The Nostalgic Chicken Chain That Deserves A Comeback In The US

While it's true that everyone loves chicken, a crowded marketplace can make it difficult to stand out — and as a wise man once said, "You got to ... know when to walk away and know when to run." That man was Kenny Rogers, and he learned the truth of his own words when his chicken joint, Kenny Rogers Roasters, lost its foothold in the American culinary scene. But despite disappearing from the public eye in the U.S., the nostalgic chain is still clucking around, and we think it's time for The Gambler to come home.

Kenny Rogers Roasters opened in 1991 in Coral Springs, Florida, in partnership with John Y. Brown Jr., the former Kentucky governor credited with helping transform KFC into the fast food powerhouse it is today. The idea was to bring a roasted alternative to a world of fast food dominated by fried chicken. By 1993, there were 100 locations nationwide, and plans were already being laid to expand internationally as people flocked to the wood-fired meat and the delicious cornbread. After all, as anyone who has seen "Seinfeld" knows, it's the wood that makes it good.

But there was already trouble a-brewing. In 1992, Kenny Rogers Roasters was sued by Cluckers Wood-Roasted Chicken, which alleged that Rogers had stolen its company concept. The lawsuit came to a conclusion two years later, with Kenny Rogers Roasters buying a majority of the company. Under the weight of such financial hardships, as well as growing competition from similarly minded chains like Boston Market, the beloved franchise declared bankruptcy in 1998 and was bought by Nathan's Famous.

However, the story didn't end there. Kenny Rogers himself began to withdraw from the chain. In 2008, the company was sold to Berjaya Roasters, a Malaysian food franchiser that owns and operates locations of Starbucks and Paris Baguette, as well as Kenny Rogers Roasters, across Asia.

The brand grew like wildfire there, eventually reaching 183 locations across China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and more by 2020. The chain is notably popular in the Philippines, where the fast-casual environment allowed it to stand apart from other chicken-forward institutions like McDonald's or Jollibee.

In 2011, the last remaining Kenny Rogers Roasters in America, which was at a mall in Ontario, California, shut down, leaving the chain exclusively in the Eastern Hemisphere. However, with nostalgic chains like Cicis Pizza Buffet making a comeback, we can only hold out hope that Kenny Rogers Roasters will follow a similar path and bring bucolic chicken back into our lives. Perhaps a joint collaboration with the Margaritaville brand of the late Jimmy Buffett is in order.