The Western-themed restaurant chain was mentioned Tuesday night during a Florence City Council meeting, when the board agreed to vote on the annexation of 2.06 acres at the corner of Industrial Road and Dixie Highway into city limits.
The property is being developed in partnership with One Holland Restaurant Group, which announced in 2021 that it is expanding locations in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties in Northern Kentucky, as well as Southwestern Ohio and Southeastern Indiana.
Florence Mayor Diane Whalen said it’s been at least two decades since a Roy Rogers was open for business in the city. Whalen recalled the restaurant used to have a home on Mall Road.
The restaurant’s namesake, Roy Rogers, was born in Cincinnati in 1911, and is most famous for his roles in Western films. Roy Rogers restaurants were born in Fort Wayne, Ind., from a rebranding of RoBee’s House of Beef. The history of the restaurant is closely tied with the Big Boy restaurant brand.