Aunt Jenny's Chicken at the Hoop – October 1962

Franchised chicken dinners have been around ever since the idea was hatched in the 1930s.

I've written about many of them on this blog, including Kentucky Fried Chicken, Chicken Delight, Henry Penny Chicken, Chicken in the Rough and Minnie Pearl's Chicken.

As you can see, some of them were standalone stores; others were simply a menu item for which a restaurant had exclusive rights in an established territory. Kentucky Fried Chicken started out locally as something offered by Kenny King's, before spreading its wings and opening its own outlets.

Well, here's another licensed chicken dinner franchise that was forced to roost on a menu alongside other non-poultry offerings. Aunt Jenny's Country Fried Chicken – "The World's Finest Eatin' Chicken" – was served up by Richard Head's Hoop Restaurant.

Below is the ad that ran in the Journal back on October 19, 1962.

It's funny how chicken dominates the ad, reflecting its growing popularity in the early 1960s. Even the Hoop's Superhooper double-decker hamburger is relegated to a spot in the lower right hand corner.

There's not a lot of information online about Aunt Jenny or her chicken. Besides the Hoop, it was also offered locally at the Town Crier Inn.

That makes sense. Back on this post entitled "The Restaurants of Richard W. Head," his son noted that his father founded both the Hoop Restaurants and the Town Crier Inn.