Minnie pearl's fried chicken

Have not seen this one mentioned. Does anyone else remember Minnie Pearls fried chicken. Back in 67 or 68, there were a few in the Oklahoma city area. They had a unique design for their buildings which where decorated with yellow and white. Seems like they had little white daisy's or somthing.

The chicken as I recall, was not bad and they gave you a little packet that had a moist napkin enclosed.

While looking the chain up on the internet, evidently the chain was a franchise scam and it thought of as the way NOT to do things.

Anyone else have memories of the place?

It is my understanding that Minnie Pearl's started an advertising (sp) program upon opening thier places. KFC (this was the old KFC sales skyrocketed at once. Minnie Pearls closed before the paint on thier new buildings dried. There are still some Minnie Pearl's buildings around Oklahoma City to this day. That are being used for other things.

I have no idea if this is an urban ledgand or not, maybe someone out there can confirm this .

There was a Minnie Pearl's Chicken location on the
Montgomery Hwy. in Dothan, AL in the late 60's/
early 70's...
Didn't the signs show a picture of Minnie in her
signature hat holding up a drumstick to her mouth?

Dearfolk,
There was one in Nashville on Dickerson Pike up until mid-to-late 1986. It was the last one in its area. After that, they told me that the only remaining one was in Bedford, Virginia. Good Lord, was their chicken salty! Ganerf! (The seasoned fries were pretty good, though - you EXPECTED those to be salty!)
We need reports from the road, folks.
The Nashville one is now a used car lot; ours on Oak Street in Athens, Georgia is now a quick-copy-and-plastic-sign place.
Architecturally Submitted, Ort. Carlton in 30601.

Fast-food franchising became the rage and outfits like McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dairy Queen and Hardee's grew quickly. In the 1950s the U.S. Congress passed laws regulating franchise sales within the auto and petroleum industries, but sales of food, retail and service franchises continued unregulated. "It was wide open, " says Anthony R. Pierno, an attorney in Palm Desert, Calif., who was then California's Commissioner of Corporations. "It almost seemed as if anyone who managed to open one restaurant or service business decided to franchise it. Of course, most of them failed."

Of these, a chain of fried-chicken restaurants named for Minnie Pearl caused the greatest scandal. Promoters had used the country singer's name to sell area franchise agreements, then reported millions in uncollected fees as revenue to drive up their stock price. The scheme collapsed into a mess of bankruptcies and lawsuits.

My father--quite the Minnie Pearl fan--took me to a Minnie Pearl's in Dayton in the late sixties. I don't remember what I thought of the food but I usually love any fried chicken. Is there really still one out there--Bedford, VA or wherever?

We had one here in the early 70's. (North Carolina). I remember it was while I was in College and we would go there for lunch a lot. It wasn't here many years but I do remember it as being pretty good.
There is a used furniture store in that building now though.

There were several Minnie Pearl Fried Chicken restaurants in Mississippi. Two that I can remember were in Jackson, and one was in Hattiesburg.

The two in Jackson were on Highway 51 South near the Jackson Square Shopping Center (across the highway from the Alta Woods neighborhood) and on Ellis Avenue next to the new (then) Krystal.

The one in Hattiesburg was on Highway 49 - just south of Hardy Street - on the west side of the highway on a frontage road.


What I recall about the food was that Minnie Pearl's gave packets of honey to go with the rolls. This was before the chicken places went into the biscuit business. The poster above was also correct in that packets of wet napkins were also found in the boxes.

On the boxes themselves was a brief biography of Miss Minnie Pearl.


The building on Highway 51 was torn down. There is a paint store there now - the store may not be on the exact site of the Minnie Pearl's restaurant - but it is near there.

The other two Minnie Pearl restaurants were both turned into record stores.

Capitol Music (which was located on Amite Street in downtown Jackson) bought the building and opened its second location there. (Later, Capital Music was to open additional locations at Highland Village and at Rankin Square).

