Harold's Chicken Shack
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Casual dining Take out |
| Founded | 1950[1] |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
Key people | Harold Pierce (founder) |
| Products | Fried chicken Seafood |
| Owner | Kristen Pierce |
Number of employees | over 3,000 |
| Website | http://haroldschickenonline.com/ |
Harold's Chicken (also referred to as Harold's Chicken Shack) or simply Harold's) is a popular fried chicken restaurant based in Chicago, Illinois. The chain operates primarily in Chicago's predominantly black south side and south suburbs, but has additional locations in Peoria, Illinois, Northwest Indiana; Indianapolis, Indiana; Phoenix, Arizona; Atlanta, Georgia; and Los Angeles, California.[2]
History
Harold Pierce, an African-American Chicago entrepreneur, founded the restaurant in 1950 as a small operation on 39th Street. The name of the first restaurant was H&H (Harold&Hilda), and they specialized in dumplings and chicken feet, both common soul foods.[3]
Location
Harold's Chicken Shack located primarily in Chicago, Illinois with 40 locations across the city particularly on its South Side. 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.[4]
Connection to culture
Harold's Chicken Shack is a notable part of the culture of Chicago's South Side. The restaurant is often alluded to by the hip-hop community. The chain has been referenced by Kanye West, Common, Rhymefest, JUICE, G Herbo, Chance the Rapper, Freddie Gibbs, Lupe Fiasco and Dreezy. Rapper Wale stated in the song That Way, that Harold's Chicken was overrated. Top Dawg Entertainment rapper Kendrick Lamar mentioned Harold's Chicken in Fredo Santana's song, "Jealous", in which Lamar is featured, where he claimed he loved it so much he flew a private jet there straight from Rome.[5]
In a November 2008 60 Minutes interview, former President Barack Obama mentions his first days of dating Michelle Obama and the "dumpy apartment" he lived in near Harold's Chicken Shack in the early 1990s.[6]
Harold's has been shown in a scene on the television show South Side, as well as part of the music video for BJ The Chicago Kid's "It's True". Harold's is also shown next to the bar visited early in the movie Weird Science.
See also
References
- ^ "The First Family of Fried Chicken" (PDF). Chicago Reader. 14 April 2006. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
- ^ http://www.haroldschickenscorp.com/
- ^ Cooley, Will. "Moving On Out: Black Pioneering in Chicago, 1915-1950". Journal of Urban History. 36:4 (July 2010): 485–506.
- ^ "Harold's Chicken". haroldschickenonline.com. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2018/02/07/lupe-fiascos-harolds-builds-on-chicago-hip-hops-historical-connection-to-the-fried-chicken-chain
- ^ https://newrepublic.com/article/46064/obama-quot60-minutesquot
Further reading
- Chang, Bryan. "Chicken Wings: Hyde Park Vs Evanston"[permanent dead link]. Chicago Business 3 March 2005. Last accessed 20 November 2006.
- "Harold Pierce, 70, founder of Harold's Chicken Shacks". Chicago Sun-Times 11 March 1988.
- Heise, Kenan. "Chicken King Harold P. Pierce, 70". Chicago Tribune 11 March 1988. Abstract accessed 20 November 2006.
- Sula, Mike. "The First Family of Fried". The Chicago Reader 14 April 2006. Last accessed on 20 November 2006.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20120928192624/http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/37589594.html
- Spivak, Caleb J. "Harold's Chicken and Ice Bar coming to Atlanta June 25" 14 June 2012.
- “Hyde Park Harold's.” The Chicago Maroon, www.chicagomaroon.com/2012/05/03/hyde-park-harolds/.
- "https://www.haroldschickendowntown.com/menu"
