The Colonel’s Lady could be described as the restaurant franchise that never was. By the mid-1960s, Kentucky Fried Chicken founder, Harland Sanders, had sold his interest in the famous franchise.
While he may have been bought out, Sanders still maintained his role as the iconic spokesperson. Meanwhile, he and his wife set their sights on opening a new, sit-down restaurant in which to serve his chicken. The name they settled on was Claudia Sanders, The Colonel’s Lady.
Rax Roast Beef
One business that has had possibly the most name changes in restaurant chain history is Rax Roast Beef. It was originally named Jax Roast Beef, then later changed to Rix Roast Beef.
In the 1980s, Rax reached its high point, when they started adding salad bars and other food stations. This made them one of the country’s most successful chains, but only for a short time. Problems in management caused issues in the business during the early 1990s.
Rax Roast Beef
As of 2017, there’s only a hand full of these restaurants still operating.
It’s okay though because if you ever want to try some Rax Roast Beef (before they change the name again), you can always go down and visit. Awesome!
Claudia Sanders, The Colonel's Lady
However, in the eyes of the law, the Sanders were no longer the owners of the infamous, secret recipe. Eventually, a settlement was reached that allowed the Sanders to continue selling the chicken at one location in Shelbyville, Kentucky, which is still in operation today.
Since they were sued by KFC, they didn’t really have a choice.
Pioneer Chicken
Just the name of this place makes it sound interesting. Pioneer Chicken was a staple in California in the 1980s. The chain had a total of 270 locations and was advertised by legends Chick Hearn and (pre-trial) O.J. Simpson.
In the 1990s, however, the restaurant lost its relevance and market share. Since 2017, there are only two locations remaining, located in Boyle Heights, California, and Bell Gardens, California.