Kennedy Fried Chicken - History

History

Kennedy Fried Chicken was founded in 1975 with its first restaurant on Nostrand Avenue in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. There is a dispute among the people involved in the business over who is the actual founder. Some claim that it is Abdul Karim while others say Taeb Zia was the early founder. Zia, an Afghan immigrant originally from Kabul, Afghanistan, is known by some as Zia Chicken or "Lau Chicken" and is regarded as the father of Kennedy Fried Chicken. He immigrated to the United States in 1972 and began working at a fast food restaurant by the name of Kansas Fried Chicken, which was owned by Afro-Americans at the time. Prior to that he was studying engineering in Baku, Azerbaijan. After spending about three years learning how to run a fast food business, he decided to open his own fried chicken restaurant.

"Then I saw I could do chicken just as well and 15 to 20 percent cheaper with my own recipe and spices." —Taeb Zia

Kennedy Fried Chicken was named after U.S. President John F. Kennedy, "because Afghans are fond of the former president." During the 1980s and 90s, many of the same restaurants have opened across New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland and several other states. Some of these chicken outlets have even opened in the West Coast, in California. Their total number is roughly estimated to be approximately 1,000.

Read more about this topic:  Kennedy Fried Chicken

Famous quotes containing the word history:

    “The history of this country was made largely by people who wanted to be left alone. Those who could not thrive when left to themselves never felt at ease in America.”
    —Eric Hoffer (1902–1983)

    “The whole history of civilisation is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first, and deadly afterwards.”
    —Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)

    “It is true that this man was nothing but an elemental force in motion, directed and rendered more effective by extreme cunning and by a relentless tactical clairvoyance .... Hitler was history in its purest form.”
    —Albert Camus (1913–1960)