Business View - November 2015 23
palomino. Jim Plamondon, who runs the current iteration
of Roy Rogers Restaurants with his brother, Pete, begins
the narrative in 1968, when the company was originally
founded by the Marriot Corporation as a fast-food brand
that could compete with McDonalds:
“Our dad was an executive with the Marriott Corporation,
and he was recruited by Marriott to run their fast-food
division - which included Roy Rogers and Hot Shoppes -
when it was getting off the ground. Marriott built the brand
through the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s into a restaurant chain
that was 648 units strong. It was a national brand; there
were restaurants from New York to Florida to California
and parts in-between – Texas and parts of the Midwest.
They might not have been represented in every state, but
they were certainly a national brand. Probably 75 percent
of the units were in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic regions.
It was a franchise concept, although the majority of the
restaurants were owned by Marriott – 70 percent of the
units back in those days were corporate-owned and the
balance of 30 percent was franchised. The menu was
very simple back then – just roast beef sandwiches, po-
tato chips, and soda. Marriott enhanced the menus over
the years and the restaurants became known for three
main items: roast beef, fried chicken, and burgers. Dad
AT A GLANCE
WHO:
Roy Rogers Restaurants
WHAT:
An iconic chain of casual-style restaurants
WHERE:
Headquarters in Frederick, Maryland
WEBSITE
:
FRANCHISE
