Jerry's Restaurants Explained

Jerry's Restaurants
Industry:Restaurants
Predecessor:White Tavern
Successors:-->
Founded:White Tavern:
1929 in Shelbyville, Kentucky
Jerry's:
1946 in Lexington, Kentucky
Founder:Jerry Lederer
Num Locations:1
Num Locations Year:2021
Area Served:United States
Key People:Barry Sargent General Manager of Paris, Kentucky Location
Owner:Jerrico, Inc. (until 1990)
Great American Restaurants (after 1990)

Jerry's Restaurants is an American restaurant chain founded by Jerry Lederer, who initially opened the White Tavern restaurant in Kentucky in 1929. Lederer subsequently opened Jerry's in 1946, and franchising began in 1957. Very similar to Big Boy restaurants, Jerry's was located in the Midwest and South. Following a sale of the company in 1990, some Jerry's restaurants were converted to Denny's by the new owners. By 2012, about a dozen locations had remained in Kentucky and southern Indiana, some of which were called Jerry's J-Boy Restaurants.[1] [2] [3] By 2021, only one location remained open, in Paris, Kentucky.

An unrelated separate chain of Jerry's restaurants, named after co-founder Jerry Goucher, operates in the western United States. As of 2021, it has four locations in Arizona, Nevada, and Oklahoma.

History

Jerry Lederer, a resident of Louisville, Kentucky, had been inspired by the success of White Castle hamburger stands and decided to open his own hamburger stand named White Tavern Shop. The five-stool restaurant opened in 1929, in Shelbyville, Kentucky. White Tavern expanded during the 1930s,[4] [5] [6] and by 1943, it had 13 locations in three states.

Only two White Tavern locations remained following the effects of World War II rationing. In 1946, Lederer opened a 14-stool roast beef sandwich stand named Jerry's, in Lexington, Kentucky. At approximately the same time, Warren W. Rosenthal, a student at the University of Kentucky, rented an apartment in Lederer's home; they subsequently became friends, and Rosenthal joined the Jerry's Restaurants company in 1948.[7] Rosenthal became the company's chief executive officer in 1957, and franchising began that year.[8] Into the 1960s, the company expanded with a chain of drive-in restaurants.[9] Rosenthal became the company president in 1963,[8] following Lederer's death from a heart attack that year.[10]

As of 1965, the company had 53 locations in six states.[11] As of the company's 40th anniversary in 1969,[12] [13] it had 67 locations, many of them in the Lexington and Louisville areas. The company was operated by the Lexington-based Jerrico, Inc., with Rosenthal as Jerrico's president. Jerrico operated 16 company owned restaurants, while the rest were franchised. Some White Tavern locations remained in New Jersey, but under different ownership.[14] In 1969, Jerrico launched a new restaurant chain, Long John Silver's. It became a success and was Jerrico's primary business focus moving forward.

Jerry's was particularly successful in Kentucky during the 1960s and 1970s.[15] On May 1, 1990, Jerrico announced it would sell its 46 Jerry's locations to the Atlanta-based Great American Restaurants, the largest franchisee of Denny's. Great American Restaurants planned to gradually convert most of the Jerry's locations into Denny's.[16] The Jerry's restaurants were mostly located in Kentucky and Indiana. Jerrico sold the chain in order to focus on its Long John Silver's brand.[17]

Following the sale, Great American Restaurants stated that it did not intend to convert the entire Jerry's chain into Denny's.[18] By 1993, several Jerry's restaurants in Kentucky had been converted to Denny's.[19] [20] [21] Others continued operating under the Jerry's name.[15]

Some Jerry's restaurants became known as Jerry's J-Boy.[22] By 2015, the number of locations had decreased, although there were still at least three locations, all located in Kentucky.[15] Two locations closed in early 2020,[22] [23] leaving only one location in Paris, Kentucky.[24] [25]

Western U.S. chain

A separate chain of Jerry's Restaurants has operated in the western United States since the 1960s.[26] [27] It was founded by Thomas and Jerry Goucher,[28] the latter of whom died in 2005, at the age of 78.[29] The Jerry's Restaurants company was later renamed as Sunwest Restaurant Concepts, Inc.[30] As of 2021, there were four restaurants remaining, located in Arizona, Nevada, and Oklahoma.[27] [31]

