Roy Rogers

                In November, 1911 just a couple of blocks north of the Ohio River, young Leonard Slye was born. Though he only lived there for a brief time before his family moved to a farm about a hundred miles east of the city, this was the birthplace of the person who would become one of the most legendary cowboys ever: Roy Rogers.

                A high school dropout, Roy first gained some fame as a country singer with a few groups on some Los Angeles radio stations and then, along with his group, the Sons of the Pioneers, was booked on a couple of short films before landing a couple of supporting roles in features. Legend has it that at a time when Gene Autry was at odds with Republic pictures, the studio decided to give the lead to young Roy. Under Western Stars became a hit and made a star out of the “Singing Cowboy.”

                Back in 1968, Roy, always a good businessman, licensed his name to the Marriott Corporation to adorn a chain of fast food restaurants that featured hamburgers and chicken. In 1982 the franchise was sold to Hardee’s which tried to convert all of the restaurants to their signature brand but a customer backlash convinced them to not only abandon the idea but to change back any locations that had been converted.

                At its peak, there were over 650 Roy Rogers locations, mostly in the east and Midwest. Today fewer than 50 locations survive, owned by 13 franchises. Luckily one of those is on the eastern side of the city, not far from Eastgate Mall. Located at 474 Roney Lane just off State Route 32 (and at http://www.royrogersrestaurants.com/#/home on line), the lone area Roy Rogers is showing signs of wear.

                Though the restaurant is small and has seen better days it is still crowded most days, especially at lunch. And there is a reason for that. It’s the same one that caused customers to protest when Hardee’s wanted to change them over.

The Burger

                Josh was in school (darn that senior year) and I was in the area near lunch time and decided to stop in, having not enjoyed a Roy burger in what seemed like ages. Just as I had remembered it, the place was small and crowded. Even at that it didn’t take much time to look up at the posted menu and ordered up my favorite, a Double R Bar. The Double R Bar is a quarter pound burger with cheese and ham. Yes, ham. Add some of Roy’s barbeque sauce to this and it makes one tasty fast food treat.

                Yes, I said it, I added some things to the burger that normally for this blog I wouldn’t dare to even consider. The ham and barbeque sauce aside, this is pretty much your basic fast food burger. Yes it’s better than say McDonald’s or Burger King or Wendy’s. Maybe even on par with those chain’s better burgers. So don’t expect any magical, fresh and never frozen fast food patty here.

                Their fries, like their burgers, aren’t anything out of this world either. They are basic and in my experience have always been consistent in how they are prepared.

                Perhaps it is the nostalgia or that fact that this is now the last one in the area but I do enjoy these burgers and I will go there, given the chance, rather than stop in at one of the big three. If you’ve never had a burger at Roy’s it is worth the effort, especially if you happen to find yourself in the Eastgate area.