FOOD NEWS
The Fried Chicken Chain That Inspired The Creation Of Zaxby's
By Camryn Teder
Opening in 1990, Zaxby's was one of the first casual chicken tender restaurants, sharing a similar concept with its sister chains like Chick-fil-A or Raising Cane's — the latter of which opened in 1996. However, before Zaxby's became nationally known, there was one chicken tender restaurant that would later inspire the chicken restaurant we love today.
Zaxby's was inspired by the first-ever chicken-exclusive restaurant, Guthrie's, which nixed burgers from its menu in 1982. Although Guthrie's opened its doors in 1955 in Haleyville, Alabama, it decided to go the chicken-fingers-only route after discovering chicken fingers accounted for over 60% of its sales.
Later, when Guthrie's opened up a second location in Auburn, the chicken options multiplied, and the beef was thrown out. To this day, Guthrie's continues to sell its chicken tenders, fries, toast, and boxed meals, just like Zaxby's does.