Roy Rogers

[TheFugitive]

I was recently visiting the Washington, DC area where I ate at Roy Rogers for the first time in many decades.  Once something of a national chain they have retrenched basically to the local DC metro market, with some random outlets here and there along highway rest stops.

I remember when I was a kid they had a strong presence in Pittsburgh.  The nearest fast-food place to where I grew up was a Roy Rogers on Green Tree Road.  I had a friend in grade school whose dad would always host a birthday party for him at RR's where we'd all get paper cowboy hats.  I also remember one on the University of Pittsburgh campus which took over a space in the basement of the Cathedral of Learning after the Burger Chef which had been there closed.  The university celebrated by bringing 83-year old Roy Rogers to town to serve as Grand Marshal of Pitt's homecoming parade.  He was met by campus protesters who were railing against the "commercialization" of the campus (even though the exact same space had long been a Burger Chef).

Roy's signature menu item is the roast beef sandwich, which I recall as being superior to Arby's.  Also a limited burger menu and fried chicken.  On this particular trip we ordered the fried chicken, which was outstanding! (I rarely order fried chicken on the road after KFC managed to give me food poisoning twice in two different states during the Summer of 1977).

Roy's was also famous for a fixins bar where you could put your own toppings on your sandwich or burger.  I was pleased to see one there.  Apparently they survived COVID.

As I said Roy's has mostly retrenched to the Washington, DC area.  There is one in Somerset, Pennsylvania but it's captive to a turnpike rest stop.  I have some property in Somerset County but I never go there because unless you are taking the turnpike to Bedford County or someplace east of that you'd have no way to get to that Roy's.

[BillyGr]

I was recently visiting the Washington, DC area where I ate at Roy Rogers for the first time in many decades.  Once something of a national chain they have retrenched basically to the local DC metro market, with some random outlets here and there along highway rest stops.

A number of years ago, the brand was purchased by a then-franchisee in Maryland, which explains why so many of the remaining locations are in that area.  I believe they have offered others to use the name, but apparently just haven't gotten too many takers.
The highway ones were done through one of the companies that does that (I think Host Marriott or whatever they are called now), and those have started to disappear as others take over the contracts (such as here in NY State for the Thruway, where a new group is rebuilding most of the locations, taking over from both them and McDonalds who previously shared the spots, with each having some locations).

[TheFugitive]

A number of years ago, the brand was purchased by a then-franchisee in Maryland, which explains why so many of the remaining locations are in that area.  I believe they have offered others to use the name, but apparently just haven't gotten too many takers.

Well Roy Rogers left us in 1998, and I suspect most people today have never seen one of his movies.  So the name has diminishing commercial value.  Interesting bit of trivia:  Roy Rogers was born Leonard Slye in Cincinnati, Ohio.  His boyhood home was demolished to make way for Riverfront Stadium.  It stood approximately where second base used to be.