Pioneer Chicken

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Pioneer Chicken was originally a Southern California fast-food restaurant specializing in chicken. It operated in California and elsewhere. The chain is now defunct in the United States, although some few franchises still exist; one exists in Bell Gardens, California, one in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California, Santa Monica has one, there is one on Soto St. in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles, one on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, one on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park, CA (the chain's original restaurant) and another remains at the intersection of Olympic Blvd. and San Vicente near Miracle Mile. During the 1980s, Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn used to advertise for the restaurant.

It was named after Pioneer Market, a now-defunct small chain of supermarkets in Los Angeles. The original location in Echo Park was located next to Pioneer Market's original store (which is now a Walgreen's) on Echo Park Avenue and Sunset Boulevard. Due to considerable redevelopment activity in the neighborhood due to gentrification, the long-term future of this restaurant is in doubt although it continues to operate as of November 2006.

Today the restaurant company with rights to the name "Pioneer Chicken"--with stores located in China--is known as "California Chicken" because the Chinese there tend to pronounce "Pioneer" in a way which is socially undesirable in Chinese society. The chicken is still being sold with the same recipe, but a different name, and an altogether different country.

Beginning in 2002, the Pioneer Chicken located on Olympic Blvd. has become the official restaurant of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, catering to those who flock to Los Angeles yearly for a heaping dose of video game goodness.

Current locations:

Bell Gardens M-Su: 1100-2145 6323 Florence Ave (at Garfield) Bell Gardens, CA 90201-4731 (562) 927-9135

Boyle Heights M-Su: 1000-2100 904 S Soto St (at Whitter) Los Angeles, CA 90023-1323 (323) 262-4562

Echo Park M-Sa: 0900-2300 Su: 0900-2200 1321 Echo Park Ave (at Sunset) Los Angeles, CA 90026-3317 (213) 481-1232

Miracle Mile (could not contact to verify) M-Su: ? 5970 West Olympic Blvd (at San Vincente) Los Angeles, CA 90036-4610 (323) 954-0454

Silver Lake M-Su: 0800-0000 4376 West Sunset Blvd (at Fountain) Los Angeles, CA 90029-2155 (323) 663-2441