Shoney’s

Shoney’s is a longstanding American casual dining chain specializing in breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a focus on family-friendly comfort food. The company began in 1947, when Alex Schoenbaum opened the original Parkette Drive-In in Charleston, West Virginia. Over the decades, Shoney’s evolved from a regional drive-in to a prominent national chain, achieving its greatest reach by the late 1990s with more than 1,300 locations across the United States.

A pivotal milestone in the company’s history came in the late 1990s, when Shoney’s faced significant financial and operational challenges. Between 1998 and 1999, the company closed or sold hundreds of restaurants, a contraction driven by shifting consumer perceptions, management issues, and costly legal disputes. This period marked a turning point, leading Shoney’s to shift from rapid expansion to a focus on stabilizing its core business.

As of April 2024, Shoney’s operates 58 locations in 14 states, with a concentration in the Southeast and select Midwest markets such as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Missouri. The company is privately held and led by CEO David Davoudpour from its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. In recent years, Shoney’s has prioritized operational stability and menu innovation over new unit growth. The 2023 menu refresh, which introduced new breakfast items like churro donuts and chicken biscuits, reflects ongoing efforts to enhance the guest experience and maintain relevance in its core markets.

Today, Shoney’s continues to serve as a recognizable name in family dining, with a legacy of community engagement and a commitment to fresh, approachable food. The brand’s current strategy centers on maintaining profitability and customer loyalty in established locations rather than pursuing aggressive expansion. For landlords, brokers, and developers, Shoney’s represents a mature, stable operator with a traditional restaurant format and a deep-rooted presence in suburban and secondary markets, particularly in the Southeast. The company’s long-standing reputation and focus on core values such as fresh food and community connection support its continued relevance in the casual dining segment.