Name: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (also known as Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits)

Type of Food: Fried Chicken & Biscuits

Interesting Fact: “Popeyes,” is named after the character Popeye Doyle in the movie “The French Connection”, not the cartoon sailor character of the same name.

History: The Popeyes story began in New Orleans back in 1972, when Al Copeland opened a quick-service restaurant called “Chicken on the Run,” in a small New Orleans suburb of Arabi. But business was slow, and Copeland realized that he’d have to sell a spicier alternative to his standard chicken recipe if he wanted to impress flavor-seeking New Orleanians. Copeland had already been experimenting with the flavorful Cajun recipes he’d been enjoying all his life and soon reopened his restaurant as “Popeyes.”

Copeland began franchising his restaurant in 1976, beginning in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and added approximately five hundred outlets over the next ten years. B.P. Newman of Laredo, Texas, acquired various franchises in Texas and surrounding states. In 1989 Popeyes merged with AFC Enterprises’ Church’s Chicken. AFC Enterprises retained Popeyes but sold competing brand, Church’s Chicken, to Arcapita in 2004. In 2008 AFC Enterprises, Inc. announced the revamping of the brand to Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen to bring to mind the marinating and slow cooking of Cajun cuisine.

As of December 27, 2009, the Company operated and franchised 1,943 Popeyes restaurants in 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and 27 foreign countries.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Website: www.popeyes.com

Official Popeyes Social Media: Facebook - Twitter

View the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen menu: here

Find your local Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen here

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Specials: -Newsletter – Gift Card – Coupons

Type of Food: Roast beef sandwiches, burgers and fried chicken

Interesting Fact: The Roy Rogers name was used because it was felt Roy personified an honest, wholesome image, as well as the nostalgia invoked of the ol’ West’s reputation for good beef and “down home cooking.”

History: Marriott International, Inc., founded the chain, licensed the name from Roy Rogers, and operated the restaurants from 1968 through 1990. The first location opened in 1968 in Falls Church, Virginia. In 1990, Marriott sold the chain to Hardee’s, who proceeded to convert 220 locations to Hardee’s, selling the rest of the locations to McDonalds and Wendy’s. By the end of the 1990’s just 13 Roy Rogers franchisees were in existence. Most were located along highways in the Northeast. In 2003 brothers Jim and Peter (Jr.) Plamondon announced their purchase of the Roy Rogers restaurant trademark and franchise system. An initiative began to revive the Roy Rogers brand. As of 2005, 55 restaurants are operating under the Roy Rogers Family Restaurants name.

Roy Rogers Website: www.royrogersrestaurants.com

Official Roy Rogers Social Media: Facebook - Twitter

View the Roy Rogers menu: here

Find your local Roy Rogers: here

Roy Rogers Specials: -Newsletter – Gift Card – Coupons

Name: Culver’s

Type of Food: Burgers and Fries

Interesting Facts: George Culver, founder of Culver’s original owned an A & W Franchise and son Craig worked for McDonald’s for four years.

History: On July 18, 1984, George Culver with wife Ruth, son Craig, and daughter-in-law Lea,  opened the first Culver’s Frozen Custard and ButterBurgers in Sauk City, WI.

Three years later, they expanded to Baraboo,WI and business quickly doubled. Soon after, the increased recognition that the second store earned this small-town chain prompted expansion into the Madison and Milwaukee areas.

As Culver’s expanded throughout Wisconsin, they began receiving applications for franchises outside of the state. At the time, Culver’s was still a small, local chain, with only 14 restaurants across southern Wisconsin as of 1993. However, despite initial trepidation about how these stores would fare outside of Wisconsin, the Culver’s eventually acquiesced. The first restaurant in Buffalo, Minnesota, opened in September 1995 and Illinois in December 1995, and one in Dubuque, Iowa, in November 1996.

Today, Craig and Lea own nine Culver’s and oversee more than 400 franchised restaurants in 17 states through Culver Franchising System, Inc.

Culver’s Website: www.culvers.com

Official Culver’s Social Media: Facebook - Twitter

View the Culver’s menu: here

Find your local Culver’s: here

Culver’s Specials: -Newsletter – Gift Card – Coupons

Name: Church’s Chicken

Type of Food: Fried Chicken

Interesting Facts: The first “Church’s Fried Chicken to Go” was located in downtown San Antonio, across the street from the Alamo.

History: Initially the restaurant sold only chicken, but french fries and jalapeños were later added in 1955. The company had four restaurants when George W. Church died in 1956. Following Church’s death, his son George W. Church, Jr., took control of the company. By 1962, the family had expanded the company to eight restaurants.

Church and his management team stuck to the basics, and from 1962 to 1965 concentrated on rapid but tightly controlled expansion limited to the San Antonio area. By 1965, Bill Church and his older brother Richard had perfected a marinating formula for Church’s Fried Chicken that could be re-created almost anywhere in the world. The formula remains a closely guarded secret.

By 1967, the company was set to expand, and less than a year later it established the first Church’s restaurants outside Texas.

The Church family was bought out in October 1968, and in May 1969 Church’s Fried Chicken, Inc. became a publicly held company. At the end of 1969, over 100 Church’s restaurants were in operation in seven states. Between 1969 and 1974, Church’s grew by an additional 387 restaurants. At year-end 1974, there were 487 Church’s in 22 states with total revenues of more than $100 million. The highlight of this period was the opening of the national headquarters complex and manufacturing plant on a six-acre site in northwest San Antonio.

International expansion began in 1979, with the announcement of the first Church’s abroad. The company subsequently established locations in Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and Indonesia.

By 1989, Church’s was the second-largest chicken franchise organization in the United States. That was the year it merged with the number three chicken chain, Popeyes® Famous Chicken & Biscuits, headquartered in New Orleans. The Church’s concept remained distinct and separate from Popeyes®.

On November 5, 1992, America’s Favorite Chicken Company (AFC) — now called AFC Enterprises Inc. — officially became the parent company to Church’s Chicken, and moved its operations to headquarters in Atlanta.

After 12 years under the AFC umbrella, on December 26, 2004, private equity firm Arcapita Inc bought the fast food chain from AFC Enterprises, Inc.  In August 10, 2009, when San Francisco based private equity firm Friedman, Fleischer & Lowe LLC (FFL) acquired Church’s Chicken and became its parent company. Today, the company is focused on new product development, restaurant expansion domestically and internationally, and providing its guests with superior service and products.

As of March 2010, the Church’s system consisted of more than 1,700 locations worldwide in 22 countries, with system sales approaching $1.2 billion.

Church’s Chicken Website: www.churchs.com

Official Church’s Chicken Social Media: Facebook - Twitter

View the Church’s Chicken menu: here

Find your local Church’s Chicken: here

Church’s Chicken Specials: -Newsletter – Gift Card – Coupons