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                                                                   Exhibit 4.31

                                                               [EXECUTION FORM]



MODIFICATION AGREEMENT NO. 2
                                       TO
                     AMENDED AND RESTATED REDUCING REVOLVING
                                CREDIT AGREEMENT


     THIS MODIFICATION AGREEMENT NO. 2 (the "Modification Agreement No. 2"),
dated as of January 9, 1997, to the Reducing Revolving Credit Agreement, dated
as of July 21, 1993, as amended and restated as of May 3, 1996 and as modified
by Modification Agreement No. 1, dated as of October 24, 1996 (as further
amended, supplemented, amended and restated or otherwise modified from time to
time, the "Existing Credit Agreement"), among SHONEY'S, INC., a Tennessee
corporation (the "Borrower"), CIBC INC., acting through its Atlanta Office and
various other financial institutions, which are now, or in accordance with
Section 10.10 of the Existing Credit Agreement hereafter become, parties thereto
(collectively, the "Lenders" and, individually, a "Lender"), and CANADIAN
IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE, a Canadian chartered bank acting through its New York
Agency, as Agent and Collateral Agent (the "Agent") for the Lenders;


                              W I T N E S S E T H:


     WHEREAS, the Borrower has requested that certain provisions of the Existing
Credit Agreement be amended in certain respects as set forth herein; and

     WHEREAS, the Lenders are willing to amend such provisions of the Existing
Credit Agreement and to take or permit the taking of certain actions as set
forth herein, but only on the terms and conditions set forth herein;

     NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the agreements herein contained, the
parties hereto agree as follows:


                                    ARTICLE I
                                   DEFINITIONS

          SECTION 1.1. Certain Definitions. Unless otherwise defined herein or
     the context otherwise requires, capitalized terms used in this Modification
     Agreement No. 2, including its preamble and recitals, have the following
     meanings (such meanings to be equally applicable to the singular and plural
     forms thereof):


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     "Agent has the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble.

     "Borrower" has the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble.

     "Existing Credit Agreement" has the meaning assigned to such term in the
preamble.

     "Lenders" and "Lender" have the respective meanings assigned to such terms
in the preamble.

     "Modification Agreement No. 2" has the meaning assigned to such term in the
preamble.

     "Modification Effective Date" has the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 3.1.

          SECTION 1.2. Other Definitions. Unless otherwise defined herein or the
     context otherwise requires, capitalized terms used in this Modification
     Agreement No. 2, including its preamble and recitals, have the meanings
     provided in the Existing Credit Agreement.


                                   ARTICLE II
                     AMENDMENT OF EXISTING CREDIT AGREEMENT
                      AS OF THE MODIFICATION EFFECTIVE DATE

     Effective on (and subject to the occurrence of) the Modification Effective
Date, the provisions of the Existing Credit Agreement referred to below are
hereby amended in accordance with this Article II. Except as expressly so
amended, the Existing Credit Agreement shall continue in full force and effect
in accordance with its terms.

          SECTION 2.1. Modification of Article I (Definitions). Article I of the
     Existing Credit Agreement is hereby modified as follows:

          SECTION 2.1.1. Section 1.4 of the Existing Credit Agreement is amended
     by adding the following sentence after the last sentence thereof:

          "In addition, for purposes of Section 7.2.4, the effects of (i) the
          application of Statement No. 121 "Accounting for the Impairment of
          Long-Lived Assets and for Long-Lived Assets to Be Disposed Of" of the
          Financial Accounting Standards Board in an amount not to exceed
          $25,000,000 in the aggregate and (ii) any aggregate net gain on the
          disposition of assets attributable to the write-down in the value of
          such assets due to the application of the preceding clause (i), shall
          be excluded from the calculation of the compliance by the Borrower and
          its Subsidiaries with the 


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          covenants contained in such Section."

          SECTION 2.2. Modification of Article VII (Covenants). Article VII of
     the Existing Credit Agreement is hereby modified as follows:

          SECTION 2.2.1. Section 7.2.8 of the Existing Credit Agreement is
     hereby amended by (i) deleting the word "and" after clause (g) thereof,
     (ii) changing the "." at the end of clause (h) thereto to "; and ", and
     (iii) adding new clauses (i) and (j) thereof to read as follows:

               "(i) in the case of the Borrower, (x) a Guaranty of certain
          equipment lease obligations of TPIR existing as of the Acquisition
          Date not to exceed $900,000 in the aggregate and (y) guaranties
          replacing such guaranties so long as such replacement guaranty does
          not increase the amount of obligations guarantied thereby and the
          other terms and conditions of such replacement guaranty are no more
          onerous to the Borrower than those of the guaranty so replaced; and

               (j) in the case of the Borrower, the Guaranty of the obligations
          of TPIR with respect to self-insurance obligations of TPIR relating to
          workmen's compensation claims in the states of South Carolina and
          Alabama."



                                   ARTICLE III
                           CONDITIONS TO EFFECTIVENESS

          SECTION 3.1. Modification Effective Date. This Modification Agreement
     No. 2 shall become effective as of the date first above written, when all
     of the conditions set forth in Sections 3.1.1 through 3.1.3 shall have been
     satisfied (the "Modification Effective Date").

