Roy Rogers Roast Beef sandwich like a motherfucker, Willis. So much better than Arby’s.
I live in Frederick, MD, where Roys corporate headquarters are located. There less than a hundred locations left after the hardees buyout in the 90s, so if you’re running into a lot of them its kinda odd because there are huge chunks of the mid atlantic area that have none.
Also: fixins bar. I get to put my own lettuce, tomato, pickles, etc.
TO be fair: the fries aren’t as good, but I like the Roast Beef so much better than any one else’s burger or RB that I don’t know how people can’t get the appeal.
I want to know whats up with Checkers and Sonic, which are just another place to get a lousy burger.
I think the point he’s trying to make is one I agree with: even the best tater tots in the world are just tater tots. They’re hardly better than the half dozen smashed in Napoleon Dynamite’s sweatpants. Likewise for the sonic slurpees. Your two favorite menu items have such a low bar that they could be made at home or any gas station for less and near identical quality. This isn’t a broiled stuffed lobster tail: its a slug sized hash brown and a cup of crushed ice with cough syrup flavoring on it.
I concur. Arby’s may have better food in general, but their roast beef pales in comparison. I don’t even bother with anything else at Roy’s; I grab a few roast beef sandwiches and I’m set.
Roy’s “roast beast” has nothing on Arby’s – it’s desert dry. Once upon a time, Roy’s restaurants were all over the place in the mid-Atlantic states, and many of their stores replaced Gino’s when Marriott bought out Gino’s in 1982. Gino’s once held the exclusive franchise in the mid-Atlantic states to sell Kentucky Fried Chicken.
However, Marriott drove both chains into the ground (Roy’s was really popular), and later sold their stake in Roy’s to Hardee’s (known out West as Carl’s Jr.). Hardee’s tried to change all the Roy’s over to Hardee’s, but there was such a customer outrage that they had to change all the converted stores back – and that backlash drove Hardee’s completely out of the Philadelphia area because their food was so lousy!
Hardee’s later sold the Roy’s name, as well as having sunk the Burger Chef name after buying that chain out – they won’t license the name or sell it, so there are people in the restaurant business that want to claim Burger Chef as an abandoned trademark and resurrect the chain.
A handful of Roy’s are operated in rest areas in the Mid-Atlantic states by HMS Host, and Roy Rogers Restaurants is trying to re-establish the brand. In my opinion, Roy’s chicken blows away KFC by far.
For those Gino’s aficionados, they are back after 28 years! Their first new restaurant opened last month in the old corporate hometown of King of Prussia, PA, and Football Hall of Fame player for the Baltimore Colts, Gino Marchetti (who the chain was named for and was a co-owner) is heavily involved in the resurrection – they will have burgers and chicken sandwiches, but no KFC. Gino’s website is http://www.ginosgiant.com .
News of a new Gino’s made my eyebrows almost lift my hat off my head. I haven’t had a Gino’s Giant since…
…since…
…holy crap how old am I?
1980. Can that be right? Sonofagun.
As a fellow Ohioan, I agree with both the appeal of Arby’s sauce and the lack in understanding of the point of Roy Rogers.
That being said, I do so wish there was a White Castle closer than an hour away in friggin’ Toledo, especially since the one in Toledo closes at 10pm. Seriously. Of course, you live in Columbus where you guys get obscure fast food restaurants and even sit-down chains like Johnny Rockets (used to hit that place up every time I was in Easton, really liked it for some reason, and it wasn’t the decor or the singing staff, those things annoyed me).
I have only eaten at Roy Rogers once in my life and I do not intend to do so again. Mind you, it was at an aiport, which typically means all food quality goes down a notch (while prices go up three notches) but good God. I think my stomach is still mad at me for that one.
Here in Virginia Extra Billy’s sauce is better. Although they taste similer arby’s is less tangy & less seasoned plus you can buy it right at the restaurant for stuff at home
There are plenty of non-rest stop Roy’s (17 to be exact) in Maryland. There are three in NY and 6 in VA. There are also one each in CT, MA, NJ, and OH. The other 18 of the 48 Roy’s (there were once over 650) are in rest stops. http://www.royrogersrestaurants.com/locations/#MD
I just found out the one in Eastgate, Ohio (Cincinnati) was taken over by someone else and is now called Roney’s. The one in Anderson Twp has long since passed
When I was a young child my grandmother would pick me up from school and take me to the Roy Rogers down the street for chicken nuggets and all-I-could-eat pickles from the salad bar. I would squeeze every ounce of juice from the pickles and drink a shot of pickle juice at the end of every meal. After that I would go play in the ball pit until I started overheating in joy.
But I will never be able to experience that again.
Because they converted that building into a Wendy’s.
Never eaten at a Roy Rogers, but did grow up with Burger Chef and white Castles!!! Yummy!! BTW, pickle juice is excellent for re-hydrating (for sodium) after a long run!!
Wow. I really hate when web comics I don’t comprehend chase me down, make me read them against my will, then force me to ignorantly comment on them repeatedly.
Seems to me that YOU really hate it when web comics message board comments YOU don’t comprehend chase YOU down, make YOU read them against YOUR will, then force YOU to ignorantly comment on them even once.
Ha, see, my first thought was, “Roy Rogers the cowboy? Is he still popular somewhere? He’s been dead for like 50 years!” And then I read your comments below the comic and found out it’s a restaurant of some kind.
I think most fast food is disgustingly untasty, so i can’t really comment as to why one particular untasty restaurant is still in business. Why are any of them??
Fast food resturants use a higher percentage of fat and salt in their meals,your body likes the fat and salt and you are driven back for more…no matter how bland it may have tasted,or how bad the service was.Hence the fastfood empire is financed and stays afloat.
