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| Industry | Restaurant (food service), Food processing, Food retailing |
|---|---|
| Founded | North Versailles, Pennsylvania (1967) |
| Number of locations | 4 |
| Key people | Hartley C. King, Founder and President |
| Products | Kings Family Restaurants, Hartley's Choice pies and ice cream |
| Number of employees | 500 |
| Website | kingsfamily |
Kings Family Restaurants is a chain of family restaurants based in North Versailles, Pennsylvania. As of April 2024, the company operates 4 locations in Pennsylvania.
Kings logo has scarlet colored lettering, with a saffron outline.
History
Kings began in North Versailles, Pennsylvania in 1967 as Kings Country Shoppes. This name was later changed to Kings Family Restaurants to indicate the establishment was a restaurant rather than a store. By 1980 the number of restaurants had grown to 7, and 24 by 1990. As of 2006, there were 34 locations throughout Pennsylvania and one in Wintersville, Ohio.
Kings donates to many charity organizations, including the Veterans Leadership Program and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Western Pennsylvania.
In July 2009, Kings Restaurants a new restaurant called Kings Hometown Grille. It features a different design and layout, as well as a different menu from most King's locations. Unlike any other locations in the chain, Kings Hometown Grille also offers alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine and cocktails.
In 2015, Kelly Capital purchased the Kings Family Restaurants, after founder Hartley King announced his retirement. On March 26, 2017, it was announced that five of its earliest stores: Wexford, Bridgeville, Imperial, Harmarville, and Altoona restaurants would be shutting down at 7 p.m. that evening. Approximately 130 employees were given no notice, and were left jobless.
Fare
Kings serves American cuisine, including sandwiches, salads, and burgers. The restaurant also serves ice cream and milkshakes. Kings is also famous for their Frownie Brownies, although the Frownie Brownie was discontinued with the chain's purchase by Kelly Capital, which prompted outrage from diners. The Frownie returned to the Menu in March 2019.
Smoking
Kings maintained smoking sections in most of its restaurants until a statewide smoking ban was enacted in Pennsylvania in September 2008.
References
- "Kings Family Restaurant donates thousands to Veterans". 2013-06-12.
- ^ "Make-A-Wish Event at King's Restaurant". Times Leader. 2015-06-18. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
- Chris Fleisher (2015-04-24). "Kings Family Restaurants sold to California firm". TribLIVE. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
- Lynne Hayes-Freeland (2017-03-26). "Lynne Hayes-Freeland on Twitter: "Signs on some local King's Restaurants. Loyal are heartbroken. Reactions tonite.… "". Pic.twitter.com. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
- "Kings Family Restaurant Menu - Serving All American Cuisine". Kingsfamily.com. Retrieved 2018-03-29.