Out and Back: Roy Rogers

Yes, really.

Surely you thought this once-sprawling franchise had been eradicated except for a few random outposts in rest stops on toll roads. That is, if you've thought about it at all. (I'm willing to accept the fact that you likely haven't.) And for a long time that was true - when Marriott sold the chain to Hardee's parent company, many Roy Rogers were converted to Hardee's, which basically meant reducing chicken to jobber status. But it turns out that the restaurant is making something of a comeback.

(Route 9 North, Pine Beach, N.J.)

This particular location was one of the survivors from the 1990 sell-off, though there's a decent chance the building's been renovated. I first stumbled upon it nine years ago when I was still working in Trenton, covering a Little League softball team in the state championship in nearby Beachwood. I happened to be back up in the area again recently and saw that it was still there, prompting today's trip.

It's been exactly that long since I've even eaten at a Roy Rogers. They still have the Fixin's Bar, where you can roll over with your burger and make it look presentable with lettuce, onions, tomatoes and pickles. I topped my bland-looking bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, onions, pickles and ketchup. The white onions threw me, as I've become accustomed to using red onions when I make burgers at home.

But let's be honest: Nobody ever went to Roy Rogers for the burgers. This is why you went:


Original Roast Beef, yo. Note the foil wrapping straight out of the environmentally-unfriendly 80's. At least they're not still using styrofoam. Mine got injured during packing (I still don't quite understand why they put it underneath the chicken box):


That's what it really looks like. Well, except for the blur. I am glad to note that it retained some juiciness even after a 45-minute drive.

Now, the appeal of Roy's for me as a kid was always that you could get burgers and fried chicken at the same place:


Dark meat is the default for the two-piece combo; white meat costs a little extra. Drumstick on the left, thigh up top. I don't remember the biscuits being about the same shape as foccacia bread, though. Must be a recent development.

Tasting the chicken reminded me that Roy's has always had a different "bite" to it for me than KFC's has. I can't quite explain what it is, though. It's not a spice thing, it's not really noticeably crispier than KFC's Extra Crispy (in fact, it's maybe a little less so). If you were to ask me which is better, I'd say it depended on my mood at the time. I do think it's somewhat ironic that from my hazy childhood fast food memories, Roy's was more likely to have chicken ready when you walked in than the chicken-only KFC, which can be a crapshoot depending on location whether you'll be waiting in there for three minutes or 15.

FYI, there are no Hardee's located in New Jersey. I think we know who won that battle.

Non-Indigenous Wildlife

Or: Yeah, Here Come The Rooster

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Battle over crowing neighbors divides condominium residents
By SHAWN HARDIE
Published: Sunday, April 15, 2007

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — A rooster crowing at the crack of dawn is not the most welcome sound in any town not known for its agricultural output.

Imagine, then, how the residents of one condominium development feel when they hear a rooster crow at 3 a.m.

The birds are common in the Smithville section of Galloway Township, especially at the Hunting Run Condominiums off Quail Hill Boulevard. Their presence has created a divide between the residents: some appreciate the colorful birds being around; some could do without the noise, while others want them gone.

"I love them. That's one of the things I liked when buying this condo," resident Rosalie Eby said. "What a great feature, seeing these wild animals stroll."

"They're (really) annoying," said Joseph Schrum, 19. “They cock-a-doodle-doo all the time."

"We hated them, now we love them," Brian Skroski said. He and his wife, Brenda, have lived in Hunting Run since 1982, and in those early days, there weren't any roosters, he said. Over the years, as they began to multiply in number, Skroski became increasingly annoyed at the roosters, especially with their crowing, which starts before sunrise.

"Those suckers would (crow) at three or four in the morning. I was gonna go out and kill them and eat them," said Skroski, a limousine driver. "Now I want to protect them."

The roosters may need that protection. Eby says some residents have set traps for the roosters, and that one of her neighbors shot at one once.

"I'm concerned that one of them is going to hurt them. One neighbor said they would poison them," Eby said. "They're beautiful ... they're good for environment."

Although Schrum said he finds the roosters annoying, it isn't to the point that he would bother them. Other residents have said at community meetings that they've had enough of the roosters and, if push came to shove, would take matters into their own hands.

Interestingly enough, no one at Hunting Run who commented about their distaste for the birds would give their names, fearing reprisal from neighbors. One man grumbled about what he would do "if he ever got his hands on one of those critters." Meanwhile, an elderly woman said she hates the birds because they dig up the mulch and leave droppings in front of her home.

Community Realty Management, which operates Hunting Run, is trying to address the issue, according to executive property manager Gail Rivell. Rivell has contacted bird rescue organizations to come and take the birds, but there have been no takers.

"This is not a farm," Rivell said. "I'm trying to find someone to rescue them sand give them a home, but it's not easy."

In the meantime, the roosters can take solace that not everyone is out to get them. Tiffany Nixon likes the birds because they bring a sense of “nostalgia" to the area. She also doesn't mind the 3 a.m. crow calls because she sleeps right through it, she says. Meanwhile, Schrum's mother, Theresa, says she was “outraged" that people would try to harm the roosters.

"I think they're cool. We live in Smithville, you gotta deal with them," said Theresa. "We live in the Pinelands.... what do you expect?"

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This is right up the road from me. Those little bastards make quite a racket.

Also, technically, this isn't the Pinelands.

OSN

- Stupid Florida. I was done in all of my pools by the time Saturday ended.

- I wonder if Afflalo said "I hope we're teammates next year" when Brewer hugged him after owning him for the second year in a row.

- Really impressed with Brewer, by the way.

- Luther didn't always sing "One Shining Moment", right? It was James Ingram for a long time, wasn't it?

- Take this to the bank: Donovan's not going anywhere.