Robert Michael Payton (25 May 1944 – 13 July 1994)[1] was an American marketing man, restaurateur and hotelier.

[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.