          SECTION 3.1.1. Resolutions, etc. The Agent shall have received from
     the Borrower, a certificate, dated the Modification Effective Date, of its
     Secretary or any Assistant Secretary as to:

               (a) resolutions of its Board of Directors then in full force and
          effect authorizing the execution, delivery, and performance of this
          Modification Agreement No. 2 and each other Loan Document to be
          executed by it;

               (b) the incumbency and signatures of the officers of the Borrower
          authorized to act with respect to this Modification Agreement No. 2
          and each other Loan Document to be executed by it (upon which
          certificate the Agent and each Lender may conclusively rely until the



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          Agent shall have received a further certificate of the Secretary of
          the Borrower canceling or amending such prior certificate, which
          further certificate shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Agent).

          SECTION 3.1.2. Execution of Counterparts. The Agent shall have
     received counterparts of this Modification Agreement No. 2 duly executed by
     the Borrower, the Agent, and the Required Lenders.

          SECTION 3.1.3. Compliance with Warranties; No Default etc. The Agent
     shall have received from an Authorized Officer of the Borrower a
     certificate, dated the date first above written, stating that

               (a) the representations and warranties set forth in Article VI of
          the Existing Credit Agreement (excluding, however, those contained in
          Section 6.7 thereof) and the representations and warranties set forth
          in each of the other Loan Documents, in each case as modified in
          accordance herewith, are true and correct in all material respects
          with the same effect as if then made (unless stated to relate solely
          to an earlier date, in which case such representations and warranties
          were true and correct as of such earlier date);

               (b) except as disclosed by the Borrower to the Agent and the
          Lenders pursuant to Section 6.7 of the Existing Credit Agreement:

                    (i) no labor controversy, litigation, arbitration or
               governmental investigation or proceeding is pending or, to the
               knowledge of the Borrower, threatened against the Borrower or any
               of its Subsidiaries which might have a Materially Adverse Effect;
               and

                    (ii) no development has occurred in any labor controversy,
               litigation, arbitration or governmental investigation or
               proceeding disclosed pursuant to Section 6.7 of the Existing
               Credit Agreement which might have a Materially Adverse Effect;
               and

               (c) no Default has occurred and is continuing, and neither the
          Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries is in material violation of any
          law or government regulation or court order or decree.


                                   ARTICLE IV
                                  MISCELLANEOUS

          SECTION 4.1. Cross References. References in this Modification
     Agreement No. 2 to any article or section are, unless otherwise specified,
     to such article or section of this Modification Agreement No. 2.



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          SECTION 4.2. Instrument Pursuant to Existing Credit Agreement; Limited
     Waiver. This Modification Agreement No. 2 is a Loan Document executed
     pursuant to the Existing Credit Agreement and shall (unless otherwise
     expressly indicated therein) be construed, administered, and applied in
     accordance with all of the terms and provisions of the Existing Credit
     Agreement. Any term or provision of and any modification effected by this
     Modification Agreement No. 2 may be modified in any manner by an instrument
     in writing executed by the Borrower and the Required Lenders (or the Agent
     on behalf of and with the consent of the Required Lenders). Except as
     expressly amended hereby, all of the representations, warranties, terms,
     covenants and conditions of the Existing Credit Agreement shall remain
     unmodified and unwaived. The modifications set forth herein shall be
     limited precisely as provided for herein to the provisions expressly
     modified herein and shall not be deemed to be a waiver of, amendment of,
     consent to or modification of any other term or provision of any other Loan
     Document or of any transaction or further or future action on the part of
     the Borrower which could require the consent of any of the Lenders under
     the Existing Credit Agreement.

          SECTION 4.3. Successors and Assigns. This Modification Agreement No. 2
     shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and
     their respective successors and assigns.

          SECTION 4.4. Counterparts. This Modification Agreement No. 2 may be
     executed by the parties hereto in several counterparts which shall be
     executed by the Borrower, each of the Required Lenders and the Agent, as
     the case may be, all of which shall be deemed to be an original and which
     shall constitute together but one and the same agreement.

          SECTION 4.5. Event of Default. It is understood and agreed that any
     breach of any representation or warranty or covenant contained herein shall
     constitute an Event of Default.



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     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Modification
Agreement No. 2 to be executed by the respective officers hereunder duly
authorized as of the day and year first above written.

                                       SHONEY'S, INC.


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title: Treasurer


                                       CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF
                                        COMMERCE, acting through
                                        its NEW YORK AGENCY, as
                                        Agent


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title: Authorized Signatory


                                       CIBC INC., acting through
                                         its Atlanta Office

                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title: Authorized Signatory


                                       NATIONSBANK OF TENNESSEE, N.A.


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________


                                       THE BANK OF NEW YORK


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________



                                       LTCB TRUST COMPANY


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________






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                                       THE BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________



                                       THE MITSUBISHI TRUST AND BANKING
                                         CORPORATION


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________



                                       FIRST UNION NATIONAL BANK
                                         OF NORTH CAROLINA


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________



                                       THE INDUSTRIAL BANK OF JAPAN,
                                         LIMITED


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________



                                       THE BANK OF TOKYO-MITSUBISHI TRUST
                                         COMPANY


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________



                                       THE FUJI BANK, LIMITED


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________



                                       KREDIETBANK N.V.


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________





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                                       ALLIED IRISH BANK


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________



                                       MERCANTILE BANK OF ST. LOUIS,
                                         NATIONAL ASSOCIATION


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________



                                       PNC BANK, KENTUCKY, INC.


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________



                                       THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________



                                       GIROCREDIT BANK


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________



                                       FIRST AMERICAN NATIONAL BANK


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________



                                       THE SUMITOMO BANK, LIMITED


                                       By:___________________________
                                       Title:________________________






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