At least,this is the basic explanation from my high school biology teacher =p
And as for not clicking to who Roy Rogers is,join the club my friend =p
Effing natives should be more considerate of MY needs and tear down their crummy local chains that I don’t care about. It’s total bull#@#$ that they treat me this way. Why should I have to put up with that sort of crap from them? I ought to just stay home if they can’t do any better.
Also every restaurant should just be Chick Fil-A. No exceptions.
Whiny, stupid, uptight people on web comic message boards aren’t “signs” and when they ask about stuff like mental retardation and then beg the question by “pointing to yes” it doesn’t mean anything except that they are mad and not very smart.
As obvious as it is that you’re trying to get a rise out of people, I do agree with the necessity for more Chick-fil-A’s, especially in Ohio. They are delicious. And like White Castle I believe the nearest one to me is an hour away in friggin’ Toledo.
I was mainly trying to make a point to the author of the strip that crapping on restaurants you visit during road trips is arrogant and uncool even if it’s a joke.
I barely care about “the people”. That’s why I’m responding with low intensity taunting stuff like “U mad dawg” instead of really listening to any of their drooling, hostile yadda-blah.
Are you serious? You must be young. When I moved away from PA there where RR’s all over the place. I used to hit the one in State Collage at least once a week while living there, and I had one right down the street from me in York. Although I must admit, that was a ‘lil over 16 yrs ago, so….
Um, I’ll admit that it’s been a while since I’ve been East (Ohioan!), but my family loved eating at Roy Rogers when we could. Were actually disappointed when one near the hotel we’d stayed at on a previous trip wasn’t there on a return visit.
Oh and I didn’t know there were any White Castles that weren’t open 24/7. I miss Krystals. and Burger Chef. and GD Ritzy’s and their white chocolate chip ice cream. Louisville has a lot of nice small restaurants though.
I live in Austin, Tx and never once have I ever heard of a Roy Rogers. Also Sonic Burgers are okay, but nothing special. Where I’m originally from though Salas Burgers was the BEST Burgers Ever.(They are Local to Del Rio)
I live in the East Coast. I haven’t seen a Roy Rogers in years. And when I saw it, I was in New Jersey… I think it’s more regional than just East Coast.
Roy Rogers has a restaraunt??? What? *looks* Seems the closest one to me is in Cincinnati, Ohio….that’s only 2400 miles away…and the closest Hardees is in Helena, Montana. Ah I love living on the west coast.
Hardee’s is one of the main reasons that Roy’s went to shit. As I posted elsewhere, Roy’s once had over 650 locations and now have just 48 after Hardee’s ownership just about destroyed the Roy Rogers chain.
I also don’t forgive Hardee’s for getting rid of Burger Chef after buying them out and then going out of their way to try to make sure that the abandoned Burger Chef trademark can’t be resurrected. I even tried to see if they would franchise that trademark here in the Philly area because Hardee’s had left the area (see paragraph below) – and Burger Chef was so beloved here.
In the Philly area, Hardee’s was run out of town on a rail because they were so bad – and because they changed all the Roy’s restaurants over to Hardee’s – and they had to change them right back from Hardee’s to Roy’s because that move drove all the customers away!
If it makes you feel any better, Hardee’s drove ITSELF into the ground, got new management, and got bought by Carl’s Jr. That’s why the two chains are so similar now – same restaurant, really, but keeping the name that the area is familiar with. I know in the small town where I live, if the Hardee’s closed and was replaced by some West-coast import Carl’s Jr., well, if it ain’t Hardee’s, we ain’t eatin’ there. Small town mentality can be fun.
So Roy Rogers got baught out by Hardees which was baught out by Carl’s Jr?…. Huh… I love Carl’s Jr. One opened just up the street from me last year. Everyone in town showed up for the grand opening! It was a big todo where I live (which is kinda sad). But mm… Carl’s Jr is num!
i grew up in southeast PA… one of my earlier memories is tossing my cookies ina roy rogers in Ephrata PA.
I never saw the appeal.
My wife and I reside in her home state fo Iowa, and this summer we drove out so she could see my roots… so to speak…
after many hours of driving, we pulled into a rest stop in western PA, and I said any food would be good food. lets grab some Roys…
the smell alone brought back many many bad memories, and i ran (not walked) to the bathroom.
I will NEVER eat at Roy’s again.
Being a college student in a situation directly opposite to you (live in Philly, school in Ohio), I must ask you why you would ever consider the Roy Rogers. Ever. Use Burger King or McDonalds, they’re on the road somewhere! Besides, everyone knows that PA is really Pittsburgh and Philly with Texas in the middle, so you should really go ask the Texans why THEY love Roy Rogers! Oh, and you should stop at Penn State some time, they make really good ice cream. And Pigeon World, because then you can tell me what it’s like.
Why would you consider the Roy Rogers? Simple. The best chicken. Ever. No other reason – the burgers and roast beef suck – the beef used to be good.
I’m in a similar living situation as well – I grew up in Bucks and Montgomery Counties (just north of Philly – look at my gravitar – it’s a February 2012 PA license plate sticker), and spent the first 46-1/2 years of my life there.
Unfortunately, I lost my job back in June and I got stuck here in Lebanon County back in August. I’m 9 miles east of the Hershey chocolate factory. Between here and there, I have Arby’s, Sonic, Pizza Hut, Burger King (which is next door to Dairy Queen) and Mickey D’s. Out here (and in the Lehigh Valley – the Allentown, PA area), if you ask for a plain McDouble, it tastes like they poured pepper all over it!