References

  1. Web site: Louisville Restaurants Forum • View topic - Jerry's J-boy . Forums.louisvillehotbytes.com . November 19, 2012.
  2. Web site: JBOY'S's Home Page . Jerrysjboy.dine.com . November 19, 2012.
  3. Web site: Neon Eateries Midwest 6 . Roadside Peek . November 24, 2008 . November 19, 2012.
  4. Web site: White Tavern Opens For Business Today . Kentucky Advocate . March 5, 1934 . December 27, 2018 . Newspapers.com. subscription.
  5. Web site: White Tavern Opened Today . The Advocate-Messenger . March 5, 1934 . December 27, 2018 . Newspapers.com. subscription.
  6. Web site: New Shop Opened By White Tavern . Kentucky Advocate . March 16, 1936 . December 27, 2018 . Newspapers.com. subscription.
  7. News: Ward . Karla . Lexington businessman, philanthropist Warren Rosenthal has died . May 7, 2021 . Lexington Herald-Leader . October 21, 2019.
  8. Web site: Rosenthal gift spurs $17,000 toward goal . . January 18, 1985 . December 27, 2018 . Newspapers.com. subscription.
  9. Web site: Jerrico's walls won't tumble down despite tough year . The Courier-Journal . December 25, 1977 . December 27, 2018. Newspapers.com. subscription.
  10. Web site: Chain-Restaurant Operator Jerome M. Lederer Dies . The Courier-Journal . February 18, 1963 . December 27, 2018 . Newspapers.com. subscription.
  11. Web site: Open House For Jerry's Drive-In . Tallahassee Democrat . November 25, 1965 . December 27, 2018. Newspapers.com. subscription.
  12. Web site: Jerry's Restaurant observes anniversary . . April 28, 1967 . December 27, 2018. Newspapers.com. subscription.
  13. Web site: 38th Anniversary To Be Observed By Jerry's Chain . . April 30, 1967 . December 27, 2018. Newspapers.com. subscription.
  14. Web site: 5-Stool Hamburger Stand Grows to 67 Restaurants . The Courier-Journal . April 15, 1969 . December 27, 2018. Newspapers.com. subscription.
  15. News: Truman . Cheryl . Jerry's Restaurants, the eatery that dominated in the '60s and '70s, now dwindling . May 7, 2021 . Lexington Herald-Leader . August 23, 2015.
  16. Web site: Jerrico Will Sell Jerry's, Fazoli's Japanese, Atlanta Firms to Buy Restaurants . Lexington Herald-Leader . December 27, 2018 . May 2, 1990 . subscription. NewsLibrary.
  17. News: Jerrico Is Selling Restaurant Chains . May 7, 2021 . The New York Times . Reuters . May 2, 1990.
  18. Web site: Most Jerry's to Keep Name, Menu . Lexington Herald-Leader . December 27, 2018 . January 23, 1991 . subscription. NewsLibrary.
  19. Web site: Jerry's Restaurants, Switching to Denny's, Now Serving 24 Hours . Lexington Herald-Leader . December 27, 2018 . October 4, 1991 . subscription. NewsLibrary.
  20. Web site: Denny's picks up where Jerry's leaves off . . December 27, 2018 . August 13, 1992 . subscription. NewsLibrary.
  21. Web site: Landmark Lost / Oldest Jerry's Restaurant to Close Sunday, Will Reopen as Denny's Within 2 Weeks . Lexington Herald-Leader . December 27, 2018 . October 10, 1992 . subscription. NewsLibrary.
  22. News: Sheroan . Ben . Jerry's closes in Radcliff . May 7, 2021 . The News-Enterprise . January 16, 2020.
  23. News: Jerry's J-Boy Restaurant extends closing date to late March . May 7, 2021 . WLKY . February 16, 2020.
  24. News: Cawthon . Haley . Longstanding restaurant to close its last Louisville location . May 7, 2021 . Louisville Business First . January 28, 2020.
  25. News: Benefield . Chadwick . If You Miss Jerry's Restaurants, There's Still One Open in Kentucky . May 7, 2021 . WOMI Owensboro . April 29, 2021.
  26. Web site: New Restaurant Opens In Yreka . The Sacramento Bee . April 27, 1967 . May 7, 2021 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  27. Web site: Jerry's Restaurants official website . May 7, 2021 . Jerry's restaurants were originally founded by the Goucher family in 1964. The chain grew to over 50 locations throughout the western states. The concept, named after Grandma Goucher's son, Jerry, was based on the many popular coffeeshop style restaurants of the time..
  28. Web site: News . The Sacramento Bee . August 21, 1990 . May 7, 2021 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  29. News: Jerry A. Goucher . Siskiyou Daily News . May 7, 2021 . December 20, 2005 . subscription . NewsLibrary.
  30. Web site: Sunwest Restaurant Concepts, Inc.: Private Company Information - Businessweek . Investing.businessweek.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20121008131355/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=4472402 . October 8, 2012 . Sunwest Restaurant Concepts, Inc. operates a chain of restaurants in Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Oklahoma. Sunwest Restaurant Concepts, Inc. was formerly known as Jerry's Restaurant. The company was founded in 1962 and is based in Phoenix, Arizona..
  31. News: Swarner . Jessica . Jerry's Restaurant in Phoenix closing for good Wednesday after 53 years . May 7, 2021 . KTAR . June 11, 2019.

External links

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