"Back when TV commercials were something people timed their bathroom breaks to, you might remember seeing an ad or two starring Muhammad Ali boxing for a plate of fried chicken. Or perhaps you can drag forth memories of comic books featuring a little chef on the back of a wagon holding a plate of chicken by the name of Pioneer Pete. If you grew up in or grew up visiting California, specifically near Los Angeles, then you're probably remembering Pioneer Chicken, the one-time golden child"
"In 1961, founder Rick Kaufman opened the first "Pioneer Takeout" in LA's Echo Park. By the mid-to-late 1970s, Pioneer Chicken expanded rapidly to over 100 locations in California, serving everything from fried chicken strips to Orange Whip to fish 'n' chips. Throughout the '80s, it was featured in music videos, TV shows, comic books, and even partnered with studios like Universal Pictures to promote movies."
Pioneer Chicken began in 1961 when Rick Kaufman opened Pioneer Takeout in Echo Park, Los Angeles. The brand expanded through the 1970s and 1980s to well over 100 locations and nearly 300 at its peak across the West Coast. The menu included fried chicken strips, Orange Whip, and fish 'n' chips, and the brand enjoyed heavy celebrity and media exposure, appearing in music videos, TV shows, comic books, and film promotions. The chain also inspired international imitators in Indonesia called California Fried Chicken. The craze faded by the late 1980s, leading to bankruptcy, and only two U.S. locations remain today.
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