Kenny Rogers Roasters (Johnsonverse)

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 is 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 features wood-fired rotisserie chicken. It was acquired by Johnson Industries in 1998 and has been expanded into various countries over the years.
== History ==
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, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Kenny Rogers 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 minor player in the roasted chicken market, sued Kenny Rogers Roasters, claiming the chain had copied its recipes and menus. The lawsuit continued until Kenny Rogers Roasters purchased a majority stake in Clucker's in August 1994. Brown expanded the company to a chain of more than 425 restaurants before selling his interest in the franchise to Johnson Industries in 1996.
In 1994 two restaurants were opened in Athens, Greece. However both were closed only a couple of years later.
In 1996 the chain announced plans to open in the United Kingdom and purchased locations in various cities. At this point, annual sales topped $300 million. However, the planned restaurants in Britain never materialised until 2004.
The company entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 1998 and was bought by Johnson Industries for U.S.$1.25 million (US$2 million in more recent terms) on December 1, 1998, resulting in Johnson taking full control of the company. Johnson began a five-year expansion plan to other regions such as Asia, Australia, and Europe. 
In 2003, the first Kenny Rogers Roasters location in the Japanese Isles opened in Osaka, Kansai, and in 2004, its first locations in the United Kingdom opened after an eight-year delay. In 2007, Kenny Rogers Roasters opened its 500th location. 
== 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".
== Number of restaurants and countries of operation ==
In its 2012 Annual Report, Johnson Foods reported that as of April 30, 2012, Kenny Rogers Roasters restaurants numbered 268 in the United States, with 74 in Malaysia and 8 in Indonesia.
In addition, Kenny Rogers Roasters 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. The second Brunei outlet was opened at Tanjung Bunut in June 2015.
Kenny Rogers Roasters started operations in Bangladesh in December 2012 with a restaurant in Gulshan, Dhaka.
In June 2014, Kenny Rogers opened in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in the Aeon Mall. This was the chain's first location in Cambodia.
The Kenny Rogers Roasters expansion to UAE happened in June 2015 at Al-Karama, Dubai.
In December 2016, the first KRR opened in Thailand in the Laguna area of Phuket. Other restaurants have opened in the country since then.
== Advertising ==
Until his death in 2020, Kenny Rogers had appeared in many commercials for KRR. His songs continue to be used in the company's advertising.
== In popular culture ==
Kenny Rogers Roasters is the center of an episode of Seinfeld, "The Chicken Roaster". After a branch opens in the neighbourhood, Kramer cannot sleep due to its neon sign shining through his window, so he hung 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. The story was inspired by a real-life confrontation between a New York City branch of Kenny Rogers Roasters and a neighbouring law office.
Category:Johnsonverse