His road to success
By Melinda Harrell
Published in News on March 19, 2015 1:46 PM
Full Size
News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Kenney Moore, left, and Brandon Sneed autograph copies of the book "Behind the Drive" they authored about Moore's life and the founding of Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes and Fries. At right is Ericia Thompson whose husband, Dave, works with the company. Headquartered in Mount Olive, the hamburger chain currently has 115 store in 10 states, one in the United Arab Emirates, with two more under construction. Another is slated for Denmark.
Full Size
News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Kenney Moore prepares to meet the public and to announce his new book.
MOUNT OLIVE -- It took 15 months to finish "Behind the Drive," which was launched at Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes and Fries in Mount Olive Saturday, but it really was 24 years in the making.
The official national launch of the book, written by Brandon Sneed and Kenney Moore, chronicles the journey of Moore from his Wayne County roots to becoming the chief executive officer and founder of the internationally franchised restaurant, Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes and Fries.
At the launch, Moore said the event was exciting and "nerve wracking."
"It is 24 years of my life, but it is also a biography. It kind of takes it from the beginning and it's exciting," he said. "I am kind of exposed."
But that is what this effort was all about, Moore said -- being real.
So that means he couldn't skip the parts that make him human, he said.
"I wanted an honest, authentic book. I have a lot of demons, a lot of foibles and I wanted all those in there."
The result is a story about a man who started small, but thought big -- and the work and sacrifice it took to get there.
And creating Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes and Fries was no small feat. And it did not happen overnight, Moore said.
"It also talks about the journey of this company and talks about the highs and the lows that we have been through in the company. I think folks will enjoy reading it."
The co-writer of the book, Brandon Sneed, said he knew the project was for him when Moore said he wanted complete authenticity.
"What really impressed me was he asked, 'What do you think,'" Sneed said.
Moore chose Sneed to write his story after he read "The Edge of Legend," a book Sneed authored while he was a student at Barton College.
Deciding to write his story now was also a business decision, Moore said.
"A lot of times to get exposure for your brand you have to get exposure for yourself. I felt that the time was right with our expansion."
Moore and Sneed met in October of 2013 to talk about the idea. The interviews started in January 2014.
"I just handled it like any other journalism project," Sneed said. "I met with him once a week for many, many months."
He drove from Greenville to Moore's home in Mount Olive, every Thursday morning to interview him. In the process he gathered more than 300 people's contact information that were familiar with Moore and the company. And though the research was daunting, Sneed said the most challenging part of the process was finding the best way to give Moore's story a voice.
The book is a biography and a good story, full of the challenges that face many entrepreneurs -- and it is human enough to be a good read as well, Sneed said.
"I wouldn't have agreed to it if it wasn't something special," he said.
Sneed said he learned a lot from getting to know Moore and writing his story and the reader will learn something about life, too.
"A lot of what Kenney's story is, is really him learning to be a better person than he was every step of the way is him trying to find peace," Sneed said. "You can have all the ambitions and goals you want, but if you get too lost in those, you forget to make sure the people that are close to you are still happy and just being a good person."
Moore's wife, Karen, said Sneed captured Moore's life perfectly.
"Now that it is out, edited and in its final version I am really impressed with the way Brandon portrayed Kenney and his family, my family, and our Hwy 55 family," Mrs. Moore said. "I think he told an inspiring story. I read it; it was my life. I felt like I relived a lot of what happened. I think other people will be inspired."
Another aspect that Moore wants the reader to take away from the book is that the American dream is still very much alive.
"The biggest thing that I hope comes out of the book is I hear a lot of people -- politicians and media --and there is a lot of people out there that say the American dream is dead," Moore said. "I want this book to be, for somebody to read it and be inspired and say, 'Goodness gracious if that guy can do it I know I can.'
"I grew up relatively poor and as long as you have a dream and a work ethic you can make anything happen in this country. I hope they will get that from the book as well."
Moore said that although Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes and Fries has expanded to 10 states and will soon open the company's third international restaurant in Denmark, that he is still very much in the process of building up his American dream.
"We are never going to be as big as McDonald's or Burger King or any of those others," Moore said. "That is not our goal. Our goal is to be really, really good at what we do. And that is by each individual location being a community fixture, being involved in the community and taking care of our guests in each and every market that we are in."
Moore began his company in 1991 with $500 in Wayne County and now the business has expanded to 115 stores in 10 states, one the United Arab Emirates with two more on the way, and in the next few months, plans to open one in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The company has agreements for more than 600 more over the next 10 years and will be signing agreements for new territories and countries, but Moore has never forgotten his roots.
"There is nowhere else we would have released this book other than Wayne County," Moore said. "I started here, I live here and the people of Wayne County have been very supportive of us throughout the 24 years I have been in business.
"There were other -- obviously bigger -- cities that we could have launched this book, but I wanted to do it in one of my restaurants, in Wayne County and have the opportunity to say thank you to the folks here and kick it off here."
Moore still lives in Mount Olive with his wife and four children, Andy, Isabelle, Emma and Dylan.
"Behind the Drive" is available at any Hwy 55 store, and will be distributed later this month. It is also available on Amazon.com.