Jimmy Rogers, restaurant chain founder, dies at age 66

Jimmy Rogers could always fill a dining room with two things: customers and his jovial laugh.

Family members and friends of the local restaurateur/developer said they will never forget his passion for serving people, taking care of his community and his love for Clemson football.

The "larger than life" founder of Fatz Café, Copper River Grill and J Jr.'s restaurant chains died at his home Wednesday morning of liver cancer. He was 66.

"He loved life, he loved people, and he loved Clemson," said Rogers' wife, Joanne. "He had a laugh that just made others want to laugh. Everyone always told me that if you lost him in a crowd, you could always find him again by listening for his laugh. He loved the restaurant business… You didn't have to be a blood relation to be part of Jimmy's family… He did try other things (outside of restaurants), but his heart was always in the hospitality industry. He absolutely loved it."

Rogers was the son of the late J.B. and Della Lyda Rogers. He grew up on his family's farm in Holly Springs.

In 1988, Rogers and his business partner Bill Burton founded the casual-dining Fatz Café concept in a converted peach shed near the Waccamaw Shopping Center.

Rogers sold Burton 50 percent of the stock in Café Enterprises Inc., the parent company of Fatz Cafes, in 1993. He sold his remaining shares in several restaurant chains, including Fatz, J Jr.'s and Hambones, to Burton five years later.

Joanne Rogers said they planned for Jimmy to get out of the restaurant business altogether. But those plans were short-lived.

"We were going to start traveling," she said. "We decided to go on a cruise to Alaska. We stopped in Seattle and visited Pikes (Place) Market. We were watching them throw the fish. When we looked back, there was a huge line of people waiting… We asked someone: what's so special about this fish? They told us it was the Copper River salmon, and they only run for a few weeks out of the year."

Joanne Rogers said her husband was sitting on a statue of a giant brass pig in the market when she noticed he had been struck with an epiphany.

"He said, 'Copper River—I think that's a great name for a restaurant,'" she said. "That ruined our vacation… It cost me a lot of time because all he could think about was the restaurant… He was always coming up with things like that even though he was supposed to be retired. You always hear people talk about having a passion for something. Jimmy truly did."

On Friday, doctors informed Rogers and his wife that his cancer was stage 4 and inoperable, as it had spread throughout his liver.

"He brought the same positive attitude to his diagnosis that he always had," Joanne Rogers said. "He kept fighting, thinking he was going to be able to go back to work soon… Hopefully, we will be able to continue, but it's never going to be the same without him."

Steve Bruce, a local restaurateur who served as president and CEO of Café Enterprises Inc., said Rogers was inspirational, charismatic and innovative.

"He and his partners grew Fatz Café into a $100 million franchise," Bruce said. "He just knew how to take care of people—he knew what they wanted. He will be missed… I'm sure he will be tailgating Clemson games in heaven."

Today, almost 50 Fatz restaurants span across Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia. There are eight Copper River Grills in the Carolinas and Kentucky.

Rogers is survived by his wife; two daughters, Lynn Stevens and Paula Guest; son-in-law Jeffrey Guest; five grandchildren, Christopher Guest, Madison Guest, Dalton Guest, Taylor Stevens and Kendall Stevens; granddaughter-in-law, Ashtyn Guest; and brother- and sister-in-law, Bates and Gloria Harmon.

He also had one niece, three nephews and his good friends Earnest Dillard and David "Hog" Rowland. His sister Jeanie McAlhany passed away several years ago.

Funeral services for Rogers will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Holly Springs Baptist Church at 251 Hannon Road in Inman.

Joanne Rogers said friends and family will pay tribute to Rogers during the ceremony. Revs. Henry Stanford and Jeff Davis and Dr. Tim Clark will officiate.

Rogers will be buried in the church cemetery, which will be followed by a time of fellowship in the church's family life center.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Mobile Meals or Holly Springs Baptist Church.

For more information, visit: www.seawright-funeralhome.com.