By Kiersten Hacker

Roy Rogers joins restaurants in the Adele H. Stamp Student Union, which is back at full capacity after a year of limited indoor dining, distanced tables and closed food stalls.

The restaurant officially opened in the food court on Dec. 2. Students lined up early in the morning for a grand opening giveaway in hopes of being one of the first 50 customers in line to receive a $100 gift card. Students who were not in the first 50 on the first day received a free french fries and drink coupon and a water bottle. 

Sam Allgaier, a senior aerospace engineering major, left early to get to campus to make it to the grand opening and receive a gift card, but he said he was too late. After hearing a lack of enthusiasm about the new restaurant among his friends, he expected there wouldn’t be a crowd – but before he even arrived at the restaurant, he said he heard the first 50 customers had come and gone.

Allgaier enjoyed going to the Roy Rogers in his hometown, so he was excited for the restaurant to come to campus. His favorite meal is the Gold Rush Chicken Sandwich and biscuits with honey.

“I was excited because it seemed like another good option for easy food to grab while on campus,” Allgaier said. “It’s something that I knew I liked and something that’s different from most things around in general.”

Like Allgaier, other students were pleased with the variety the new addition brings to the options in the food court, sparking interest to try something new. 

“I’ve probably tried both Panda Express and Qdoba and Chick-fil-A a trillion times, so it’s good to try something new for once,” said Israel Daniel, a senior fire protection engineering major.

After seeing the chicken tenders and biscuits, Daniel said he decided to try Roy Rogers since it also reminded him of Popeyes, another restaurant he likes. While the chicken tenders are Daniel’s favorite meal, he has also tried a hamburger from Roy Rogers and said he is interested to try its other options.

The restaurant’s menu is sandwich-centric, including items like hamburgers and roast beef, chicken or breakfast sandwiches. A “fixin’s bar” allows customers to add lettuce, tomato, onions and other toppings to their order.

Roy Rogers’ first restaurant opened in Virginia, and the first franchise opened later in Frederick, Maryland. The company is largely based in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, so some students had never heard of the restaurant before its opening in Stamp.

Senior aerospace engineering major Sandra Crenshaw said she had never heard of the restaurant before, but decided to try it with Allgaier. After trying the food twice, she said it won her approval, especially the biscuits. 

Crenshaw loved ordering french fries from McDonald’s before the restaurant closed in November 2020, but Roy Rogers is a decent replacement and adds more options, she said.

“It’s nice to have more of a Southern style,” Crenshaw said.

The company values family, quality and community involvement, among other things like integrity and honesty, according to their website. Their mission statement is “The Values You Respect” and the company’s website says it is dedicated to supporting and giving back to the community. 

As Roy Rogers joined the University of Maryland community, the company donated to the Campus Pantry.

“It’s kind of nice it’s their first time back here and they’re helping out the community,” Crenshaw said.