ROCKFORD, Ill. -- Road Ranger, a leading Midwestern truckstop, gas station, convenience store and travel center chain spanning Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri and Texas, has signed a deal with Church's Chicken for a 10-unit franchise development agreement.
The terms of the transaction, while not disclosed, focus on developing non-traditional locations co-located in the Road Ranger travel plazas.
The transaction marks a new emphasis on growing the Church's footprint along major travel corridors, the company said.
"We have developed a footprint that works well for our franchisees and our guests in travel plazas and other non-traditional locations," said Bill Schreiber, vice president of global franchising for Church's Chicken. "Expanding into travel plazas allows our brand to meet the need for convenience for our guests while they are most in need of a great meal--when they have been on the road for hours at a time."
Schreiber said that the system was ready for this type of highway growth and that it found the right partner in Road Ranger.
"They not only know how to run great travel plazas, they also have demonstrated success in opening them," Schreiber said.
"We have a long history of developing gas and convenience locations. Adding an international brand like Church's Chicken to our portfolio is a natural evolution in our travel plaza growth strategy," said Dan Arnold, founder and CEO of Road Ranger LLC.
Founded in San Antonio in 1952 by George W. Church, Church's Chicken is one of the largest quick-service restaurant (QSR) chicken chains in the world. It has more than 1,650 locations in 23 countries and international territories with system-wide sales of more than $1 billion.
Founded in 1984 Road Ranger is a privately held retail petroleum company based in Rockford, Ill. It operates truckstops and travel centers in six states throughout the Midwest and Texas. It has a variety of proprietary food offers including Dan's Big Slice Pizza, Ranger's Roaring Fork Café and a proprietary Taco Bar. It also has a history of operating popular branded food offers through its retail petroleum locations.
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