This West Coast Chicken Chain Was Everywhere In The '80s — Now Only 2 Remain

Included in our list of once popular '80s fast-food chains we miss, Pioneer Chicken is a legendary chicken restaurant. Founded in California, it debuted in 1961 and hit its peak throughout the '70s and '80s. At one point, the restaurant boasted 270 locations, which were mostly situated on the West Coast. Pioneer Chicken also had quite a bit of star power backing it, with sports legends Muhamad Ali and Kareem Abdul Jabbar appearing in commercials during the chain's heyday. O.J Simpson also appeared in a Pioneer Chicken commercial (but that's not exactly a selling point).

These days, the chain has been whittled down to just two California locations: one in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, while the other is located in Bell Gardens, which is about a 20-minute drive from LA. While the chicken chain doesn't hold the sway it once did, the restaurant is still alive and well on Reddit, where one user commented, "I think Pioneer has the best fried chicken in L.A." Another person said the chain's food was "more flavorful [and] crispier" than what you get at KFC, which is arguably the chain with the worst fried chicken, thanks to a steep quality decline.

Somewhat surprisingly, the Pioneer Chicken chain found new life in Indonesia, though it now goes by a different name. Legend has it that Indonesian students attending the University of Southern California loved the food so much that they established franchises when they headed home. Eventually, these franchises evolved into new proprietary restaurants dubbed California Fried Chicken in honor of the original chain. There are quite a few California Fried Chicken chains throughout Indonesia. According to an online menu, the restaurant offers fried chicken buckets, chicken strips, French fries, rice, onion rings, and more.

As for the chain's decline in the U.S., a bankruptcy filing in 1988 resulted in Popeyes reportedly absorbing most of the remaining Pioneer Chicken locations after acquiring the company in the early 90s. However, the grandchildren of the original franchisee at the helm of the remaining Los Angeles location are aiming to raise the profile of the restaurant via social media. Unlike Pollo Campero, Bonchon, and the other fried chicken chains you'll see more of in 2025, Pioneer Chicken probably won't make a comeback anytime soon. However, we're hopeful that the renewed marketing efforts will get people talking about this LA-based chicken chain again.