Zaxby's is a franchised chain of fast casual restaurants that operates primarily in the Southeastern United States with 500 locations. Zaxby's 500th location opened in Tifton, Georgia the summer of 2010.^[1] The first Zaxby's was opened in Statesboro, Georgia, near the Georgia Southern University campus, by Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley. Their menu is built around buffalo chicken wings, "chicken fingers", sandwiches with fries, and salads (i.e., "zalads").^[2] It follows in the footsteps of another chicken fingers-based restaurant: Guthrie's, in 1978, in Alabama. Zaxby's offers a wide variety of dipping sauces, such as the "original Zax Sauce". Coca-Cola's brands of soft drinks are served, as well. The dining rooms at Zaxby's restaurants are decorated with assorted whimsical objects and posters, which often vary in theme by location and which occasionally are regionally aware. For instance, at one location in Gainesville, Florida, objects related to the University of Florida Gators are used as decorations, while at the Tallahassee, Florida location, objects related to the Florida State University Seminoles are used. Similarly, at the Orlando, Florida location, citrus-industry themed decorations line the walls. Zaxby's are located in all of the southern states except for Louisiana (although new locations will be established there soon), Oklahoma, and West Virginia.

Sports sponsorships[link]

Zaxby's Restaurant in Mount Berry, Georgia

The 2010 Zaxby's Racing season kicked off on February 13 with John Wes Townley competing in the Drive4COPD 300 at the Daytona International Speedway. Zaxby's sponsors the Richard Childress Racing #21 Chevrolet Impala in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Zaxby's sponsored the Roush Fenway Racing #09 truck in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2008.

Zaxby's chicken fingers, drink cup, crinkle fries, and Texas toast.

As of February 20, 2008, Joey Clanton has been released from the Roush Fenway Racing #09 truck sponsored by Zaxby's. Travis Kvapil took his place for the California Speedway race.

Other sponsorships include the #09 Ford Fusion in the ARCA ReMAX Series driven by John Wes Townley. Townley ran in the 2007 season in the ASA Late Model division. Townley is driving for RAB Racing.

Zaxby's also sponsored Travis Kvapil's Ford in the March 9, 2008 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Zaxby's now sponsors the #21 NASCAR Nationwide Series car for Richard Childress Racing with Clint Bowyer as driver.

Zaxby's first victory in the NASCAR Nationwide series occurred on August 29, 2010 when driver Boris Said drove the Zaxby's #09 Ford to victory at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada.

Zax sauce.

Television advertisements[link]

In late 2007, the chain began running a series of advertisements featuring celebrities like Laverne and Shirley stars Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams, Bobby Allison, Diana DeGarmo, Kathy Griffin, Herschel Walker, Evander Holyfield, Elijah Kelley, Lorenzo Lamas, Cody Linley, Jerry Rice, John Schneider, Alyson Stoner, Kerri Strug, Richard Thomas, Richard Karn, Reginald VelJohnson, David Garrard, Spud Webb, Orange County Choppers Paul Teutul, Sr. and Michael Teutul and Béla Károlyi. In 2009 actors Fred Willard (promoting the Zensation Zalad) and Paul Sorvino (promoting the Chicken Parmesan Sandwich) appeared in Zaxby's TV ads. Doris Roberts was featured in a winter-themed advertisement for Zaxby's Fried White Cheddar Bites beginning in late 2010. In 2012, Rachel Dratch began starring in a series of commercials for Zaxby's Chicken Finger Sandwich Meal.