What I miss out here and that we need to introduce Mr. Willis to is Wawa. The closest Wawa convenience store is in Ephrata (mentioned by another poster), 18 miles away.
this may be a bit of heresy.. but is it wawa or sheetz with the MTO…
i remember many nights after a shift at the bar hitting up that wonderful touch screen that didn’t require more than the minimal interaction with sober people…
At least once in my life, I have actually taken off my belt at a Roy Rogers so that I could thread it through those two little cardboard slots and sling fries from my hip.
Alas, Roy Rogers is but a shadow of its former self. When it was more than a glorified Rest Stop – and they were everywhere in Cincinnati – we used to eat there fairly regularly. The last time I had it was on the Jersey Turnpike, many years after they had closed everywhere else and it was sad.
Both their roast beef and chicken were once better than what you could find at Arby’s or KfC individually, now I can’t imagine that’s the still the case.
I admit a sick addiction to Roy Rogers’s Gold Rush Chicken Sandwiches, which are breaded patties with cheese, bacon, and this bizarre, indescribable … sauce. It’s golden, clear, sticky, vaguely sweetish, and tastes like nothing else in the cosmos. And many folks swear by RR’s fried chicken.
I am one of those people who will swear by RR’s fried chicken. It was amazing. That and the Double R Burger; Roast Beef on a Beef Patty. It shouldn’t work, but it did. Holy God, it worked so well. The last time I ever went to RR was on the Jersey Turnpike, and I can safely say it was nothing like it used to be.
I took a jaunt out to West Virginia this weekend and found a few Roy Rogers stores along the way. I didn’t bother stopping in any of them as I was saving my appetite for Sheetz. I know, I know … but it’s a novelty! We haven’t got them in the greater Baltimore area. The closest to home is in Westminster, and that’s a dirty little store. I guess that there’s always Wawa.
I’ve lived on the East Coast my whole life (NJ, NY, and MA) and the only time I’ve ever been to a Roy Rogers is when the Greyhound bus between NYC and Boston stops at the one in North Haven. It’s pretty disgusting food.
Oooh man do I miss What-A-Burger. I like ordering a sandwich and being handed back a number and an ashtray. Soooo nice to get a fresh-made hamburger. I guess Five Guys is almost a decent substitute.
For my the only way to get Roy Rogers is to hop on the Highway & travel south. The appeal is that I can add what and how much veggies and condiments to the burgers as I want. At McD’s/ BK/ Wendy’s/ Sonic/ Arby’s/ Chic Fil-A you get what they give you less you order it different & they mess it up
Dude I wish I knew why people like Roy Rogers. I’ve lived on the East Coast all my life and I still don’t know. My guess is that I will never know. My question is why there isn’t a fucking Chick-Fli-A around where I live.
For me, the appeal used to be the bacon cheeseburgers, but that was back in the ’80s when nobody else had them. Now everyone seems to have a bacon burger, and, frankly, they all taste better than Roy’s did.
That said, if I find myself at a rest stop that has a Roy Rogers in it, I’m very likely to order one up just out of nostalgia. I live in Maryland, and I-95 rest stops are just about the only places where RRs are still to be found here.
Well, living and growoing up in Maryland, there used to be Roy Rogers frickin’ EVERYWHERE! Expecially in the DC metro area. Then, as it has been pointed out, they were bought out and the chain nosedived. You can barely find them now in my state. There are a handful of franchises in Maryland, but that’s about it (in Gaithersburg and Frederick, I think).
My first job was working at a Roy’s near my home. Wasn’t old enough to handle the deli meat cutter for the roast beef, but was allowed to use just about anything else (ovens and boiling grease is never a good match with a 15 y.o. and the uniform was pretty dippy).
The appeal for Roy Rogers, for me, was a better burger than most other fast food chains (except for Wendy’s) and the fixins bar, where I could make a REAL burger, not the anemic crap at McDonald’s or just about anywhere else. Oddly enough, never been a big roast beef fan…but I would choose Roy’s over Arby’s anytime. But, I have to admit, Arby’s is pretty good…. There is, at the Maryland House on 95, a Roy Rogers. I try to stop there when I am traveling that way.
Anyway, Roy’s is a small chain, but if you think the overabundance in one area of that chain is bad…NEVER go to the beaches along Coastal Highway in Delaware…Grotto’s Pizza…’nuff said.
Roy Rodgers used to be everywhere. Then it was only at highway rest stops. Its like a legend. You enjoy the nostalgia more than the food. And the french fries come in fucking holsters. Fucking. Holsters.
I’ve never heard of Roy Rogers… I know he was a really famous cowboy actor and a singer but I’ve never heard of his restaurant chain. I’m from the deep south(Mobile, Al) and I don’t really travel that often. Arby’s to me is the greatest fast food ever! I would do just about anything for their curly fries
Arby’s, Chick-fil-a and Checkers are tops in my book I really miss what dairy queen used to be
well all these discussions made me check arby, roy, sonic, and more sites of this type of food that is fortunately not available here… and it almost make me lose appetite, seriously. I already know very few places in my own town where I’d eat burgers, kebabs, shawarma, or any other sandwiche (I’d say one on twelve), but to eat out of a franchise is from now so out of my mind that I’ll reduce the ratio of out-eating a bit more, thank you. Next time I want a burger I’ll make it myself so I’m sure it won’t look (and taste) like anything rendered or restored.
I can’t explain it…it’s just delicious, although the burgers are a little dry. Crispy fried chicken and you can squirt all the condiments on the burgers you want. Sadly, I rarely get to visit Roy Rogers. Sometimes when I visit my folks my dad brings Roy Rogers and then makes me take them home. I don’t fight it. Sooo good the next day.