In 1972, Ken Clements, Ltd. (originally on Old Canton Road) opened its second tuxedo rental business there. The tuxedo side of the business was called "The Groom's Corner."

Later, that location was closed and Ken Clements, Ltd. moved down the street to the Old Canton Plaza shopping center (near the Balcolny or possibly in the same location).


A sewing machine store opened in the building.

Capitol Music stayed in the builing throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s. Around the early 1980s, Capitol Music lost its lease for its downtown business, and the one on Ellis Avenue was the only Capitol Music left. That building was sold to another fast food franchise - which turned out to be a Mrs. Winner's Chicken.

Capitol Music closed its door, and the building was demolished in order to build the Mrs. Winners. That company had three locations in Jackson - but they only stayed in business here for about eighteen months.

The Mrs. Winners building on Ellis Avenue is now a seafood restaurant operated by some very nice Vietnamese imigrants.

The Minnie Pearl's Fried Chicken locations DID have an unusual design - and they can be spotted from a long way. The Capitol Music used the kitchen to sell the records. The front area was not used, and it was particianed off half-way for the tuxedo business and the sewing machine business. There remained the "window" from which the chicken was passed through to the people at the cash registers.


The Minnie Pearl's Chicken in Hattiesburg was also turned into a record store. I am not sure if it is still standing or not.

My father owned a Minnie Pearl Fried Chicken in about 1968, 1969. It was in Jackson, TN. It didn't last long and he had to take an insurance position in Nashville. I have a foggy memory of the restaurant. Many years later, my mother showed it to me. It was a Po Folks for a while in the 80's. Not sure what it is now.

quote:

Originally posted by scarlett_ohara

My father owned a Minnie Pearl Fried Chicken in about 1968, 1969. It was in Jackson, TN. It didn't last long and he had to take an insurance position in Nashville. I have a foggy memory of the restaurant. Many years later, my mother showed it to me. It was a Po Folks for a while in the 80's. Not sure what it is now.

Former poster Ashley Wilkes really ought to be responding to this one.

Too bad Marjorie Main never started a fried Chicken Chain. She might have obtained the trademark to Ma & Pa Kettles and called it that. I'd try it. At least once. "Pa, get out here...we got us customers!"

Incidentally, there is a rather good breakfast chain in Colorado called "The Egg and I" which is named after the first film (1947) where Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride appear as Ma and Pa Kettle in the Fred MacMurray, Claudette Colbert-starrer.
The Bear

I just wonder if Cousin Minnie's places didn't have some financial backing from others associated with the Grand Ole Opry; e.g., Roy Acuff, WSM/National Life and Accident Insurance Co. Perhaps if some Nashville-area Roadfooders might shed some light on the who's who of country music and fried chicken--I believe other stars like Eddy Arnold and Tennessee Ernie Ford got into fast food for a spell during the period we're talking about.

"Cousin Minnie Pearl" was the stage name of Sarah Cannon, who in real life was a Nashville society woman, married to a quite wealthy man, so initially this was an investment for her, I'm sure. As an earlier post intimated, franchising attracted some fairly shady operators back then, and I am sure neither she nor her agents knew what sharks swam in that ocean, if you will. Mrs. Cannon died about 12 years ago, while still a member of the famed radio show. Actually, she only did a comedy routine during the Opry; she never sang as such.

Also, to the previous post, "The Egg and I" wound up becoming an early TV (and probably radio) soap opera--a bit of completely useless trivia for you.

One quick follow up: While posting on a forum about the Mahalia Jackson (Gospel singer) chicken chain, I found out some info about one of the Nashville backers of Minnie Pearl's chicken; find it this address (cut and paste into browser):
http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section=10&screen=news&news_id=4097

quote:

Originally posted by okc_rn

Have not seen this one mentioned. Does anyone else remember Minnie Pearls fried chicken. Back in 67 or 68, there were a few in the Oklahoma city area. They had a unique design for their buildings which where decorated with yellow and white. Seems like they had little white daisy's or somthing.

