Chester’s International, based in Birmingham, Alabama, is the fifth-largest fried chicken quick-service restaurant in the U.S. with more than 1,800 locations and operations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Bolivia, Central America, Europe, and Canada.
W.O. Giles founded Chester’s in October 1965 and adopted Chester the Chicken as the emerging foodservice company’s mascot, named for the Chester Goode character on Gunsmoke, a favorite TV show of Giles.
Today, Chester’s is predominately found as a foodservice offering in convenience stores and travel plazas across the country, such as Pilot Flying J[1], Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, and TravelCenters of America. Many such locations are cobranded with Subway, though this is strictly with the franchisee; Doctor's Associates, Inc. (the parent company of Subway) has no corporate ties with Chester's International.
The company began franchising its concept in July 2004 and has grown to in-line locations in shopping plazas and mall food courts.