I, too, live in PA and wonder what the dealio is. Of course, I can’t remember the last time I went to a Roy Rogers. So I will have to check it out.
That said…
Willis? You lissnin? If at some point you’ll be travelin’ through PA down I-79 with time to spare, down Canonsburg way (Exit 49) is a guy who will buy you lunch/dinner/midnight buffet. Lotsa places to eat ’round here, and I know most of ‘em.
Roy Rogers’ appeal stems partly from the fact he used to be a singing cowboy. He was a good guy, a dab hand with a gun, had a cutie by his side and always won the day. So for some of us older farts, there’s that.
Then there’s the burger joint. I worked there once, flipping burgers in a crappy ten-gallon hat. Polyester shirt. Dipped over six hundred pounds of chicken in one day, God Damn You Forever Koons Ford. But you order a no-frills burger and that’s what you get, meat and two buns. Then you go to the fixin’s bar and load it how you like it. Cheese? Okay. Tomatoes? Right there. We can’t have that here in TN, gotta go to Fuddruckers and the price is way over the top. I wouldn’t mind a Roy Rogers around here.
Back when there was a Roy Rogers anywhere close to anyplace I traveled on anything remotely approaching a regular basis, I considered their roast beef sandwiches to beat Arby’s, hands down, so soundly that the idea of anyone questioning that fact was utterly bewildering. RR’s roast beef was so much more tender, moist, and flavorful, and they had this outstanding sauce on them that beat Arby’s Sauce utterly hollow.
However, I haven’t been to one in years, the last one I visited was (I think) on a road trip to somewhere up in Yankeeland and didn’t completely live up to the memories, and since I vaguely recall thinking that the sauce Hardees had when they served roast beef sandwiches for a little while was also better than Arby’s Sauce, I apparently disagree in some fundamental way with Mr. Willis (not to mention the person up near the top of the comments who said RR roast beef was drier than Arby’s) anyhow.
David, I wish I could tell you. I ate their a couple times in 09 and it was great and then this year I get an upset stomach. The hired help probably spits in the burgers. Beavis N’ Butthead all the way.
No one really knows. What’s the appeal of Red Robin? You should try Friendly’s (originally from Mass.) and go to New England, where just about everything is family-owned.
I wish I traveled that often. Then again, i do like the comfort of home.
Roy Rogers Roast Beef sandwich like a motherfucker, Willis. So much better than Arby’s.
I live in Frederick, MD, where Roys corporate headquarters are located. There less than a hundred locations left after the hardees buyout in the 90s, so if you’re running into a lot of them its kinda odd because there are huge chunks of the mid atlantic area that have none.
Also: fixins bar. I get to put my own lettuce, tomato, pickles, etc.
TO be fair: the fries aren’t as good, but I like the Roast Beef so much better than any one else’s burger or RB that I don’t know how people can’t get the appeal.
I want to know whats up with Checkers and Sonic, which are just another place to get a lousy burger.
Small world, I’m on the Eastern Shore and SHUT UR MOUTH, Sonic has freakin awesome tatertots, TATERTOTS!!!!!
Tater tots? Dude, tater tots are something you buy in a bag from the frozen food section and toss in the toaster over to heat up.
Clearly someone who has not had Sonic Tots.
In comment to the earlier, as someone who grew up in the heart of Sonic territory, they used to be a lot better burgers.
Also, the slushes, I have had no Icee like drink made the same way and of the same calibre in 30+ years of Sonics.
I think the point he’s trying to make is one I agree with: even the best tater tots in the world are just tater tots. They’re hardly better than the half dozen smashed in Napoleon Dynamite’s sweatpants. Likewise for the sonic slurpees. Your two favorite menu items have such a low bar that they could be made at home or any gas station for less and near identical quality. This isn’t a broiled stuffed lobster tail: its a slug sized hash brown and a cup of crushed ice with cough syrup flavoring on it.
Apparently Shipley has never had Sonic Tots either.
I gave up on Tater Tots after Middle School. They were horribly disgusting every day. Made me hate them
I concur. Arby’s may have better food in general, but their roast beef pales in comparison. I don’t even bother with anything else at Roy’s; I grab a few roast beef sandwiches and I’m set.
Why not go to the market and buy roast beef and specialty bread? It will be highly delicious and save you the exorbitant price of fast food.
Um, because I’d have to put down the bong. DUH!
Roy’s “roast beast” has nothing on Arby’s – it’s desert dry. Once upon a time, Roy’s restaurants were all over the place in the mid-Atlantic states, and many of their stores replaced Gino’s when Marriott bought out Gino’s in 1982. Gino’s once held the exclusive franchise in the mid-Atlantic states to sell Kentucky Fried Chicken.
However, Marriott drove both chains into the ground (Roy’s was really popular), and later sold their stake in Roy’s to Hardee’s (known out West as Carl’s Jr.). Hardee’s tried to change all the Roy’s over to Hardee’s, but there was such a customer outrage that they had to change all the converted stores back – and that backlash drove Hardee’s completely out of the Philadelphia area because their food was so lousy!
Hardee’s later sold the Roy’s name, as well as having sunk the Burger Chef name after buying that chain out – they won’t license the name or sell it, so there are people in the restaurant business that want to claim Burger Chef as an abandoned trademark and resurrect the chain.
A handful of Roy’s are operated in rest areas in the Mid-Atlantic states by HMS Host, and Roy Rogers Restaurants is trying to re-establish the brand. In my opinion, Roy’s chicken blows away KFC by far.
