Ritzy’s, formerly known as G.D.Ritzy’s, is a fast-food restaurant with a throwback diner theme that was founded in 1980 by former Wendy’s executive Graydon Douglas Webb. Now two of the last seven locations are housed in Owensboro.
Ritzy’s is known for its hamburgers, hot dogs, shoestring fries and house-made ice cream.
Before the chain went out of business, it had more than 100 locations in 17 states at its peak. There are seven Ritzy’s in the U.S. today — and two of them are in Owensboro.
“What Ritzy’s is now is a franchisee association,” said Mike Courtney, operating manager. “We call our own shots. We decide where we want to go, even down to our food distributors.”
The first Ritzy’s in Owensboro came about in 1996 on Frederica by Courtney and a few pharmacists who wanted to bring a Ritzy’s to town. Ten years later in 2006, the partners opened up a second location on Kentucky 54.
Besides Owenboro’s two locations, there are three in Indiana, one in West Virginia and another in Ohio. Courtney said he and the owners of the Indiana and the West Virginia locations collaborate to keep Rityz’s history alive.
“Ritzy’s is going great, there’s no problem,” he said. “The problem is when it comes to fast-food franchises, it’s labor-intensive. There just doesn’t seem to be an interest in people opening more. It’s a shame because it is a good concept. I think in the future it’s something that may happen again and come back with more franchise openings.”
Courtney said when he opened the second location, there were no other fast food joints on Kentucky 54. He said today, however, that’s a different story. He said the competition has made it difficult for Ritzy’s to make a comeback.
“We’ve turned into a– it’s almost like a hometown mom and pop store,” Courtney said chuckling. “I’m not going anywhere.”
