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Since You Asked: Singer Rogers' fried chicken chain went overseas Tuesday Jan 23, 2018 at 12:01 AM I remember going to a restaurant called Kenny Rogers Roasters over by Grocery Outlet before I went off to college years ago. When I moved back to Medford a couple of years ago, it was gone, replaced by a burger place. I really liked it, and there isn't any place like it. Whatever happened? — Monte D., Medford Unless your travel plans take you to Asia or the Persian Gulf, chances are you won't be eating at a Kenny Rogers Roasters anytime soon. The remnants of the fast-food chicken chain, founded as a joint venture by the country music singer and former Kentucky Gov. John Y. Brown Jr. in 1991, are on the other side of the globe. The fast-food chicken operation exited the U.S. years ago when the assets were acquired by Berjaya Group of Malaysia. Today, the 150 or so outlets are found primarily in China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Bangladesh, Dubai and Brunei. As much as you found Kenny Rogers' fare to your liking, apparently there weren't enough people with similar tastes around these parts. Franchisee Mike Dutton opened the Medford location in 1995, but it closed at the end of November 1997, not long after competitor Boston Market shuttered across town. Dutton told the Mail Tribune at the time that there were just too many restaurants in Medford. The Medford store's weekly sales were between $21,000 and $24,000, while Dutton's Springfield Kenny Rogers Roasters brought in $36,000. Kenny Rogers-branded restaurants were closing elsewhere, as well, including in Portland and Seattle. The company filed for Chapter 11 court protection in March 1998. By 2000, the chain was down to 90 franchised restaurants — only 40 in the U.S. The last Kenny Rogers Roasters operating in North America, in Ontario, California, closed Dec. 31, 2011. — Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them.