For those Gino’s aficionados, they are back after 28 years! Their first new restaurant opened last month in the old corporate hometown of King of Prussia, PA, and Football Hall of Fame player for the Baltimore Colts, Gino Marchetti (who the chain was named for and was a co-owner) is heavily involved in the resurrection – they will have burgers and chicken sandwiches, but no KFC. Gino’s website is http://www.ginosgiant.com .
News of a new Gino’s made my eyebrows almost lift my hat off my head. I haven’t had a Gino’s Giant since…
…since…
…holy crap how old am I?
1980. Can that be right? Sonofagun.
Sonic has the best chile cheese hot dogs.
And tater tots. Screw the burgers.
I’m fond of those chicken club toasters, myself.
I would think that the creator of Shortpacked would understand the concept of something that’s popular despite not being terribly good.
BURN! SICK BURN!
The glory of Arby’s is the Arby’s sauce. And nothing can top Arby’s sauce.
Nothing.
The Truth is in this comment.
As a fellow Ohioan, I agree with both the appeal of Arby’s sauce and the lack in understanding of the point of Roy Rogers.
That being said, I do so wish there was a White Castle closer than an hour away in friggin’ Toledo, especially since the one in Toledo closes at 10pm. Seriously. Of course, you live in Columbus where you guys get obscure fast food restaurants and even sit-down chains like Johnny Rockets (used to hit that place up every time I was in Easton, really liked it for some reason, and it wasn’t the decor or the singing staff, those things annoyed me).
Arby’s sauce is the only thing that attracts me to Arby’s
I can’t be the only one who piles the Arby’s Sauce and the Horsey Sauce all over the sandwich and acts out scenes from Dead Alive.
That and the cheese sticks. They are majestic.
I have only eaten at Roy Rogers once in my life and I do not intend to do so again. Mind you, it was at an aiport, which typically means all food quality goes down a notch (while prices go up three notches) but good God. I think my stomach is still mad at me for that one.
Here in Virginia Extra Billy’s sauce is better. Although they taste similer arby’s is less tangy & less seasoned plus you can buy it right at the restaurant for stuff at home
Who I wouldn’t kill to get some White Castle…
Whats a Roy Rogers?
I’m barely even aware of what a Roy Rogers even is. But then, I’m a fellow Ohioan as well.
There used to be a Roy Rogers in Cincinnati, actually I think there still is, but not too sure. Never eaten there though.
A Roy Rogers bacon cheeseburger is very nearly as delicious as it is terrible for you. So greasy, but in the right way.
But they keep closing, which makes me sad.
Its not an east coast thing, its an east coast highway thing. You will not find a Roy Rogers anywhere except at a truckstop.
There are plenty of non-rest stop Roy’s (17 to be exact) in Maryland. There are three in NY and 6 in VA. There are also one each in CT, MA, NJ, and OH. The other 18 of the 48 Roy’s (there were once over 650) are in rest stops. http://www.royrogersrestaurants.com/locations/#MD
I just found out the one in Eastgate, Ohio (Cincinnati) was taken over by someone else and is now called Roney’s. The one in Anderson Twp has long since passed
When I was a young child my grandmother would pick me up from school and take me to the Roy Rogers down the street for chicken nuggets and all-I-could-eat pickles from the salad bar. I would squeeze every ounce of juice from the pickles and drink a shot of pickle juice at the end of every meal. After that I would go play in the ball pit until I started overheating in joy.
But I will never be able to experience that again.
Because they converted that building into a Wendy’s.
Never eaten at a Roy Rogers, but did grow up with Burger Chef and white Castles!!! Yummy!! BTW, pickle juice is excellent for re-hydrating (for sodium) after a long run!!
Wow. I really hate it when I go someplace I don’t live and the restaurants there chase me around and oppress me.
Wow. I really hate when web comics I don’t comprehend chase me down, make me read them against my will, then force me to ignorantly comment on them repeatedly.
There oughta be a law…
Seems to me that YOU really hate it when web comics message board comments YOU don’t comprehend chase YOU down, make YOU read them against YOUR will, then force YOU to ignorantly comment on them even once.
But cry moar n’ stuff ya lolcow.
Ha, see, my first thought was, “Roy Rogers the cowboy? Is he still popular somewhere? He’s been dead for like 50 years!” And then I read your comments below the comic and found out it’s a restaurant of some kind.
I think most fast food is disgustingly untasty, so i can’t really comment as to why one particular untasty restaurant is still in business. Why are any of them??
Fast food resturants use a higher percentage of fat and salt in their meals,your body likes the fat and salt and you are driven back for more…no matter how bland it may have tasted,or how bad the service was.Hence the fastfood empire is financed and stays afloat.
At least,this is the basic explanation from my high school biology teacher =p
And as for not clicking to who Roy Rogers is,join the club my friend =p
Also, they are cheap, fairly quick, and require no preparation or dish clean-up.
Effing natives should be more considerate of MY needs and tear down their crummy local chains that I don’t care about. It’s total bull#@#$ that they treat me this way. Why should I have to put up with that sort of crap from them? I ought to just stay home if they can’t do any better.
Also every restaurant should just be Chick Fil-A. No exceptions.
Try harder.
U mad dawg?
Are “u” retarded, “dawg”?
All signs point to yes.
Whiny, stupid, uptight people on web comic message boards aren’t “signs” and when they ask about stuff like mental retardation and then beg the question by “pointing to yes” it doesn’t mean anything except that they are mad and not very smart.
Fail. It’s just “U mad?”, not “U mad dawg?”. You’re mixing it up with the Xzibit meme.
Also, 1/10 too obvious, troll harder next time.
