Bob Payton

Bob Payton
At Stapleford Park
Born
Robert Michael Payton

(1944-05-25)25 May 1944
Miami, Florida, United States
Died13 July 1994(1994-07-13) (aged 50)
Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England
Alma materUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Northwestern University
Occupation(s)Marketing man, restaurateur and hotelier

Robert Michael Payton (25 May 1944 – 13 July 1994)[1] was an American marketing man, restaurateur and hotelier. He is known for starting a chain of American-style restaurants in London in the 1970s, starting with The Chicago Pizza Pie Factory.[1]

Payton was born in Miami, Florida.[2]

He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina,[3] and later received a master's degree in business administration from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.[2]

When sent to England by J. Walter Thompson to promote Kraft products, he decided to stay. He opened several successful fast food outlets such as Chicago Pizza Pie Factories and a series of themed restaurants such as Rib Shacks, Chicago Meatpackers and Henry J. Bean's. In 1988 he bought Stapleford Park, a large Leicestershire country house, and converted it into a hotel.[4]

Death

He died at age 50, in an automobile accident near Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England.[1][5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Green, Emily (15 July 1994). "Obituary: Bob Payton". The Independent.
  2. ^ a b Staff (16 July 1994). "Bob Payton, 50, Restaurateur, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  3. ^ Copetas, A. Craig (1 October 1984). "Payton's Place – The Most Brilliant Restaurateur in London Slathers a Bit of American on Every Dish – The English Eat It Up". Inc.. Retrieved 27 August 2014. "In the early 1960s, he was just another kid from Miami Beach trying to be Troy Donohue, when he went off to the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill."
  4. ^ "Obituary: Bob Payton". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 April 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  5. ^ Staff (16 July 1994). "Bob Payton, 50, Restaurateur, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 August 2014. "Stephen Gee, a former colleague, said Mr. Payton was killed on Wednesday night when his car went off the road near Stevenage, 28 miles north of London."