Harold's Chicken Shack facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Casual dining Take out |
| Founded | 1950 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
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Key people
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Harold Pierce (founder) |
| Products | Fried chicken Seafood |
| Owner | Kristen Pierce |
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Number of employees
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over 3,000 |
Harold's Chicken Shack is a very popular fried chicken restaurant. People also call it Harold's Chicken or just Harold's. It started in Chicago, Illinois. Most of its restaurants are in Chicago's Black communities. But you can also find Harold's in many other cities. These include Indianapolis, Indiana, Atlanta, Georgia, and Los Angeles, California.
History of Harold's Chicken
Harold Pierce started Harold's Chicken Shack. He was an African-American businessman. He moved to Chicago in 1943. On June 22, 1950, he opened his first restaurant. It was at 47th Street and Kenwood. Harold and his wife also had another restaurant. It was called the H&H. They sold dumplings and chicken feet there.
Harold Pierce had a special idea for his restaurants. He wanted each Harold's to be unique. He did not want them all to look exactly the same. Some Harold's places are very simple. You might pick up your food from a window. This window might even have bulletproof glass for safety. Other Harold's restaurants let you sit down and eat inside.
Each Harold's might offer different things. Some have fountain drinks. Others might have extra food items. They might also offer catering or delivery. But two things are always the same. They always have the basic chicken dinners. And they have a special picture. It shows a cook chasing a chicken with a meat cleaver. Sometimes, the cook in the picture looks like a king. This is why some places are called "Harold's: The Fried Chicken King."
Most Harold's Chicken Shack locations are in Chicago. There are about 40 stores there. Many are on the South Side of the city. At the time Harold started, it was harder for Black business owners to open stores in all areas. This led to many Harold's locations opening in Black neighborhoods. You can also find them in nearby towns like Oak Park and Aurora.
Harold's in Pop Culture
Harold's Chicken Shack is a big part of Chicago's South Side culture. Many famous Chicago hip-hop artists talk about it. These include Kanye West, Common, and Chance the Rapper. Rapper Kendrick Lamar even mentioned Harold's. He said he loved it so much he flew there from Rome!
Harold's has also been on TV. It was shown in a scene on the TV show South Side. It also appeared in a music video for BJ The Chicago Kid. You can even see a Harold's next to a bar in the movie Weird Science.
See also
- Chicago-style barbecue
- List of fast-food chicken restaurants
