After five years, the King of the Cowboys has returned to La Plata. Actually it’s the restaurant named after Roy Rogers that opened on Monday, November 12 just down the street from where it formerly stood from 1983 to 2007 before being torn down and replaced by a drug store.
At opening at 10:30 a.m. there was a line wrapped around the new location in the former Arby’s on U.S. 301. That’s a testament to the loyal following, which went into a food-craved depression upon learning their favorite restaurant was closing. The restaurant was particularly popular at lunch-time, with an especially loyal senior citizen group stopping by just about every day.
The La Plata store is the second Roy Rogers franchise for Patience and James Barton. They also own the Solomons Roy Rogers, which was the lone holdout in Southern Maryland of what was at one time a national chain with 650 locations.
The opening of the La Plata location is a homecoming for Patrice, who worked at the former location for 20 years after graduating from La Plata High. The Bartons have held the Solomons franchise for eight years.
James said it has taken about two months to get the store refurbished in the Roy Rogers distinctive style, which features a fixins’ bar in the middle for the famous hamburgers, roast beef sandwiches and fried chicken. Patience said a formal ribbon cutting is planned for some time after Thanksgiving. She said the store is employing 70 people.
The Roy Rogers brand has led a circuitous path over the years. Marriott Corporation founded the chain to replace the old Hot Shoppes Jr. fast food chain well-known to older Washington area residents, with the first location at Bailey’s Crossroads, VA in 1968. Marriott sold the chain to Hardees and several of the former Roy Rogers locations were converted to Hardees in Southern Maryland. Hardees later abandoned the area.
According to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, “The conversion of the Roy Rogers chain ended in a customer revolt so serious that they actually aborted the whole idea and returned the Roy Rogers brand to stores initially converted.”
Hardee’s fin
