Reviving California's most iconic fried chicken chain

[desertrunner]

Hope they succeed and go big.

Meet the sister and brother reviving California's most iconic fried chicken chain

After the parent company filed for bankruptcy in 1988, the parent company of Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken & Biscuits bought it and turned most of the locations into purveyors of popcorn chicken. Now only two Los Angeles County outposts of Pioneer Chicken remain today, one in the Boyle Heights neighborhood and another in Bell Gardens.

Sister-and-brother team Val and Ernesto Aguirre, who are 22 and 19 respectively, are the grandkids of the Boyle Heights franchisee. Their grandfather, now in his late sixties, retired in 2021 and turned over operations to Val and Ernesto’s parents. The grandkids quickly became involved as brand directors intent on growing the brand’s presence in Los Angeles through social media and in-person events.

[tgull]

This is another very odd post from you. I'll take the bait in the fact there is not enough room for another greasy fried chicken place. KFC, Popeyes, Chruches, etc.. The fucking market is saturated. I walked into Popeyes the other day because I needed something quick. 11am and place was a ghost town and the cashier was picking her zits not joking. I just left and went to a gas station and got one of those sandwiches in the cooler.

[Dan Druff]

This doesn't mean much to people outside of southern California, or even to young people in SoCal.

Pioneer Chicken was a well known brand in the LA area in the '70s and '80s, and then it just ... vanished. It's one of those things you don't think about, but instantly recognize when it is brought up.

This article is about two locations which have survived the conversion of most of the other stores to Popeye's, and the attempt to bring it back to prominence. I'd like to see it happen, but it probably won't. It's tough to unring that bell after everyone forgot about it and moved on.

Pioneer Chicken was the background business in De Barge's "Rhythm of the Night" video from the 2:15 mark on:





It also briefly made it into the Full House intro, at the 0:19 mark, even though the sitcom was supposed to take place in San Francisco, where Pioneer did not exist:





Maybe I'll stop by next time I'm at the Bike, which is in Bell Gardens, and happens to be the city where one of the remaining locations exists.

[Pablo]

are you trying to convince me that Rhythm of the night is not a Gloria Estefan song? I have believed that for too long to think otherwise.

[desertrunner]

Another So Cal chick place that has downsized over the last 20 years. They has 1-2 Las Vegas locations, but those are now closed.

[Texter]

Another So Cal chick place that has downsized over the last 20 years. They has 1-2 Las Vegas locations, but those are now closed.

Hoochie Coochie