Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken is a quick service restaurant franchise founded in 1966 specializing in chicken, homestyle sides, and biscuits.
 | |
| Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken | |
| Company type | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Fast food |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Founder | Malcom Perrin |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Number of locations | 131 |
Area served | Worldwide, but primarily Midwest |
Key people | Ryan Weaver (CEO) |
| Products | Chicken, biscuits |
| Services | Catering |
| Revenue | System-Wide Sales US$229 million (2023) |
| Owner | Ryan Weaver, Artemis Lane LP |
Number of employees | 500 (2023) |
| Parent | Artemis Restaurant Corp |
| Website | leesfamousrecipe.com |
History
editAfter the sale of KFC in 1964, Lee Cummings (the nephew of KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders)[1] began developing his recipe, later to be known as "Famous Recipe."[2] In 1966, Cummings, along with Harold Omer, started "Harold's Take-Home" in Lima, Ohio, where Cummings first introduced his Famous Recipe Chicken.[3] Later that year, Cummings opened the restaurant's first franchise in Columbus, Ohio. Locations in Springfield, Dayton, and Cincinnati, Ohio followed in the coming years, as well as a unit in Kalamazoo, Michigan.[citation needed]
In 1981, Cummings sold the chain to Shoney's Restaurants in Nashville, Tennessee.[2] He died in 2002 at the age of 80.[4] Shoney's continued to operate Lee's along with their own Captain D's and Shoney's Restaurants until 1995, when Lee's was sold to RTM Restaurant Group in Atlanta, Georgia.[5][6]
In May 2003, the chain had 29 company-owned locations and 125 franchised locations. In October 2003, Lee's Famous Recipes Inc. purchased the chain from RTM. In April 2013, Famous Recipe Group LLC purchased the chain from Lee's Famous Recipes, Inc.
In June 2021, Famous Recipe Group, LLC, brand owner of Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken agreed to sell the brand to LFR Chicken, LLC a new entity backed by Artemis Lane Partners. [7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Great American Eating Experiences: Local Specialties, Favorite Restaurants, Food Festivals, Diners, Roadside Stands, and More. National Geographic Books. 2016. ISBN 9781426216398.
- ^ a b Desloge, Rick (21 November 2004). "Nothing to bawk at". Biz Journals. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- ^ Crosby, Meg (23 August 2017). "Local connection to Col. Sanders". Lima. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- ^ "CONTINUED FROM 9A Lee's Chicken founder dies Cummings had Ocala ties Headline goes here Words here".
- ^ "RTM Restaurant Group." International Directory of Company Histories. The Gale Group, Inc, 2006. Answers.com 01 Aug. 2011.
- ^ "COMPANY NEWS; SHONEY'S AGREES TO SELL LEE'S FAMOUS RECIPE CHAIN". The New York Times. 11 July 1995. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- ^ "FAMOUS RECIPE GROUP, LLC, PLANS FOR GROWTH THROUGH STRUCTURED SALE OF THE LEE'S FAMOUS RECIPE CHICKEN BRAND TO ARTEMIS LANE PARTNERS". 24 June 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
External links
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