Chicken in the Rough, also known as Beverly's Chicken in the Rough, is a fried chicken

restaurant chain A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate the retail and dining markets and many service categories, in many pa ...

and former

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

. It was one of the earliest restaurant chain franchises in the United States. Chicken in the Rough was founded by Beverly and Rubye Osborne in 1936 in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, and the restaurant's specialty, half a

fried chicken Fried chicken, also known as Southern fried chicken, is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been coated with seasoned flour or batter and pan-fried, deep fried, pressure fried, or air fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or ...

dish, was also created in 1936. The dish itself was also referred to as "Chicken in the Rough", and consisted of half a fried chicken,

shoestring potatoes French fries (North American English), chips (British English), finger chips ( Indian English), french-fried potatoes, or simply fries, are '' batonnet'' or ''allumette''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin from Belgium and France. Th ...

and a

biscuit A biscuit is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. In most countries biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be ...

with honey. Three restaurants presently serve the dish today, located in Oklahoma City,

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

and Canadian neighbor Sarnia, Ontario. The chain's logo was an image of a rooster smoking a cigar and carrying a golf club. The chain also used a logo of "Chicken's Caddie", which depicted a chick acting as a golf

caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is the person who carries a player's bag and clubs, and gives the player advice and moral support. Description A good caddie is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the ...

, stating "I'll gladly be fried for Chicken in the Rough".

History

The restaurant's name was devised on a cancelled 1936 road trip to California, in which Beverly spilled a

picnic basket A picnic basket or picnic hamper is a basket intended to hold food and tableware for a picnic meal. Picnic baskets are standard equipment at many picnics. A traditional picnic hamper is made of woven wicker. While the basic concept of a picnic ...

of chicken after Rubye hit a bump in the road while driving on the Oklahoma

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

. Rubye remarked something to the effect of "This is really chicken in the rough". After this occurred, they turned around and headed back to Oklahoma City. Another notion is that the name was devised on a family picnic "where silverware had been forgotten", and that the consumption of the chicken without silverware constituted eating it "in the rough", using one's hands. However, the official website of the chain states that the former occurred. Beverly's Pancake Corner in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, now called Beverly's Pancake House, has been described as the "home base" of Chicken in the Rough. Two additional restaurant locations presently serve the dish. The half-chicken dish continued to be served at Beverly's Pancake House, where it's prepared according to its original recipe. The first standalone Chicken in the Rough restaurant was opened on

U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

at 2429 North Lincoln in 1936, and was initially a small

drive-in A drive-in is a facility (such as a restaurant or movie theater) where one can drive in with an automobile for service. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by staff who walk or rollerskat ...

restaurant with nine stools and four booths. The restaurant was significantly expanded to seat 1,100 people, and became a place that was visited by travelers, film stars and state executives. Celebrities who were friends with the Osbornes and patrons of Beverly's Pancake Corner restaurants include

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...

and

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

. Beverly's Pancake House has a framed black-and-white photo on a wall showing Hope with a birthday cake that the restaurant made him one year. In 1961, the building was demolished, and the state capitol complex was then constructed there. The Flame Restaurant - Chicken in the Rough - Key West FL 1956

The Flame Restaurant - Chicken in the Rough - Key West FL 1956

Expansion

Chicken in the Rough was the first nationally franchised

in the United States. In 1937, the chain had locations on

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

in the U.S. states of Arizona, Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois. In 1949, an extraordinary grill was designed that simultaneously fried and steamed chicken, after which time franchising began. During its heyday, the chain had seven locations in Oklahoma City and nearly 300 franchise locations, including franchises in South Africa and Hawaii. In the 1960s, after the franchise was sold to an investor group, 68 franchises remained. In 1974 Osborne's partner, Randy Shaw, purchased the restaurant chain.

Today

Two restaurants continue to serve the dish: one restaurant in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada and one in Port Huron, Michigan. The dish is presently prepared with a unique breading and preparation method, and cooked in a deep fryer. Patrons of Beverly's Pancake Corner from the times of their youth continue to eat at the restaurant, which has included some who remember the first day it opened. When the Beverly's Pancake Corner location at Northwest Expressway and Pennsylvania in Oklahoma City, where it existed since 1956, was razed in 2008, people took pieces of concrete and bricks from the building as mementos.

References

External links

* {{official, http://chickenintherough.com/index.htm Fast-food chains of the United States 1936 establishments in Oklahoma Fast-food poultry restaurants Chicken chains of the United States American companies established in 1936

History

Expansion

Today

See also

References

Further reading

External links