Shoney's facts for kids
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Trade name
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Shoney's |
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Genre | Family dining |
| Founded | 1947 in Charleston, West Virginia, United States (Parkette); 1959 in Madison, Tennessee, United States (Danner Foods) |
| Founders | Alex Schoenbaum Raymond L. Danner, Sr. |
| Headquarters | |
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Key people
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David Davoudpour, CEO |
| Products | Breakfast foods, Appetizers, Burgers, Sandwiches, Chicken, Seafood, Pulled Pork, and Desserts |
| Revenue |  US$388.16 million (2019) |
| Owner | David Davoudpour |
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Number of employees
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2,500 (2019) |
Shoney's is a popular American restaurant chain. It has its main office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can find Shoney's restaurants in 17 states, mostly in the southern and central parts of the United States.
The first Shoney's restaurant was opened in 1947 by Alex Schoenbaum. It was originally called the Parkette Drive-In. Later, it became connected with another famous restaurant chain called Big Boy. After many years, Shoney's decided to become its own independent brand.
Today, Shoney's is owned by David Davoudpour. He bought the company in 2006.
Contents
History of Shoney's
Starting as the Parkette Drive-In (1947-1958)
In 1947, Alex Schoenbaum opened his first restaurant. It was a drive-in called the Parkette, located in Charleston, West Virginia. People could drive up and get their food.
In 1952, Alex Schoenbaum joined forces with the Big Boy restaurant chain. His restaurants were then called Parkette Big Boy Shoppes. Two years later, in 1954, a contest was held to rename the restaurants. The winning name was Shoney's.
Shoney's quickly grew by allowing other people to open Shoney's Big Boy restaurants. This helped the chain spread across the southeastern United States.
Growing Bigger and Going Public (1959-1975)
In 1959, a businessman named Ray Danner opened his first Shoney's Big Boy in Madison, Tennessee. He saw how popular drive-in restaurants were. Danner's company, first called Shoney's Big Boy of Middle Tennessee, grew quickly. By 1966, he had 10 Big Boy restaurants.
In 1969, Danner's company became a public company. This meant people could buy shares of the company. It was renamed Danner Foods, Inc.. The company continued to open more Shoney's Big Boy restaurants.
Danner Foods also started other restaurant ideas. In 1969, they launched a fast-food seafood and hamburger place called Mr. D's Seafood and Hamburgers. By 1975, this chain focused only on seafood and was renamed Captain D's. It became very successful.
In 1971, Ray Danner's company bought the Shoney's brand from Alex Schoenbaum. Danner became the main leader of the company. The main office moved to Nashville. Alex Schoenbaum became the Chairman of the Board.
Leaving Big Boy and Changes (1976-2006)
In 1976, the company changed its name again to Shoney's, Inc.. This showed that Shoney's was growing beyond just Big Boy restaurants. It also meant Shoney's could open restaurants in new areas.
By 1984, Shoney's decided to completely separate from the Big Boy system. Shoney's paid $13 million to end its agreement with Big Boy. At that time, Shoney's was the largest Big Boy franchise. It had 392 Shoney's Big Boy Restaurants. After this, all these restaurants became simply Shoney's.
Shoney's faced some challenges in the 1990s. In 2000, the company had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This is a legal process that helps a company reorganize its finances. Two years later, an investment group bought the company.
New Owners and Modern Look (2007-Present)
On January 1, 2007, David Davoudpour bought the Shoney's chain. He was the founder and CEO of Royal Capital Corporation. At the time, Shoney's had 272 restaurants.
David Davoudpour started to refresh the Shoney's brand. He bought many of the restaurants that were run by other companies. He also updated the restaurants with new menu items and a modern look.
In 2014, Shoney's opened a new type of restaurant in a mall in Lawrenceville, Georgia. This was a test to see how Shoney's could work in smaller locations like malls and airports. By 2019, Shoney's had restaurants in 17 states. They also introduced "Shoney's On The Go" for easy takeout orders.
What's on the Menu?
Shoney's is known as a family casual restaurant. This means it's a relaxed place where families can enjoy a meal. They serve classic American-style food.
You can find many different dishes at Shoney's, including:
- Hamburgers
- Chicken
- Steaks
- Fish
- Sandwiches
- Salads
- Desserts
Some of their most famous desserts are the hot fudge cake and the strawberry pie. Shoney's also became very well-known for its breakfast bar, which started in the 1980s. Many locations offer a full menu service, and some still have buffets where you can choose from many different foods.
Shoney's Inn Hotels
For a time, Shoney's also had hotels. In 1975, the restaurant chain started a motel chain called Shoney's Inn. These hotels were sold off in 1991. However, Shoney's continued to receive money for the use of its name. By 2006, the last Shoney's Inns were renamed GuestHouse hotels.
