Harold's Chicken Shack
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | 1950 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
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Key people
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Harold Pierce (founder) |
| Products | Fried chicken |
Harold's Chicken Shack (also referred to as The Fried Chicken King,Harold's Chicken, or simply Harold's) is a chain of fried chicken restaurants located primarily in Chicago, Illinois particularly on its South Side. Harold's has been a Chicago South Side institution for many years and is known for its uniquely prepared chicken. There are dozens of "shacks" on Chicago's South Side, several on the West Side and a few on the North Side. Harold's Chicken is also available in Northwest Indiana, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, and Momence, Illinois on Route 1.
Harold Pierce, an African-American Chicago entrepreneur, and his wife, Hilda, founded the restaurant in 1950 as a small operation on 39th Street. The name of the restaurant was H&H, and they specialized in dumplings and chicken feet, both common soul foods. Gene Rosen, a friend who owned a poultry shop nearby, supplied chicken to Pierce. The character of Harold's developed primarily out of necessity, because the larger fast food chains tended to avoid African-American neighborhoods. In turn, Chicago's legal and social obstacles to black-owned businesses at the time prevented Harold's from expanding into downtown or the North Side. Harold's became one of the few examples of a thriving fast food chain that was owned by, and primarily served, the black community.
The basic Harold's Chicken Shack dinner is a half or quarter chicken served with french fries, two pieces of white bread, and a cup of cole slaw. The chicken may be all white meat, all dark meat, or a mix (known as regular). Harold's also sells wing dinners, livers, and gizzards, and some restaurants offer catfish, perch, and a number of side items including fried okra. The chicken can be served plain, but usually either hot or mild sauce is added. In Chicago-styled fried chicken, the sauce is drizzled over the chicken and fries which results in the chicken skin softening as it soaks up the sauce.
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Wikipedia