Po' Folks (restaurant)

Po' Folks
Industry Casual Dining Restaurants
Founded Anderson, South Carolina, 1975
Founder Malcom Hare
Headquarters United States
Number of locations
 8
Area served
 Southern United States

Po' Folks (later restyled PoFolks) is an American family restaurant chain founded in 1975 in Anderson, South Carolina. Between 1982 and 1988, Po' Folks was operated by the fast food chain Krystal.

History

Malcom Hare opened the first Po' Folks in 1975 in Anderson, South Carolina.[1][2]

The restaurant was named after a 1961 hit single by country music singer Bill Anderson.[3] Although Anderson initially planned to file a lawsuit against the chain for using the name, he later sold the rights to the chain and served as its spokesperson. He and Conway Twitty also acquired franchise rights to a location in Oklahoma City in 1983.[4][2]

Krystal acquired Po' Folks in 1982 and continued to expand it. By 1984, the chain had 102 restaurants in 17 states. Eric A. Holm (now with Golden Corral) was director of construction and accused of taking bribes for favorable construction deals.[5] Krystal later merged Po' Folks with DavCo, a division of the company which franchised Wendy's restaurants.[6] In 1988, Po' Folks filed for bankruptcy.[7] As a result, the Po' Folks restaurants were sold, and the remaining assets continued to operate as DavCo.[6] There are still eight PoFolks operating in the Southeast, seven of which are owned by Peter Sostheim in the Panhandle of Florida and Enterprise, Alabama, and one in St. Petersburg, Florida.

References

  1. ↑ "Po' Folks: the new kids in town". The Ledger. Lakeland, Florida. 20 October 1983. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  2. 1 2 "2 Entertainers Get Franchise Rights, Will Build Po Folks Restaurant in City". The Oklahoman. 3 July 1983. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Kingsbury, Paul, ed. (5 October 1998). The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Oxford University Press. p. 13. ISBN 978-0195116717.
  4. ↑ Anderson, Bill (May 1989). Whisperin' Bill: An Autobiography. Longstreet Press. p. 305. ISBN 978-0929264240. (subscription required (help)).
  5. ↑ "Reynolds will join Po' Folks". Kentucky New Era. Hopkinsville. 27 March 1984. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  6. 1 2 "DavCo Restaurants". Hoovers. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "No title". Restaurant Business. 88 (1-3): 301. 1989.
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