| Bob Payton | |
| Birth Name: | Robert Michael Payton |
| Birth Date: | 25 May 1944 |
| Birth Place: | Miami, Florida, United States |
| Death Place: | Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England |
| Alma Mater: | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Northwestern University |
| Occupation: | Marketing man, restaurateur and hotelier |
Robert Michael Payton (25 May 1944 13 July 1994) was an American marketing man, restaurateur and hotelier. He is known for starting a chain of American-style restaurants in London in the 1970s, starting with The Chicago Pizza Pie Factory.[1]
Payton was born in Miami, Florida.
He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina,[2] and later received a master's degree in business administration from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.[3]
When sent to England by J. Walter Thompson to promote Kraft products, he decided to stay. He opened several successful fast food outlets such as Chicago Pizza Pie Factories and a series of themed restaurants such as Rib Shacks, Chicago Meatpackers and Henry J. Bean's. In 1988 he bought Stapleford Park, a large Leicestershire country house, and converted it into a hotel.[4]
He died at age 50, in an automobile accident near Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England.[1] [5]