Jackson Free Press

Bridgforth Rutledge, owner of seven Back Yard Burgers locations in the Jackson metro area, Meridian and Oxford, is one of thousands of restaurant owners taking part in the Share Our Strength organization's No Kid Hungry campaign throughout September. The No Kid Hungry campaign connects kids in need with nutritious food, teaches their families how to cook healthy, affordable meals, and engages the public to make ending child hunger a national priority.

Rutledge grew up on the reservoir in Rankin County and has been living in Ridgeland for the last 15 years. He graduated from Millsaps College, where he majored in English and political science, then began studying business and real-estate law at Mississippi College School of Law on a full scholarship. One year into his law studies, Rutledge became inspired while driving through Jackson.

"When I was at Millsaps, I used to drive by the University of Mississippi Medical Center every day and see the doctors and students walking across the street," Rutledge said. "There was an empty space right across from the center, and I wanted to build a restaurant in it. I couldn't qualify to be a franchisee for a lot of the bigger franchises back then, so I chose Back Yard Burgers because I like the restaurant and their product and could qualify. I drove to the corporate headquarters in Memphis, Tenn., introduced myself to the CEO, Lattie Michael, and asked to build a Back Yard Burgers in that space."

Rutledge, 42, took a break from law school to open that first Back Yard Burgers in the empty lot in 1998. After it was done, he finished school and devoted himself full time to his restaurant business. The second Back Yard Burgers Rutledge built in Madison has become the number-one location in the nation, according to total sales, he said.

"Being a business and real estate lawyer is really helpful for restaurant development," Rutledge said. "Law training helps save money, and my decision to get started where I did was as much a matter of real estate as it was about restaurants."

Rutledge and his wife, Lorie, have seven children aged 13 to 3—Rines, Cass, Wat, Cole, Lella, Win and Dun. His large family is one of the biggest factors in his decision to participate in No Kid Hungry.

"Childhood hunger has always been a cause that's important to me, especially with as many children as I have," Rutledge said. "Thinking of what it would be like for my own children not to have food makes me realize just how many there are out there who go without. We have many places in this country with plenty of food, and I think it blinds many to the fact that there are people living within miles of them who are going hungry. It's great that so many restaurants are taking part in No Kid Hungry now that we can have a measurable impact on the problem."

Throughout September, Back Yard Burgers and other restaurants participating in No Kid Hungry will accept donations from customers toward the campaign. All customer contributions go directly to No Kid Hungry's national fund. The campaign raised more than $7 million last year, and close to 10,000 restaurants are participating this year. This is the first year that Back Yard Burgers has taken part in No Kid Hungry, but Rutledge plans to make it an annual event each September.