Back Yard Burgers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Back Yard Burgers (NASDAQ: BYBI) is a franchise chain of fast food restaurants. Its headquarters is located in Memphis, Tennessee. There are 179 Back Yard Burgers locations in 20 states throughout the Southern and Midwestern United States. The chain distinguishes itself from other chains such as McDonald's and Burger King in that, among other things, its prices are generally higher, its advertisements suggest that its cuisine is more upscale, and it offers a vegetarian garden burger.

The first Back Yard Burgers opened in Cleveland, Mississippi in 1987. Originally, the chain consisted of only drive-through restaurants with no dine-in facilities, but most locations have since added dine-in facilities. In recent years, the company has advertised that its burgers are made entirely of Black Angus beef.

A co-branded Back Yard Burgers - Taco Bell restaurant in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. Photo taken January 2003.

In 2002, Back Yard Burgers and Yum! Brands, Inc. entered into a development agreement whereby Yum! had an option to co-brand Back Yard Burgers' trademarks with its other restaurants' trademarks, including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC. In 2004, however, after Yum! chose not to exercise its option, the two companies broke ties. Because Yum! is the world's largest fast food restaurant company, operating nearly 33,000 restaurants worldwide, the demise of the deal was viewed by the business community as a blow to Back Yard Burgers' aspiration to expand its geographic scope.