Lol. U mad dawg. U mad.
Chick-Fil-A is terrible. Their chicken isn’t good at all and they don’t open on Sundays.
“Chick-Fil-A is terrible.”
This is an objectively false statement.
All Chick-Fil-A could be replaced by In-N-Outs and the world would be a much better place.
Talk about a “Which child do you love more choice.”
Fight the power!
As obvious as it is that you’re trying to get a rise out of people, I do agree with the necessity for more Chick-fil-A’s, especially in Ohio. They are delicious. And like White Castle I believe the nearest one to me is an hour away in friggin’ Toledo.
I was mainly trying to make a point to the author of the strip that crapping on restaurants you visit during road trips is arrogant and uncool even if it’s a joke.
I barely care about “the people”. That’s why I’m responding with low intensity taunting stuff like “U mad dawg” instead of really listening to any of their drooling, hostile yadda-blah.
I’m from Pennsylvania and I have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.
Are you serious? You must be young. When I moved away from PA there where RR’s all over the place. I used to hit the one in State Collage at least once a week while living there, and I had one right down the street from me in York. Although I must admit, that was a ‘lil over 16 yrs ago, so….
I am also originally from PA (and we share initials, GB!). I kind of know Roy Rogers, but I get it confused with Bob Evans and Big Boy. I’m 26.
You always look so skinny in your drawings. And Jewish.
Comic book characters never grow old, evergreen heroes whose stories are told.
…I live about 20 miles from the con and have never heard of this “Roy Rogers” you speak of.
Um, I’ll admit that it’s been a while since I’ve been East (Ohioan!), but my family loved eating at Roy Rogers when we could. Were actually disappointed when one near the hotel we’d stayed at on a previous trip wasn’t there on a return visit.
I just remember great burgers…
Is a Roy Rogers a sort of sandwich that tastes like a singing cowboy?
Not quite…just don’t ask what happened to Trigger.
He had Trigger stuffed! Really!
Oh and I didn’t know there were any White Castles that weren’t open 24/7. I miss Krystals. and Burger Chef. and GD Ritzy’s and their white chocolate chip ice cream. Louisville has a lot of nice small restaurants though.
I live in Austin, Tx and never once have I ever heard of a Roy Rogers. Also Sonic Burgers are okay, but nothing special. Where I’m originally from though Salas Burgers was the BEST Burgers Ever.(They are Local to Del Rio)
I live in the East Coast. I haven’t seen a Roy Rogers in years. And when I saw it, I was in New Jersey… I think it’s more regional than just East Coast.
The nearest Roy Rogers to me in 358.11 miles. It does appear to be a straight shot, though. I’m on my way; want me to pick you up anything?
A small soda, please.
A small fry. They gotta pass the fry test or they’re not a legitimate fast food restaurant.
Roy Rogers has a restaraunt??? What? *looks* Seems the closest one to me is in Cincinnati, Ohio….that’s only 2400 miles away…and the closest Hardees is in Helena, Montana. Ah I love living on the west coast.
Hardee’s is one of the main reasons that Roy’s went to shit. As I posted elsewhere, Roy’s once had over 650 locations and now have just 48 after Hardee’s ownership just about destroyed the Roy Rogers chain.
I also don’t forgive Hardee’s for getting rid of Burger Chef after buying them out and then going out of their way to try to make sure that the abandoned Burger Chef trademark can’t be resurrected. I even tried to see if they would franchise that trademark here in the Philly area because Hardee’s had left the area (see paragraph below) – and Burger Chef was so beloved here.
In the Philly area, Hardee’s was run out of town on a rail because they were so bad – and because they changed all the Roy’s restaurants over to Hardee’s – and they had to change them right back from Hardee’s to Roy’s because that move drove all the customers away!
Not that you’re bitter…
If it makes you feel any better, Hardee’s drove ITSELF into the ground, got new management, and got bought by Carl’s Jr. That’s why the two chains are so similar now – same restaurant, really, but keeping the name that the area is familiar with. I know in the small town where I live, if the Hardee’s closed and was replaced by some West-coast import Carl’s Jr., well, if it ain’t Hardee’s, we ain’t eatin’ there. Small town mentality can be fun.
So Roy Rogers got baught out by Hardees which was baught out by Carl’s Jr?…. Huh… I love Carl’s Jr. One opened just up the street from me last year. Everyone in town showed up for the grand opening! It was a big todo where I live (which is kinda sad). But mm… Carl’s Jr is num!
Where I live, all the Hardees’ went away and weren’t replaced by anything similar.
I miss the MonsterBurger. God, I loved that heart-attack-in-a-bun.
i grew up in southeast PA… one of my earlier memories is tossing my cookies ina roy rogers in Ephrata PA.
I never saw the appeal.
My wife and I reside in her home state fo Iowa, and this summer we drove out so she could see my roots… so to speak…
after many hours of driving, we pulled into a rest stop in western PA, and I said any food would be good food. lets grab some Roys…
the smell alone brought back many many bad memories, and i ran (not walked) to the bathroom.
I will NEVER eat at Roy’s again.
Welcome to Crapmerica, where even mediocrity is considered unconscionably elitist.
Dammit, where is the “like” button?
I’ve always liked the strange, dry flavor of the RR cheeseburgers.
Being a college student in a situation directly opposite to you (live in Philly, school in Ohio), I must ask you why you would ever consider the Roy Rogers. Ever. Use Burger King or McDonalds, they’re on the road somewhere! Besides, everyone knows that PA is really Pittsburgh and Philly with Texas in the middle, so you should really go ask the Texans why THEY love Roy Rogers! Oh, and you should stop at Penn State some time, they make really good ice cream. And Pigeon World, because then you can tell me what it’s like.
