How it started
History
Kings was founded in 1967, when Hartley King purchased a restaurant called the "Pig-N-Go" in North Versailles, Pennsylvania and renamed it to "Kings Country Shoppes." He later changed the name to Kings Family Restaurants to more clearly indicate what kind of business it was. By 1980 the number of restaurants had grown to 7, and 24 by 1990. By 2006, there were 34 locations throughout Pennsylvania and one in Wintersville, Ohio.
Kings donated to many charity organizations, including the Veterans Leadership Program and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Western Pennsylvania.
In July 2009, Kings Restaurants launched a new restaurant concept called Kings Hometown Grille. It featured a different design and layout, as well as a different menu from most other Kings locations. Unlike any other locations in the chain, Kings Hometown Grille also offered alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine and cocktails. All of these locations have since closed.
In 2015, Kelly Capital purchased the Kings Family Restaurants, after founder Hartley King announced his retirement. On March 26, 2017, it was announced that five of its earliest stores: Wexford, Bridgeville, Imperial, Harmarville, and Altoona restaurants would be shutting down at 7 p.m. that evening. Approximately 130 employees were given no notice, and were left jobless.
On January 31, 2025, Hartley King died at age 91.
From Wikipedia’s article on Kings Family Restaurants, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2