Church's Texas Chicken facts for kids
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Church’s location in Valdosta, Georgia
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Trade name
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Church's Chicken (in Puerto Rico, Honduras and Venezuela) Texas Chicken or Church's Texas Chicken |
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| Private | |
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | April 17, 1952 in San Antonio, Texas |
| Founder | George W. Church Sr. |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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1,500+ (2022) |
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Areas served
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United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Belarus, Bahrain, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, Honduras |
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Key people
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Joseph Guith (CEO) Tim Waddell (EVP, International) Natalia Franco (CMO, Global) Roland Gonzalez (COO, North America) Danton Nolan (CFO) Craig Prusher (CLO) Karen Viera (CPO) |
| Products | Fast food, most known for its fried chicken, honey-butter biscuits and jalapenos. |
| Revenue |  US$ 1.3 billion (2022) US$ 1.2 billion (2019) |
| Owner | High Bluff Capital Partners (United States) South America Restaurants Corporation (Honduras, Puerto Rico and Venezuela) |
Church's Texas Chicken is a popular American fast food restaurant chain. It is famous for its delicious fried chicken. The company's main office is in Atlanta, Georgia.
The chain started as Church's Fried Chicken To-Go on April 17, 1952. It was founded by George W. Church Sr. in San Antonio, Texas, right across from The Alamo. In many countries, the chain is known as Texas Chicken or Church's Chicken. Currently, an American company called High Bluff Capital Partners owns it. As of 2017, Church's Texas Chicken had over 1,700 locations in 26 countries. These locations are either owned by the company or run by franchisees.
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History of Church's Texas Chicken
In 1952, George W. Church Sr. opened the first Church's Chicken. He used to sell chicken incubators before. His first restaurant was called Church's Fried Chicken To-Go. It was in San Antonio, Texas.
At first, Church's Chicken was a small walk-up place. It only sold fried chicken. Two pieces of chicken and a roll cost 49 cents. In 1955, Church's Chicken added fries and jalapeños to its menu. George Church Sr. designed the kitchen so customers could watch their food being made.
Growing the Business
By the time George Church Sr. passed away in 1956, there were four restaurants. His family took over the business. In 1962, with his son Bill Church Jr. in charge, there were eight restaurants in San Antonio.
To help the company grow, Bill Church Jr. and his brother Richard created a special marinade in 1965. This marinade could be prepared at any location. J. David Bamberger joined the company in 1965 to help with franchising. Franchising means letting other people open restaurants using the Church's name and recipes. By 1967, the chain had restaurants in five other Texas cities. In 1968, they had 17 restaurants.
In 1968, the Church family sold the company. It became a public company in 1969. This means people could buy shares in the company. By the end of 1969, there were over 100 Church's Chicken restaurants. They were in seven different states. This made it the first Texas chain to become national. Between 1969 and 1974, Church's Chicken added 387 more restaurants.
In 1980, Bill Church Jr. stepped down as chairman. His childhood friend Roger Harvin took his place. In 1996, Hala Moddelmog became the president of Church's Chicken. She was the first woman to be president of a fast food chain.
Expanding Around the World
Church's Chicken started opening restaurants in other countries in the 1970s. They opened in Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Puerto Rico. In the 1980s, it became very popular in Indonesia. There, it was called "Texas Chicken." The name was changed because "Church" might not be as popular in countries where most people are not Christian. After that, locations in Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, and the Philippines also opened as "Texas Chicken."
In 2017, Church's Chicken announced a big plan. They would open 20 new restaurants each year. These would be in Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, Colorado, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
As of 2022, Church's Texas Chicken has over 1,500 locations worldwide. You can find them in many countries. These include Bahrain, Canada, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia.
Company Changes and Owners
In 1989, another chicken restaurant chain, Popeyes, bought Church's Chicken. This made Church's Chicken the second-largest chicken chain. Later, in 1993, the company that owned both Church's Chicken and Popeyes changed its name to AFC Enterprises, Inc.
In 2004, a company called Arcapita bought Church's Chicken. Because Arcapita follows certain principles, they removed pork items from the Church's Chicken menu in 2005.
In 2009, a private equity firm called Friedman Fleischer & Lowe bought Church's Chicken. This deal was worth about $390 million. In 2021, Church's Chicken announced it would be bought by Rego Restaurant Group. This group also owns Quiznos and Taco del Mar.
Sharing Restaurant Space
In the 1990s, Church's Chicken and White Castle teamed up. They shared some restaurant spaces. Both companies sold their own food items. In Canada, you could once find Church's Chicken items in Harvey's restaurants. However, this partnership ended.
- Church's Texas Chicken restaurants
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A Church's Texas Chicken in Detroit
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A Church's Texas Chicken in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
What Church's Texas Chicken Sells
Church's Texas Chicken has a menu with many fried chicken choices. They also have classic side dishes and desserts. Their main item is the Fried Chicken. It has a crispy, golden outside and tender, juicy meat inside. It is seasoned with a mix of herbs and spices.
Other popular items include Chicken Tenders and Boneless Wings. These give customers many options to choose from. They also offer classic Southern sides. These include mashed potatoes with gravy, fried okra, coleslaw, corn on the cob, and jalapeño peppers. For dessert, they have honey-butter biscuits and apple pie. Sometimes, Church's Texas Chicken also offers a special seafood menu. This includes shrimp and crispy fish.
Since 1952, Church's Texas Chicken has served drinks from The Coca-Cola Company. In 2008, they agreed to continue this partnership. In 2021, Church's Chicken chose Performance Performance Food Group Company as its main food supplier in the United States until 2026.
Helping Others and Giving Back
From 1979 to 1986, Church's Chicken helped sponsor chess tournaments. These were called the ChessCafe Grand Prix tournaments. They were part of the United States Chess Federation.
Church's Partners Foundation, Inc. is a charity organization. It helps employees of Church's Chicken restaurants and their families. The foundation gives $1,000 scholarships to American high school students. This is part of their Church's Scholars Program. In the 2018–2019 school year, they gave out over $227,000 in scholarships.
Church's Chicken has also worked with No Kid Hungry since 2016. This organization helps make sure children have enough to eat.
Company Updates and Responses
United States
Data Security
In 2019, Church's Chicken looked into a problem with their payment systems. This issue affected how customer payments were handled. At least 160 company-owned restaurants in 11 states were impacted.
Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, most Church's Chicken restaurants closed their dining rooms. They continued to offer drive-thru, takeout, and delivery services.
Company leaders also announced a plan to help their franchisees. Franchisees could delay paying 50% of their fees for four weeks. This started on March 30, 2020.
See also
- List of fast-food chicken restaurants
