Looking for a franchise offering roast beef sandwiches, beef burgers, and chicken burgers? With Roy Rogers, you can get the Big 3 all under one roof and a major reason this restaurant has been serving guests for more than 50 years.

Roy Rogers is a chain of restaurant that’s been around since 1968. It’s well known for their 100% USDA roast beef sandwiches, never frozen fried chicken, and fresh Fixin’s Bar. With over 40 locations in the United States, Roy Rogers is looking to expand their restaurants and if you’re thinking about becoming one of their franchisees this guide is for you.

How much does it cost to open Roy Rogers? Roy Rogers requires franchisees to have a liquid capital of $500,000 and a minimum net worth of $1,000,000. The estimated initial investment range is $755,250 to $1,580,950 and the initial franchise fee is $30,000.

Read on to understand more about the Roy Rogers franchise, expenses to expect in franchising, total cost, and if they’re the right opportunity for you. Click here to take our 7-minute quiz to find the best franchise business for you. 

Financial Requirements and Fees

These are the expenses to expect when you franchise Roy Rogers:

Fees / Expenses Financial Amount
Liquid Capital $500,000
Net Worth $1,000,000
Total Investment $755,250 to $1,580,950
Franchise Fee $30,000

In addition to these financial requirements, there are ongoing fees such as a royalty fee of 5% and a marketing fee of 1.5%. The term of the agreement to run Roy Rogers is 20 years and renewable.

Average Sales / Revenue per Year

According to reports, Roy Rogers’s global sales in 2021 were $73,703,492. As for individual restaurants, Roy Rogers claims that the average revenue per restaurant (top 25%) is $2.6 million. But this depends on several factors like location and revenue can vary from one restaurant to the other.

Roy Rogers Franchise Facts

Total Units 42
Incorporated Name Roy Rogers Franchise Company LLC
Franchising Since 1980
Industry Food and Beverage
Subsector Hamburgers, Chicken, Sandwiches

Roy Rogers first opened in Falls Church, Virginia in 1968. It was previously known as RoBee’s House of Beef until Arby’s sued them for infringement of trademarks and unfair competition. This is when RoBee’s owners decided to change the name to actor and singer Roy Rogers who also became the brand’s face for commercials.

Roy Rogers went through several ownerships through the years. It was previously owned by Marriott Corporation, the previous owner of Hardee’s known as Imasco, and eventually to Plamondon Enterprises.

The signature menu items at Roy Rogers is beef burgers and roast beef sandwiches made from 100% USDA top inside round roast beef. The restaurant also offers chicken sandwiches (your choice of grilled or fried). They also have chicken tenders and hand battered fried chicken that’s never frozen.

For breakfast, Roy Rogers serves ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches. You can choose to have them in biscuits, croissants, or sourdough toasts. They also have meal platters consisting of biscuits and gravy, creamed chipped beef and biscuits, and pancakes that are made from scratch every day.

As for sides, you can expect to see baked beans, coleslaw, fries, fruit cups, mashed potatoes, and side salad on the menu.

But if there’s one thing that Roy Rogers is known for, it’s their Fixin’s Bar where customers can add more ingredients to sandwiches like fresh tomatoes, onions, lettuce, peppers and more. Though the Fixin’s Bar was closed during the pandemic, Roy Rogers has still made it available for customers by offering a Fixin’s cup at drive-thrus. At the time of this writing, some stores have the Fixin’s Bar back while others still have it available upon request at certain drive-thru locations.

To franchise Roy Rogers, the first step is to complete this form. If your initial form meets Roy Rogers requirements, you’ll be able to talk to a franchise representative about the opportunity. After your initial conversation with them, you’ll be given the franchise application to complete. This starts the pre-qualification process.

The next step involves receiving Roy Rogers’s Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) which contains all the information you need to know including a detailed list of fees and expenses in franchising with them. At this point, it’s best to go over the document thoroughly or have a legal advisor check the details with you.

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Discovery Day comes after you pass their franchise application and meet their pre-qualification documents. The Discovery Day is held at their headquarters in Frederick, Maryland. You’ll also submit and sign their Development Agreement and Roy Rogers’s executive team will take a look at it before approving said agreement.

At this point you’re getting closer to achieving your Roy Roger’s franchise. Site selection and construction of your restaurant follows as well as franchisee training. This step ensures you are able to operate a store effectively. Roy Rogers’s team will still be there for on-site training and helping out with marketing until you are ready for the grand opening.

Roy Rogers looks for the following qualifications in prospective franchisees:

  • Interested multi-unit operators
  • Current restaurant or franchise development experience
  • In-market team to support restaurant development and management

Roy Rogers is also interested in expanding their brand in the following areas:

  • Texas
  • Louisiana
  • Mississippi
  • Alabama
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • North Carolina
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Kentucky
  • Maryland
  • Ohio
  • Indiana
  • Connecticut
  • Long Island
  • Rhode Island
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Maine
  • Vermont

At present, Jim Plamondon is the Co-President of Plamondon Companies that owns Roy Rogers’s. He is the son of Pete Plamondon Sr. who used to work at Marriot and left his job to become a franchisee of Roy Rogers. Pete Sr. then sold the franchise to his sons who were then responsible for growing Roy Rogers to what it is today.