Why would you consider the Roy Rogers? Simple. The best chicken. Ever. No other reason – the burgers and roast beef suck – the beef used to be good.
I’m in a similar living situation as well – I grew up in Bucks and Montgomery Counties (just north of Philly – look at my gravitar – it’s a February 2012 PA license plate sticker), and spent the first 46-1/2 years of my life there.
Unfortunately, I lost my job back in June and I got stuck here in Lebanon County back in August. I’m 9 miles east of the Hershey chocolate factory. Between here and there, I have Arby’s, Sonic, Pizza Hut, Burger King (which is next door to Dairy Queen) and Mickey D’s. Out here (and in the Lehigh Valley – the Allentown, PA area), if you ask for a plain McDouble, it tastes like they poured pepper all over it!
What I miss out here and that we need to introduce Mr. Willis to is Wawa. The closest Wawa convenience store is in Ephrata (mentioned by another poster), 18 miles away.
Man I miss those Geese. Stupid hawaii its stupid rainbows and Tessoro To Go, 7-11′s and ABC stores. =(
SHEETZ FOR THE WIN!
this may be a bit of heresy.. but is it wawa or sheetz with the MTO…
i remember many nights after a shift at the bar hitting up that wonderful touch screen that didn’t require more than the minimal interaction with sober people…
Sheetz has the MTO. And the delicious frozen flavored coffees.
The appeal is that your fries come in a holster.
A HOLSTER FOR CHRIST SAKE!
At least once in my life, I have actually taken off my belt at a Roy Rogers so that I could thread it through those two little cardboard slots and sling fries from my hip.
You, sir. Are my new hero.
I really hate those commercials where someone says “Rooooy Rogers!” and someone else says “YUUUMMM!”.
I think that you are talking about Red Robin, which is so much better than Roy Rogers, it is really funny.
Doesn’t “Red Robin” as sung sound EXACTLY like the notes in “Green Giant”?
Roy Rogers is still around? I heard they got bought out. I always thought they were an Arby’s ripoff.
Thanks for the Batman sketch! Have a safe trip home!
Alas, Roy Rogers is but a shadow of its former self. When it was more than a glorified Rest Stop – and they were everywhere in Cincinnati – we used to eat there fairly regularly. The last time I had it was on the Jersey Turnpike, many years after they had closed everywhere else and it was sad.
Both their roast beef and chicken were once better than what you could find at Arby’s or KfC individually, now I can’t imagine that’s the still the case.
I admit a sick addiction to Roy Rogers’s Gold Rush Chicken Sandwiches, which are breaded patties with cheese, bacon, and this bizarre, indescribable … sauce. It’s golden, clear, sticky, vaguely sweetish, and tastes like nothing else in the cosmos. And many folks swear by RR’s fried chicken.
I am one of those people who will swear by RR’s fried chicken. It was amazing. That and the Double R Burger; Roast Beef on a Beef Patty. It shouldn’t work, but it did. Holy God, it worked so well. The last time I ever went to RR was on the Jersey Turnpike, and I can safely say it was nothing like it used to be.
Honey butter maybe?
I took a jaunt out to West Virginia this weekend and found a few Roy Rogers stores along the way. I didn’t bother stopping in any of them as I was saving my appetite for Sheetz. I know, I know … but it’s a novelty! We haven’t got them in the greater Baltimore area. The closest to home is in Westminster, and that’s a dirty little store. I guess that there’s always Wawa.
I live in PA and have made the drive to Chicago several times. On the turnpike is pretty much the *only* place I ever see Roy Rogers.
I’ve lived on the East Coast my whole life (NJ, NY, and MA) and the only time I’ve ever been to a Roy Rogers is when the Greyhound bus between NYC and Boston stops at the one in North Haven. It’s pretty disgusting food.
I moved to New York about a year ago and I really miss What a burger.
Oooh man do I miss What-A-Burger. I like ordering a sandwich and being handed back a number and an ashtray. Soooo nice to get a fresh-made hamburger. I guess Five Guys is almost a decent substitute.
For my the only way to get Roy Rogers is to hop on the Highway & travel south. The appeal is that I can add what and how much veggies and condiments to the burgers as I want. At McD’s/ BK/ Wendy’s/ Sonic/ Arby’s/ Chic Fil-A you get what they give you less you order it different & they mess it up
Dude I wish I knew why people like Roy Rogers. I’ve lived on the East Coast all my life and I still don’t know. My guess is that I will never know. My question is why there isn’t a fucking Chick-Fli-A around where I live.
For me, the appeal used to be the bacon cheeseburgers, but that was back in the ’80s when nobody else had them. Now everyone seems to have a bacon burger, and, frankly, they all taste better than Roy’s did.
That said, if I find myself at a rest stop that has a Roy Rogers in it, I’m very likely to order one up just out of nostalgia. I live in Maryland, and I-95 rest stops are just about the only places where RRs are still to be found here.
There’s a Roy’s in Westminster, just a bit down 140 after the college.
Well, living and growoing up in Maryland, there used to be Roy Rogers frickin’ EVERYWHERE! Expecially in the DC metro area. Then, as it has been pointed out, they were bought out and the chain nosedived. You can barely find them now in my state. There are a handful of franchises in Maryland, but that’s about it (in Gaithersburg and Frederick, I think).
My first job was working at a Roy’s near my home. Wasn’t old enough to handle the deli meat cutter for the roast beef, but was allowed to use just about anything else (ovens and boiling grease is never a good match with a 15 y.o. and the uniform was pretty dippy).
