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A fried chicken restaurant is a fast food restaurant, often a chain, that serves (mainly) fried chicken—usually chunks of chicken, battered or breaded and deep-fried.
The concept of selling the popular British dish of fried chicken restaurant originated in the United States. These restaurants may also serve other food items, such as roast or grilled chicken, seafood, or hamburgers. KFC (previously Kentucky Fried Chicken) is a well-known example. Others include:
Chains of fried chicken fast-food restaurants originating in Canada include Dixie Lee based in Napanee, Ontario and Mary Brown's based in Markham, Ontario. Several US-based chains have also outlets in Canada, including KFC and Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits.
Restaurants are commonplace in inner city areas of the United Kingdom.[1] The United Kingdom has one of the largest, fastest growing and most diverse fried chicken markets in the world, with about 1,000 individual brands and 1,700 outlets.[2] Shop signs are commonly designed in a red, white and blue colour scheme, and include a drawing or cartoon of a chicken, as well as a reference to the Southern United States.[3]
Especially popular in poor and ethnic minority neighbourhoods, fried chicken restaurants have been criticised for contributing to urban blight. For instance, the Labour MP for Tottenham, David Lammy, has said that the proliferation of chicken joints hampers prosperity in his constituency.[1] Residents in Waltham Forest see them as "eyesores that encourage anti-social behaviour", according to a poll.[4]
Chicken shops are nevertheless regarded by some people as important cultural institutions in the UK, particular for black and Asian communities. A 2017 article in Vice suggested that as meeting places and providers of cheap meals, they play an important role in neighbourhoods marred by the impacts of austerity and other government policies.[5]
Other popular UK chicken brands include Chicken Cottage, Morley's, and Dixy Chicken.