In the latest issue of Nashville Lifestyles Magazine, is a feature of restaurants and food ventures from some very famous Country stars- some that did really well, some that bombed. For instance, does anyone remember the "Twitty Burger?" Right, and that's why Conway's burger chain went out of business after just two years.
Conway and some investors, along with Merle Haggard and Sonny James started the Twitty Burger chain in 1969- the home cooked favorite of Conway. The ground sirloin patty came in 3 sizes- Papa Twitty, Mama Twitty and the Bitty Twitty. For those that never tried one, the burger was topped with American Cheese, bacon, and a deep fried graham cracker crusted pineapple ring- yum! The chain, after incurring IRS problems, met its demise in 1971.
Bill Anderson's "Po Folks" chain did much better- but he was just the spokesman of the restaurants, doing parking lot concerts and greeting concerts from 1981-1989. When the chain faced financial problems in the late 80's, it was the master of the Twitty Burger, Conway, who helped bail Whisperin' Bill out.
Some of the other chains you may have forgotten about includes Minnie Pearl's Fried Chicken, which was only around from 1968-1971, but in that time reached 250 restaurants. Kenny Roger's Roasters on the other hand was pretty successful and was founded in 1991; in 1999 the chain was sold to the hot dog people, Nathan's. Some of the Kenny menu items have survived on various Nathan's menus.
Let's not forget the most famous of all food brands started by a Country star- Jimmy Dean Sausage. Dean, best known for classics like, "Big Bad John," founded the sausage company in 1969, turning it into a $60-million a year company in just several years. In 1984 Dean sold the company to Sara Lee. Dean, 80 years old, is living in retirement in New Jersey. His memoir is called, Fifty Years of Ham.
For more, visit www.nashvillelifestyles.com.
By: Jim Asker
Free Music News RSS