Video game advertisements[link]

In October 2009, Zaxby's was featured as a restaurant on the streets of Los Angeles in the video game Midnight Club: Los Angeles. http://www.thefranchisemall.com/news/articles/21617-0.htm

References[link]

1. ^ Zaxby's Locations Acquired 26-5-06
2. ^ Zaxby's Menu Acquired 26-5-06

External links[link]

• Zaxby's corporate web site
• FoodInfoDB – Nutritional information for Zaxby's menu items

Ryan Stiles
Stiles in November 2008
Birth name	Ryan Lee Stiles
Born	(1959-04-22) April 22, 1959 (age 53) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Medium	Stand up, Television, Film
Nationality	American
Years active	1985–present
Genres	Improvisational comedy
Spouse	Patricia McDonald (1989–present)
Notable works and roles	Herb Melnick on Two and a Half Men Lewis Kiniski on The Drew Carey Show British and American versions of Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Ryan Lee Stiles (born April 22, 1959) is an American actor, comedian, director, and voice actor whose work is often associated with improvisational comedy. He is best known for his improv and co-production work on the American and British versions of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and the role of Lewis Kiniski on The Drew Carey Show. He plays Herb Melnick on the CBS comedy Two and a Half Men and was a performer on the show Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza.

Early life and career[link]

Stiles was born in Seattle, Washington, the youngest of five children. His father Sonny was a fishing plant supervisor.^[1] Stiles lived in Vancouver, British Columbia as a teenager.^[2] At the age of seventeen, he dropped out of his high school, Richmond Secondary, to pursue a career in comedy. He briefly worked in his father's fish-processing plant to earn a living. He then began performing improv with Vancouver Theatresports League. In 1986, Stiles successfully auditioned for a berth at Toronto's renowned Second City comedy ensemble.

Television work[link]

By 1989, Stiles had gained the attention of the producers of the British improvisational comedy show, Whose Line Is It Anyway?. Stiles was a regular on the show until 1998, and the show's short production season allowed him to make numerous television and motion picture appearances in the United States.

In 1995, Stiles was asked by American comic Drew Carey to be a regular on his comedy The Drew Carey Show. Stiles played Drew's smart but underachieving best friend, Lewis Kiniski. Stiles' first line in the pilot episode of the show, "And that's why the French don't wash," is a line he had previously used in an episode of the British version of Whose Line?.

[edit] Whose Line Is It Anyway?

In 1998, Carey successfully lobbied ABC to get an American version of Whose Line? produced. Following the final season of the British version in 1998, the American version premiered, with both Stiles and Carey credited as executive producers. Stiles and Colin Mochrie were the only two performers to appear in every episode of the US version, although Wayne Brady also became a regular near the beginning of the second season. The series was produced until 2006.

Stiles was the most prolific performer on the original UK version of Whose Line?, appearing in 76 of the series 136 episodes (including compilations). He first appeared in the fifth episode of the second season, which aired in late 1988. He appeared in one other episode of that season, before returning for four episodes of the third season. His prominence increased with each season, including appearances in every episode of Season 4 which was filmed in New York; ultimately appearing in every episode from the seventh season onwards.

Stiles was known for several recurring impressions he performed on the shows, performed both at his own decision and as an assignment in games. These included Carol Channing, Elvis Presley, John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Steve Irwin and Christopher Lloyd's character in Taxi, Jim Ignatowski. He made his dislike of the musical segments of the show abundantly clear at every opportunity whenever he was chosen to perform in them, mostly because of his inability to form lyrics quickly. In particular, he disliked the games Hoedown and Irish Drinking Song, often reacting negatively (or with sarcastic irony) to the games being announced. Other than in early UK playings, Stiles was always the last performer to sing in Hoedown and other similar musical games, allowing him more time to devise lyrics, and giving him the final punch-lines, as well as injecting (usually not-so subtle) jabs at the Hoedown itself, or of the host for having him perform in it.

Stiles had first met Colin Mochrie years before while performing stand-up. They first performed together in Vancouver TheaterSports then in Second City, Toronto. There were a number of games which exclusively paired Mochrie and Stiles at every playing. Though other performers did so, he was the most common performer to make bald jokes at Mochrie's expense. In return, Mochrie often made jokes about Stiles's height, nose, attractiveness, and tendency to wear exotic, flamboyant shoes. However, Stiles would sometimes stand up to or make jokes at the other performers (including Drew Carey) who made fun of Mochrie's baldness or Mochrie in general, notably during Scenes From A Hat.

