The '90s Chicken Chain Americans Once Loved (But You Won't Find It In The US Anymore)

Though KFC was a major player in the chicken game in the '90s, consumers also had healthier poultry options at their disposal. Along with Boston Market, which changed its name from Boston Chicken, Kenny Rogers Roasters forged a reputation on rotisserie chicken. The restaurant was founded in 1991 when late country icon Kenny Rogers joined forces with John Y. Brown Jr., a former Kentucky governor and co-owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Kenny Rogers Roasters had a sizable footprint in the U.S. at one point and was able to pull off global expansion but has since joined the pantheon of once popular fast food chains we miss. 

While still operating in other countries, American locations have all been shuttered since 2011. Prior to that, the chain was acquired by Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs in 1999, and the hot dog purveyor even found success in selling Kenny Rogers brand chicken. However, Nathan's ultimately sold the brand in 2008. Despite its famous co-founder and homestyle menu items like fire roasted chicken, cornbread stuffing, and apple cobbler, the chain experienced lots of adversity. In the early '90s, Kenny Rogers Roasters was subject to a lawsuit claiming it stole recipes from a rival chain called Clucker's. The restaurant also filed for bankruptcy at the end of the decade.

With its uniquely American foods (fire roasted rotisserie chicken and homestyle sides from a country crooner), it might be difficult to imagine Kenny Rogers Roasters being exported to other places. However, co-founder John Y. Brown Jr. believed the chain had widespread appeal pretty early on. "The vast majority of people around the world eat chicken roasted by fire, not fried," said Brown Jr. in 1993, "It's only natural we expand our Roasters concept overseas," (as reported by UPI). 

This overseas expansion has turned out to be the lifeblood of Kenny Rogers Roasters. The chain has enjoyed ongoing success thanks to the Berjaya Group, a franchisor based in Malaysia that operates locations under the Roasters Asia Pacific (Cayman) Limited company. We were able to track down restaurants in Malaysia, Nepal, and the Philippines on Facebook. According to the menu from Kenny Rogers Roasters Malaysia, the restaurant offers fried and rotisserie chicken, as well as sides like rice, coleslaw, and mac and cheese. Diners will also find chicken tenders, loaded baked potatoes (with egg), and sweet, frosty beverages.