The chicken as I recall, was not bad and they gave you a little packet that had a moist napkin enclosed.

While looking the chain up on the internet, evidently the chain was a franchise scam and it thought of as the way NOT to do things.

Anyone else have memories of the place?

I remember that it started/opened up stores about the same time as the Johnny Carosn and the Roy Roger's places did!!!

A little more research on this topic, (and a few years after the original post) shows the reasons for the downfall of Minnie Pearl's fried chicken was not so neferious after all:

http://www.franchisetimes.com/content/story.php?article=00401

Interesting article.

I wonder what happened to the recipe for the chicken. It would be interesting to see what it tastes like, and I am sure no one is using it commercially these days!

Hello all. There is not a Minnie Pearl chicken place in Bedford,Va anymore. I have lived in nearby Lynchburg, Va and since that time there has never been one located in Bedford. If you are ever in the Lynchburg area however I can recommend Moore's Country Store for their unique and delicious hot dogs, The Texas Tavern or (tea room) for a cheesy western ( cheeseburger with fried egg on top) and The Country Kitchen for some down home cooking.

quote:

Originally posted by okc_rn

A little more research on this topic, (and a few years after the original post) shows the reasons for the downfall of Minnie Pearl's fried chicken was not so neferious after all:

http://www.franchisetimes.com/content/story.php?article=00401

Interesting article.

I wonder what happened to the recipe for the chicken. It would be interesting to see what it tastes like, and I am sure no one is using it commercially these days!

I wouldn't really trust the articles since it contains many errors including:
*Col Harlan Sanders was a colonel in the US Army--Not! He rose to the rank of private. He was a Kentucky "colonel".
*John Y Brown, Jr, the son of a former Kentucky governor--Not! He was a former Kentucky governor.

There was 2 Minnie PeARLS chicken places in Syracuse NY
in the late 60's.
One was located at Butternut and Lodi sts. and was
converted to a KFC. The other was on rt. 11 in N.
Syracuse and is now a car sales place.

quote:

Originally posted by CENTRALVA
Hello all. There is not a Minnie Pearl chicken place in Bedford,Va anymore. I have lived in nearby Lynchburg, Va and since that time there has never been one located in Bedford. If you are ever in the Lynchburg area however I can recommend Moore's Country Store for their unique and delicious hot dogs, The Texas Tavern or (tea room) for a cheesy western ( cheeseburger with fried egg on top) and The Country Kitchen for some down home cooking.

CentralVa,
Thanks for your suggestions on Lynchburg eats. The idea that the last remaining Minnie Pearl's Chicken was in Bedford came from the guy who ran the last one in Nashville, out on Dickerson Pike.
I've heard of The Texas Tavern and would love to try it someday. When I was in Lynchburg, I ate at a nice little BBQ place out in Madison Heights, right on U. S. 29. (After I ate, I found a great rockabilly record in the Goodwill Industries store up the street, too.)
Many Pearls (Of Wisdom) To You, Ort. Carlton in Opuncentric Athens, Georgia.

Dearfolk,
Now -- the $64,000 Question -- is there a Minnie Pearl's left anywhere?
On another tack, there apparently still is just one location of Mahalia Jackson's Glori-Fried Chicken open in Nashville -- it's on Buchanan Street just off Clarksville Pike (this is old U. S. 41) near Tennessee State University. It was still there as of 2006, run by the original 83-year-old franchisee and doing a fine business.
Not Playing Chicken, Ort. Carlton in Daring-Dew Athens, Georgia.

Back in the 1960's in Moline, Illinois, we had a KFC and a Minnie Pearl's Chicken. Sadly, the Colonel won in the end. I was a strange kid that loved chicken livers (still do). Minnie Pearl sold fried livers any day of the week...KFC sold them only on Tuesdays in our town.

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