Coon Chicken Inn

Last updated
Coon Chicken Inn
IndustryRestaurant
Founded1925;99 years ago (1925) in Salt Lake City
Defunct1957;67 years ago (1957)
FateClosure due to change in popular standards concerning racial intolerance
Number of locations
3 at height (1931–1947)
Key people
Maxon Lester Graham
Products fried chicken

Coon Chicken Inn was an American chain of three restaurants that was founded by Maxon Lester Graham and Adelaide Burt in 1925, [1] which prospered until the late 1950s. The restaurant's name contained the word Coon, considered a racial slur, and the trademarks and entrances of the restaurants were designed to look like a smiling caricature of an African American porter. The smiling capped porter head also appeared on menus, dishes, and promotional items. Due to changes in popular culture and the general consideration of being culturally and racially offensive, the chain was closed by 1957. [2]

Contents

The first Coon Chicken Inn was opened in suburban Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1925. In 1929, another restaurant was opened in then-suburban Lake City, Seattle, [3] and a third was opened in the Hollywood District of Portland, Oregon, in 1931. A fourth location was advertised but never opened in Spokane, Washington. Later, a cabaret, orchestra, and catering were added to the Seattle and Salt Lake restaurants. [4] The Portland location at 5474 NE Sandy Blvd. closed in 1949 and was converted into another restaurant, and is currently the location of Clyde's Prime Rib. [5] The Seattle location also closed in 1949 and is no longer standing. [6] That address at 8500 Lake City Way is now occupied by The Growler Guys restaurant. [6] The Salt Lake City location at 2960 S. (sometimes listed as 2950 S.) Highland Drive closed in 1957 and is now the site of a furniture store. [7]

An antique promotional poster for Coon Chicken Inn featured as a plot device in the 2001 black comedy film Ghost World. [8]

The company plays a role in the alternate history mockumentary C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America from 2004. [9] It is featured in a number of advertisements, and is believed to have heavily outperformed its real life counterpart. It is implied to have replaced McDonald's and KFC as North America's most known fast food establishment.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Station (restaurant)</span> Defunct US based chain of railroad-themed steakhouse restaurants

Victoria Station was a chain of railroad-themed steakhouse restaurants. At the peak of its popularity in the 1970s, the chain had 100 locations in the United States. The firm filed for bankruptcy in 1986. The last remaining restaurant in the former chain was located in Salem, Massachusetts until it abruptly closed in December 2017.

Fred Meyer is an American chain of hypermarket superstores founded in 1922 in Portland, Oregon, United States, by Fred G. Meyer. The stores operate in the northwest U.S., with locations in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska. The company was acquired by Kroger in 1998, though the stores are still branded Fred Meyer. The chain was one of the first in the United States to promote one-stop shopping, eventually combining a complete grocery supermarket with a drugstore, bank, clothing, jewelry, home decor, home improvement, garden, electronics, restaurant, shoes, sporting goods, and toys. The Fred Meyer division is headquartered in Portland.

Coon may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shilo Inns</span>

Shilo Inns is a mid-priced hotel chain operating 14 hotels predominantly on the west coast of the United States, one of the largest independently owned and operated hotel companies in the Western United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Old Spaghetti Factory</span> American casual dining chain

The Old Spaghetti Factory is an Italian-American-style chain restaurant in the United States and Canada. The U.S. restaurants are owned by OSF International, based in Portland, Oregon, while the Canadian restaurants are owned by The Old Spaghetti Factory Canada Ltd. In 2003, the U.S. company had sales of $105 million. As of 2024, the U.S. company has 43 restaurants, in 13 states and Japan. The U.S. firm also operated an Old Spaghetti Factory in Hamburg, Germany, from 1983 to 1993, but this was its only European location.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L&L Hawaiian Barbecue</span> Hawaii-themed franchise restaurant chain

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, known also as L&L Drive-Inn or colloquially as L&L, is the only Hawaii-origin, Hawaii-themed franchise restaurant franchise from Honolulu, Hawaii, centered on the plate lunch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McGrath's Fish House</span>

McGrath's Fish House is a chain of seafood restaurants based in Salem, Oregon. The chain operates two locations in Oregon and Washington, but had as many as 21 in Washington, Arizona, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VIP's (American restaurant)</span>

VIP's, alternatively written Vip's, is a defunct restaurant chain in the Western United States that operated from 1968 until the late 1980s, based in Salem, Oregon. With more than 50 locations, it was once the largest restaurant chain based in Oregon. It was a Denny's-style restaurant, a type that was commonly known at that time as a "coffee shop" but is now more commonly known as a casual dining restaurant. Most restaurants were located near freeways and were open 24 hours. At its peak, the chain had locations in five states: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and northern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dough Zone</span> Chinese restaurant chain

Dough Zone is an American chain of Chinese restaurants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katsu Burger</span> Restaurant chain in the U.S. state of Washington

Katsu Burger is a Japanese-themed burger restaurant chain in the Seattle metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Washington.

References

  1. ↑ "Coon Chicken Inn - The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed". 21 May 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  2. ↑ "The History of Coon Chicken Inn": Ferris State University, Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia Retrieved: 15 June 2020
  3. ↑ "Coon Chicken Inn" . Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  4. ↑ "Jim Crow Museum: Coon Chicken Inn". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  5. ↑ Jab, The (August 27, 2015). "Le Continental - Clyde's Prime Rib, Portland, Oregon".
  6. 1 2 "Coon Chicken Inn (Seattle)". www.historylink.org.
  7. ↑ McFarland, Sheena (January 13, 2015). "Whatever happened to … the chicken restaurant with the racially charged name?". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  8. ↑ "A ghost world of their own". 10 April 2012.
  9. ↑ "C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America". 9 March 2004.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.