Rally's - Introduction

Introduction

14255 49th Street North
Clearwater, Florida 33762
U.S.A.
Telephone: (800) 872-5597
Fax: (727) 519-2001
Web site: http://www.checkers.com

Business Unit of Checkers Drive In Restaurants Inc.
Incorporated: 1984
Employees: 5,500
Sales: $144.9 million (1997)
NAIC: 722211 Limited-Service Restaurants

A unit of Checker's Drive-In Restaurants Inc., Rally's is a chain of limited-menu, fast-food establishments featuring double drive-thru order and pickup service but no indoor seating except at five experimental locations. One of the largest chains using this arrangement, Rally's has always placed its emphasis on delivering a quality hamburger more cheaply and quickly than its competitors. It features the original signature Rallyburger and Big Buford (a double-patty cheeseburger), two other, newer signature burgers, and a chicken breast sandwich, plus uniquely seasoned fries and onion rings, and soft drinks and milkshakes to complement its entrees. Its menu has remained simple, originally consisting of 11 basic items, all of which are readied within 45 seconds after a customer places an order. In 1997, the Rally system operated 477 restaurants in 18 states, predominantly in the Midwest and the South. By the close of the decade, amid mounting financial losses, Rally's merged in a stock swap that formed Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc., which continued to operate both its own Checkers restaurants as well as the Rally's restaurants.