny Rogers Roasters with former Kentucky governor John Y. Brown, Jr. Kenny Rogers Roasters opened its first restaurant in Coral Springs, Florida in August 1991.
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, 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 could not sleep.
Roasters found itself in competition with Boston Chicken (later 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 expanded it to a chain of more than 425 restaurants before selling his interest in the franchise to the Malaysia-based Berjaya Group in 1996.
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Wikipedia