How Much Does Roy Rogers Make in Profit?

There is no official record of how much Roy Rogers’s restaurants make in profit. But we can make some rough estimates based on the reported gross revenue numbers of the top 25% of performers making $2.6 million per unit.

According to experts, the typical profit margin of a restaurant lands between 5% – 10%. Based on these estimates you could expect a profit of $130,000 – $260,000 per unit. Of course, this is based on the gross revenues of top performing locations. If you operated a restaurant in the bottom 25% of franchise operators, you would be making significantly less or no profit at the end of the year.

Advantages of a Roy Rogers Franchise

With over 50 years of operations, you can expect that franchising Roy Rogers will have many advantages.

Big 3

Roy Rogers restaurants is known as a chain that sells the big 3 which are roast beef sandwiches, beef burgers, and chicken burgers. Not a lot of restaurant chains sell these three proven items on their menu. This is one of their main selling points and has made them popular through the years.

If you were to franchise Roy Rogers, you’re bringing the big 3 to your area which many might be able to appreciate due to the extensive choices. Who doesn’t love these staples?

Fixin’s Bar

As mentioned above, Roy Rogers’s Fixin’s Bar is an area in the restaurant where you can get all your ingredients to add to your sandwich such as fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and other condiments. And though they are meant for sandwiches, some customers make a side salad for themselves too.

This is one of the things that make Roy Rogers popular through the years. Though the Fixin’s Bar was halted due to the pandemic for everyone’s safety, it’s starting to come back now that the restrictions have been eased.

Expansion and New Design

Roy Rogers is in the midst of expanding their franchises. This includes redesigning their restaurants to make it more modern looking. So when you franchise a Roy Rogers now, you can expect to have a location with the new design already.

You also get a choice when you franchise Roy Rogers whether to go for their traditional location or a non-traditional one which are stores located in university campuses, travel plazas, airports, and casinos. These will depend where you’re planning to put up your location so be sure to ask when you have an initial conversation with them.

Challenges of a Roy Rogers Franchise

Operating any restaurant is going to present its fair share of challenges and that’s normal. But it’s still best to know them beforehand so you can prepare for them.

Limited Areas

Roy Rogers may be expanding as of the moment but the territories they’ve opened look like they’re only limited areas. They’re mostly found in Maryland and in some parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia but that’s it at the moment.

It would be nice if Roy Rogers could open up to more areas like California.

History of Decline

Once upon a time, Roy Rogers restaurants were recorded to have about 648 locations in the 90s. Now, they’re down to just over 40 restaurants. It’s kind of sad when you think about it and a lot of people who remember Roy Rogers would compare it to their booming business in the past. And although franchise expansion is underway, it’ll be a long time before Roy Rogers can even reach those numbers again.

Competition

Roy Rogers isn’t the only chain that’s known for roast beef sandwiches. Likewise, there are also big burger chains and fried chicken burger chains in the industry that can compete with them. Sure, not all chains offer all three options under one roof. But they’re still competitors nonetheless. And with Roy Rogers having only around 40 locations while the rest have more than them, you can expect it’ll be tough to go up against them.

Roy Rogers Brand Not as Strong as It Used to Be

When this restaurant chain first used the name and likeness of singer / actor Roy Rogers (born as Leonard Franklin Slye) to promote the restaurant. The actor appeared in more than 100 episodes of The Roy Rodgers Show and had a career that spanned many decades. But Rogers passed away in 1998. And it’s safe to say that many potential diners especially younger Millennials and younger generations aren’t familiar with the name. As a result, the name recognition isn’t as strong as it previously was.

Is the Roy Rogers Franchise Right For You?

Roy Rogers seems like an ideal franchise to get into especially since they’re starting out to expand with new store designs so everything looks fresh. But the fact that they’re also just starting to expand is something you should be cautious about.

Evaluate the most up-to-date Franchise Disclosure Document thoroughly. Ask all the questions you have when you get to meet with Roy Rogers’s team. Get to meet several franchisees and ask them about their experience running a Roy Rogers. And most importantly, make sure your location is a good spot for your new Roy Rogers store.

What is an alternative Roy Rogers franchise?

One other burger place you can check out is The Habit Burger Grill. They’re known for their 100% fresh ground beef that’s chargrilled. Other items on the menu include crispy chicken sandwiches and vegan burgers.

To franchise The Habit Burger Grill, expect investments to be around $1,386,000 to $1,814,000 while the franchise fee is $ 35,000. To know more about this chain of restaurants, read our full guide in franchising The Habit Burger Grill here.

Roy Rogers still has a long way to go in getting to be the top roast beef sandwich chain or burger chain in the country. But with their goals in expansion, the brightest days for the company could still be in the future.

I hope this guide was able to help you decide whether or not you want to be a part of Roy Rogers’s future.