Stiles took part in the regular practice of mocking host Clive Anderson on the UK series, though he did so with less frequency than others. By contrast, on the American version, he was among the most frequent mockers of Carey, especially during the Hoedowns.

Stiles was almost always in a button-up shirt; typically a dress shirt, and was one of the few performers (along with Greg Proops, and Colin during tapings of the UK version) to commonly wear a necktie. One of Stiles's notable trademarks on the US series were his dress shoes, many of which were an unusual color, most notably his blue shoes, or had a flashy pattern of several colors. This was because he had to get many of his shoes custom made by George Esquivel, since his height & shoe size often made it problematic for Stiles to buy shoes from a store. Stiles' shoes and the size of his nose were sometimes mocked by Carey and the other performers. In addition, a running gag on both versions of the show had the producers trying (and invariably failing) to stump Stiles, by giving him increasingly bizarre mannerisms or characters in the games that require him to act them out. When reading them just prior to the scene, he and Carey would often laugh at what was written on the cards.^[3]

Stiles received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program in 2002 for his work on the show.

Though he never appeared in the series, Stiles (along with Kaitlyn Olson) performed in the taping of the unaired pilot episode of Drew Carey's Green Screen Show, which involved improv games similar to Whose Line? games played in front of a massive green screen. Animation was later added to the improv footage.

Personal life[link]

In 1981, Stiles met Patricia McDonald at Punchlines where she was waitressing. They lived together for seven years before marrying in 1988. They have three children: Sam, Mackenzie, and Claire.^{[citation needed]} When not working in Hollywood, he lives at his home on Lake Samish, outside Bellingham, Washington,^[4] where he has opened the Upfront Theatre, a small theatre dedicated to live improv comedy.^[5]

Stiles once lived in a house previously owned by Liberace in Sherman Oaks, California, but he sold it.^[6]

Other appearances[link]

Stiles appeared in the 1991 film Hot Shots as Mailman Farnham, and also starred in the 1993 sequel Hot Shots! Part Deux, as marine Rabinowitz.

Since 2004, Stiles has been seen as the recurring character Dr. Herb Melnick in several episodes of the comedy Two and a Half Men which stars his Hot Shots co-star Jon Cryer and formerly Charlie Sheen. Stiles also made short guest appearances on Murphy Brown, Mad About You, Mad TV, and Dharma & Greg. In July 2008, he was a guest star on Reno 911! as Sergeant Clift, an acting coach.

During the 1994 Major League Baseball strike, Stiles appeared in several commercials for Nike, hanging out in an empty ballpark, doing things such as playing the organ and attempting to do the wave alone. The commercials ended with the line: "Play ball. Please."

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ryan Stiles

• Ryan Stiles Net

• Ryan Stiles at the Internet Movie Database

• Ryan Stiles biography

v t e Whose Line Is It Anyway? UK version Host Clive Anderson Regular contestants Chip Esten Stephen Frost Stephen Fry Josie Lawrence Mike McShane Paul Merton Colin Mochrie Greg Proops John Sessions Brad Sherwood Tony Slattery Steve Steen Ryan Stiles Jim Sweeney Sandi Toksvig Caroline Quentin Musicians Colin Sell Richard Vranch Laura Hall Win Meyerson US version Host Drew Carey Regular contestants Wayne Brady Chip Esten Kathy Greenwood Colin Mochrie Greg Proops Brad Sherwood Denny Siegel Ryan Stiles Jeff Davis Musicians Laura Hall Linda Taylor Cece Worrall-Ruben Related topics List of UK episodes List of US episodes List of games Drew Carey's Green Screen Show (List of episodes) Mock the Week Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza (List of episodes)