The Once-Popular Fast Food Restaurant That's Making An Unexpected Comeback

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Fast food restaurants come and go, reflecting the changing tastes of consumers and varying success for different business and marketing strategies. What's rarer is to see a chain on the upswing again after a slump. However, that's exactly what's happening with Roy Rogers. The brand once boasted hundreds of restaurants across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic before shrinking to just a few dozen locations. Now, it's beginning to return to areas where it was once a household name.

This includes South New Jersey, with a Cherry Hill location opening in 2025, the first in the area since the 1980s. Additionally, the chain is slated to expand in Northern Virginia with a third Leesburg location listed as "coming soon" on the Roy Rogers website as of June 2025. These bring the number of locations to around 40 across five Mid-Atlantic states. More than half are in Maryland, where the company is based.

However, that's a far cry from the over 600 locations Roy Rogers boasted in the early 1990s, when the chain was sold to Hardee's. That era no doubt represented the peak for the company, which opened the doors of its first restaurant back in 1968 in Northern Virginia. It had quickly grown through the 1970s and '80s after establishing its famous "Big Three" menu items of roast beef sandwiches, fried chicken, and quarter-pound burgers, along with its iconic Fixin's Bar of toppings. This made it a valuable acquisition for Hardee's, but sadly, the good times didn't last.

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Things took a turn for the worse for the chain as a result of its acquisition by Hardee's, which tried to convert many of the stores to the Hardee's brand. Years of financial decline ensued as locations closed or were even sold off to rival fast food companies. Some of these were quickly closed, either to protect nearby franchises of the chains that bought them or to take advantage of prime real estate where the Roy Rogers were located. The decision didn't work out well for the company that bought the chain, either; these days, there are signs that it might be Hardee's that's not going to be around for much longer.

Today's comeback started in the early 2000s, when Roy Rogers' current ownership relaunched the brand and began a slow but steady expansion over the past two decades. This reversal of fortunes is particularly impressive considering it was among the burger chains that are disappearing across the country, just a few years ago.

Although it might be a while before Roy Rogers makes it back anywhere near its prominence from the past (if at all), there are certainly signs of hope for fans of this classic brand. If trends continue, it might soon be a lot easier for millions of Americans to chow down on roast beef, fried chicken, burgers, and other Roy Rogers treats.