The History of Church's Chicken

The history of Church's Chicken helps to explain the spunky personality found in this restaurant chain today. You can go to a variety of places to eat fried chicken, but Church's prides itself as an original in the days when most fast food came in the form of burgers, hot dogs and ice cream. The restaurant continues to enjoy great popularity in various regions.

Small Beginnings

George W. Church Sr. was a retired poultry incubator salesman living in San Antonio, Texas, in the 1950s. Having more than 20 years of experience in the poultry industry, he wondered if there was a market for freshly cooked chicken with home-cooked quality but provided in a fast food environment. Confident that there was in fact such a demand, in 1952 Church experimented with his first fried chicken stand in San Antonio. Since his small, walk-up business was situated directly across from the Alamo, he had heavy customer foot traffic and the restaurant earned commercial buzz with only fried chicken on the menu. In 1955, he added the side dishes French fries and jalapenos, which were also a hit.
Church died a year later in 1956, however there were already four Church's Chicken locations by then, and other members of his family stepped up to expand his dream. By 1962 the company had grown to eight locations in San Antonio.

Family Expansion

Church's son, "Bill" Church Jr., took over as chief operator of the business in 1962. Bill and his older brother perfected a marinating formula for the chicken in 1965 that allowed it to be cooked anywhere in the world while maintaining quality. With his father's economic success having laid the foundation for future expansion, Church's became a nationwide enterprise, continuing to serve delicious fried chicken at a reasonable price.

The Legacy Continues

Church's Chicken opened five additional locations in cities across Texas in 1967, and it debuted as a public company in 1969. By the end of 1969 there were over 100 locations in seven states. In the 1970s, another 387 restaurants opened, and soon there were 487 locations in 22 states, bringing in more than $100 million total revenues for what was once a small, family owned establishment.

Church's Chicken restaurants now have locations abroad, specifically in Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and Indonesia. The company has gone through many transformations, merging with Popeye's Chicken in 1989, and in 1992 being acquired by America's Favorite Chicken Company (AFC). In 2004, Church's Chicken decided to be independent once again. It was privately purchased and it is estimated there will be 2,500 total locations by the year 2010.

Recipe for Success

The secret to Church's success? Sticking with a basic formula--a simple, limited menu that allows the chain's cooks and servers to be good at everything that comes out of the kitchen, rather than expanding rapidly and risking mediocre food. Limited side dish menu items include fried okra, coleslaw and mashed potatoes. Church's Chicken remains a purist, providing customers with high quality and a small focus. It seems to work well for the company, as they remain one of the most successful chicken restaurant chains.

Church's Chicken Franchises

With over 55 years of experience and thousands of locations all over the world, owning a Church's Chicken franchise can be a great investment. All franchising information can be found through the company's official website, but here are a few of the requirements for ownership:

*$1 million net worth and the ability to franchise a minimum of three restaurants
*Ability to pay approximately $25,000 per restaurant to cover franchise and development costs
*At least a minimal background in franchising and restaurant management

As Church's states on its franchising website, "The sky's the limit!" You never know--you just may be part of the future history of this prolific company.