Back to "Chicken in the Rough"

From the website.

The corporate offices for the company is at 16640 Beverly Avenue in Tinley Park, Illinois, but for the most part, the company, one of the earliest fast food franchise operations has almost been lost to history, with just three locations remaining that serve it.

Beverly and Rubye (Ruby?) Osborne were down on their luck and had decided to leave Depression-era Oklahoma and try their luck out in California (sort of "The Grapes of Wrath").  And, of course, going from Oklahoma to California in 1936 most-likely meant Route 66.

They hit a bump and Rubye dropped her piece and, after picking it up, said, "This is really eating chicken in the rough."  Beverly, always the schemer and risk-taker, was struck by an idea.  Most people ate chicken with forks and knives.  Why not chicken you can eat with your fingers?  After all, fingers were around a long time before forks.

He turned around and went back to Oklahoma where he developed and patented a special griddle for frying chicken and seasoning it.  he had to sell Rubye's wedding ring for start up money

He also started franchising it and by 1950 was grossing about $2 million and had 250 franchised outlets.

Got Me Hungry for Some Chicken.  Michigan Here I Come (see March 18th entry)..  --HungryDog
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