Golden Skillet is a fast-food chain that mainly sells fried chicken originating in Richmond, Virginia. [1] The first Golden Skillet chicken was sold in 1963 at the downtown Richmond department store Thalhimer's. [1] The fried chicken recipe was created by Clifton W. Guthrie, the original owner and founder of Golden Skillet.
The slogan for the chain was "Tender as Quail! Tasty as Pheasant!" [2] While the recipe was not officially published, it is known that the fried chicken was cooked in special pressure-cookers and with specific breading. [1]
In 1963, a vice president of a Thalhimers grocery store tasted Guthrie's chicken at a banquet and shortly after, it was sold at the Thalhimers' restaurant. [1]
Eventually, in Richmond, the first freestanding location opened in 1968. [1] By October 2, 1981, Guthrie's death, the chain had grown to 16 company-owned locations and 180 franchises worldwide. [1] It had affiliate firms with Puerto Rico, Canada, and Japan. [1] [3] [4] As of April 2024, the company operates 10 locations in Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia.
Golden Skillet would be sold to American chain Dairy Queen sometime in the 1980s after Guthrie's death. [5]
Some locations of the franchise include Sandston, Virginia, [6] Plymouth, North Carolina, [7] Henderson, North Carolina, [8] Ahoskie, North Carolina, [9] Danville, Virginia, [10] Petersburg, Virginia, [11] and Richmond, Virginia. [12] [13]
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