The Florida Chicken Restaurant Chain That Now Only Exists In Asia

Why did the roasted chicken cross the globe? For one relatively obscure restaurant chain, it was to build a rotisserie'd empire. Many people may not remember, but country-western music legend Kenny Rogers had a pretty popular restaurant in the 1990s. Although the Grammy Award-winning icon hasn't owned the fast-food chain for decades, Kenny Rogers Roasters still operates to this day with his name prominently plastered on the logo. But you won't find any of the chicken take-outs in the United States.

Roasters abandoned North America at the end of 2011 when its last U.S. location closed in Ontario, California. Now the chain primarily operates in Asia with about 400 locations in Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Maldives, Singapore and several other Asia-Pacific countries.

Roasters was designed as a "casual dining restaurant" with healthier grilled options "served in a friendly and comfortable environment," according to the restaurant's website. It specializes in woodfire-rotisserie and roasted chicken, homemade muffins and other sides like jacket potatoes, vegetable salads, pastas, soups and desserts. Rogers died in March 2020, but he remained faithful to the Roasters brand that he once owned until late in his life. "It's a good product. They are still using my name. God bless 'em, you know," he told the BBC in May 2017.

Rogers sold more than 100 million records, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, having won three Grammys. In the recording booth, he made some of his biggest hits with other legends like Dolly Parton and Lionel Richie. But as the sun dimmed on his music career, he made his biggest collab in the business world when he teamed up with former Kentucky Gov. John Brown Jr. Before becoming governor of the Bluegrass State, Brown was the CEO of Kentucky Fried Chicken and had experience growing a restaurant chain to national prominence.

With his savvy and Rogers' fame, Kenny Rogers Roasters became a quick hit. The duo opened their first Roasters restaurant in Coral Springs, Florida in 1991 and the franchise grew to 350 restaurants worldwide in a few short years, with locations across the U.S. as well as Canada, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Boston Market and other competitors began tapping into the grilled chicken boom in the mid-90s and Rogers knew when to fold 'em. In 1996, he sold his majority share in Roasters to Malaysian conglomerate Berjaya Berhad. Although Rogers held onto a minority stake, tried to stop the company from using his name and likeness a few years later after Roasters filed for bankruptcy. He eventually reached an agreement that allowed the food chain to continue bearing his face and name even though he was no longer actively involved.

Nathan's Famous Inc., the company behind Nathan's hotdogs, bought the chain for $1.25M in 1999 and that's when restructuring forced a glut of the U.S. locations to start closing shop. By 2000, Roasters only boasted 90 franchised restaurants worldwide and just 40 of them were stateside. Nathan's eventually sold to its Asian franchiser Roasters Asia Pacific in 2008 — a subsidiary of the Berjaya Group in Malaysia.