Roy Rogers Rides Continued Momentum on the Road to Aggressive Franchise Expansion

Roy Rogers Rides Continued Momentum on the Road to Aggressive Franchise Expansion

Roy Rogers Rides Continued Momentum on the Road to Aggressive Franchise Expansion

Beloved, iconic brand Roy Rogers Restaurants is back and ready to grow.

With a flexible, new store design and highly refined operations in place, the nearly 50-unit western-themed quick-service restaurant chain, founded in 1968, stands primely positioned to soar as a modern franchise brand with timeless appeal.

Built on a legacy of serving up the big three favorites of roast beef, burgers, and chicken, a cut above the rest in the QSR segment, Frederick, Maryland-based Roy Rogers has been busy reimagining operations for the future.

Menu planning, prototype, and front and back-of-the-house operations and infrastructure have been optimized over the past three years, focused on speed, efficiency, and enhancing the customer experience. The new store designs offer entrepreneurs flexible footprints, ranging from traditional free-standing restaurants with drive-thru options to non-traditional airports and college campuses.

“Operationally, we have streamlined our service model and supply chain, adopted third party delivery services, cut drive-thru time by minutes, and installed digital restaurant menu boards,” says Gregg Koffler, vice president of franchise sales, who signed on with Roy Rogers earlier this year, laying the groundwork for a robust franchise foundation. “All these initiatives are now complete, and we are off and running.”

Koffler can spot an opportunity when he sees it. The franchise veteran brings a wealth of experience to Roy Rogers, most recently with bakery café restaurant concept Paris Baguette America. Earlier in his career, Koffler headed up global franchise sales and development for Johnny Rockets and held executive franchising roles at Orangetheory Fitness, Smashburger, Corner Bakery Café, and Wyndham Hotels.

It’s a full-circle moment for Koffler, who grew up in the Northeast, and is now charged with expanding Roy Rogers through franchising.

“Roy Rogers was a favorite of my family’s, so I grew up with the brand,” recalls Koffler. “When I met with the ownership group, I could see right away the passion that Jim and Pete Plamondon Jr. have to see Roy Rogers come back to where it was – and beyond. I thought, ‘wow, I’m going to jump on this opportunity.’”

Roy Rogers has 22-company-owned restaurants and 25 franchise locations in six states.  Building on the momentum of strong 2020 sales and 1.6 million average unit volume, Koffler aims to expand the brand’s reach with experienced multi-unit operators looking to add a legacy QSR brand to their portfolio. Franchisees can count on tech-driven systems, seasoned leadership, and a loyal multi-generational following for the brand’s long-celebrated history.

“First and foremost, it’s about the right partners and being opportunistic when the right partners do come along to expand into those markets,” says Koffler. “So we’re not market-driven; we’re partner-driven.”

In a franchising world where large, private equity-backed franchise companies are commonplace, Roy Rogers offers prospective franchisees an opportunity to be part of something unique.

“When you come for Discovery Day, you’re going to meet the owners—you actually get to shake the owners’ hands, look them in the eye, and feel that sense of family and understand the culture of Roy Rogers—it is a huge selling point for us.”

Ready to blaze your own trail? Interested investors should contact gkoffler@royrogersrestaurants.com, call 240-454-2149, or head to roysfranchising.com to get started.

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Published: July 29th, 2021

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