This Major Fried Chicken Chain That Thrived In The '80s Only Has 2 Locations Left

From craving the 1980s McDonald's menu item you had to assemble yourself to searching for vintage fast food memorabilia, nostalgia can take many forms. But what if you want to literally taste an old-school fast food treat? Well, one fried chicken chain that thrived in the 1970s and 1980s, Pioneer Chicken, still has two locations where you can do just that. While this chain, which originated in California, has declined precipitously from its heights in the late 20th century, there are still two locations in business where you can try its famous Pioneer Strips, fish and chips, and more.

This fried chicken chain, which at its peak boasted around 270 locations, was iconic, both for its crispy fried dishes and its celebrity-studded advertising. Over its lifetime, Pioneer Chicken would feature partnerships with sports icons Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Muhammad Ali, and it would even be seen in the opening of the sitcom "Full House." This clever marketing was just one reason that Pioneer Chicken is considered a fast food icon even today, with many from Los Angeles, the city it was founded in, harboring particular nostalgia for Pioneer Chicken as part of the city's history.

The rise and fall of the Pioneer Chicken empire was a complicated story that started with the chain's founding in 1961. It was founded by Rick Kaufman and named for its original location, which was next to Pioneer Market in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Pioneer Chicken expanded across the West Coast, with locations as far away as Hawai'i.

Unfortunately, the company faced financial and management troubles in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it was eventually purchased by a larger company. The vast majority of Pioneer Chicken franchises closed or were converted into other fast food outlets, including Popeyes and Taco Bell competitor Del Taco.

However, two California locations, in Boyle Heights and Bell Gardens, remain open and have impressive 4.2- and 3.9-star rankings on Yelp, respectively. Meanwhile, Pioneer Chicken has been using social media-powered nostalgia to stage a 2020s comeback. The brand has collaborated with a variety of food influencers and even served as an official vendor at 2025's Tenderfest chicken tender festival.