The appeal for Roy Rogers, for me, was a better burger than most other fast food chains (except for Wendy’s) and the fixins bar, where I could make a REAL burger, not the anemic crap at McDonald’s or just about anywhere else. Oddly enough, never been a big roast beef fan…but I would choose Roy’s over Arby’s anytime. But, I have to admit, Arby’s is pretty good…. There is, at the Maryland House on 95, a Roy Rogers. I try to stop there when I am traveling that way.
Anyway, Roy’s is a small chain, but if you think the overabundance in one area of that chain is bad…NEVER go to the beaches along Coastal Highway in Delaware…Grotto’s Pizza…’nuff said.
In Texas, we get Whataburger everywhere.
(I think that we got the better deal)
Coke with grenadine syrup? I used to love those things when I was a kid.
The appeal of Roy Rogers?
Good meatloaf.
Add shoney’s to that list while your at it. My family ate there once and damn near puked on our shoes on the way out the door.
Roy Rodgers used to be everywhere. Then it was only at highway rest stops. Its like a legend. You enjoy the nostalgia more than the food. And the french fries come in fucking holsters. Fucking. Holsters.
I’ve never heard of Roy Rogers… I know he was a really famous cowboy actor and a singer but I’ve never heard of his restaurant chain. I’m from the deep south(Mobile, Al) and I don’t really travel that often. Arby’s to me is the greatest fast food ever! I would do just about anything for their curly fries
Arby’s, Chick-fil-a and Checkers are tops in my book
I really miss what dairy queen used to be
well all these discussions made me check arby, roy, sonic, and more sites of this type of food that is fortunately not available here… and it almost make me lose appetite, seriously. I already know very few places in my own town where I’d eat burgers, kebabs, shawarma, or any other sandwiche (I’d say one on twelve), but to eat out of a franchise is from now so out of my mind that I’ll reduce the ratio of out-eating a bit more, thank you. Next time I want a burger I’ll make it myself so I’m sure it won’t look (and taste) like anything rendered or restored.
to answer the question: gold rush chicken sandwich
I can’t explain it…it’s just delicious, although the burgers are a little dry. Crispy fried chicken and you can squirt all the condiments on the burgers you want. Sadly, I rarely get to visit Roy Rogers. Sometimes when I visit my folks my dad brings Roy Rogers and then makes me take them home. I don’t fight it. Sooo good the next day.
I, too, live in PA and wonder what the dealio is. Of course, I can’t remember the last time I went to a Roy Rogers. So I will have to check it out.
That said…
Willis? You lissnin? If at some point you’ll be travelin’ through PA down I-79 with time to spare, down Canonsburg way (Exit 49) is a guy who will buy you lunch/dinner/midnight buffet. Lotsa places to eat ’round here, and I know most of ‘em.
BTW, just wanted to let everybody know that there is now a David Willis fan group on DeviantArt.
The “appeal” is that Marriott used to own Roy Rogers, and Marriott also used to run the rest stops on the PA/NJ/NY Turnpikes.
Easterners are as dumbfounded by the chain’s continued zombie-like existence as you are.
Roy Rogers’ appeal stems partly from the fact he used to be a singing cowboy. He was a good guy, a dab hand with a gun, had a cutie by his side and always won the day. So for some of us older farts, there’s that.
Then there’s the burger joint. I worked there once, flipping burgers in a crappy ten-gallon hat. Polyester shirt. Dipped over six hundred pounds of chicken in one day, God Damn You Forever Koons Ford. But you order a no-frills burger and that’s what you get, meat and two buns. Then you go to the fixin’s bar and load it how you like it. Cheese? Okay. Tomatoes? Right there. We can’t have that here in TN, gotta go to Fuddruckers and the price is way over the top. I wouldn’t mind a Roy Rogers around here.
Back when there was a Roy Rogers anywhere close to anyplace I traveled on anything remotely approaching a regular basis, I considered their roast beef sandwiches to beat Arby’s, hands down, so soundly that the idea of anyone questioning that fact was utterly bewildering. RR’s roast beef was so much more tender, moist, and flavorful, and they had this outstanding sauce on them that beat Arby’s Sauce utterly hollow.
However, I haven’t been to one in years, the last one I visited was (I think) on a road trip to somewhere up in Yankeeland and didn’t completely live up to the memories, and since I vaguely recall thinking that the sauce Hardees had when they served roast beef sandwiches for a little while was also better than Arby’s Sauce, I apparently disagree in some fundamental way with Mr. Willis (not to mention the person up near the top of the comments who said RR roast beef was drier than Arby’s) anyhow.
David, I wish I could tell you. I ate their a couple times in 09 and it was great and then this year I get an upset stomach. The hired help probably spits in the burgers. Beavis N’ Butthead all the way.
All I know is that Roy Rogers is ridin’ tonight, returning to our silver screens.
No? Elton John? Goodbye Yellow Brick Road?
I cannot be the only person here who thought of that song.
If you have to ask David, you won’t ever get it.
If you come through Pennsylvania so often, why don’t you ever stop by for dinner?
No one really knows. What’s the appeal of Red Robin? You should try Friendly’s (originally from Mass.) and go to New England, where just about everything is family-owned.
Never heard of Roy Rogers.
Come to Seattle. Eat at Dick’s Drive-In. You won’t regret it.
Waaaaaaaaaaaait a second…
David lives in Ohio?
I just realized now after reading through the entirety of the ‘Verse that David lives in the same state as me. I feel so cool, and also kinda creepy.
Arby’s means Roast Beef. (Like RB, Roast Beef, “RB”‘s, Arby’s
) assuming anyone got this far.