They once fought to become a big player in the world of fast food.  They were known for their hamburgers, fried chicken, roast beef, and fixin’s bar.  But after a major marketing mistake nearly killed the struggling chain, Roy Rogers is making a come back. In 1968, the first Roy Rogers restaurant opened in Falls Church, Virginia owned by the Marriott Corporation.  Marriott is well known for their hotels, but they also owned a series of failing restaurants known as Jr. Hot Shoppes. Marriott decided to make some major changes to stop the downfall.  The marketing team went into overdrive to rebrand the struggling chain. They chose popular western cowboy Roy Rogers for the name, based on the Wild West’s reputation for good beef and down home cooking.  They acquired the proper licensing to use the name and image and began to expand. They opened several hundred locations in less than two years, mostly on the east coast. Their menu concept was simple – burgers, roast beef, and fried chicken. All locations also feature a free Roy’s Fixins’ Bar – a small condiment bar full of lettuce, pickles, onions, ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, horseradish sauce, and more to allow hungry customers to dress their sandwiches any way they want. I love this feature, which includes handing out plastic cups to take your condiments to go if you are on the road. As the 1970s rolled on, more new locations popped up. In 1975 the company made national headlines when their Fairfax, Virginia restaurant was robbed at gunpoint. Five employees were sent into the freezer and each shot in the head. Only one person survived. The chain would recover and in 1980, would make a major step forward when it purchased Gino’s restaurants, adding 180 more stores. Gino’s...