Lawsuits

Kennedy Fried Chicken Doesn’t Want You Imitating It, But Here’s How

Photo: Daniel Maurer

In our history of restaurant rip-off lawsuits, we noted that Kentucky Fried Chicken sued Kennedy Fried Chicken in 1990, and now a Times piece about the proliferation of local Afghan-owned chicken joints (there are as many as 350 of them!) says that a Queens man, Abdul Haye, is demanding that his “imitators” pay franchising fees or face legal action, since he’s the one who trademarked the name Kennedy Fried Chicken and “their poor-quality chicken is going to kill my reputation.” (There’s no doubt the chain’s reputation sucks— our search of health department records reveals that no less than three Kennedy locations have been shut down this year, with 40, 66, and 68 demerits.) Problem is, Haye isn’t even the guy who started the chain: That would be Zia Taeb, a Kabul immigrant who opened the first Kennedy Fried Chicken in 1975, on Nostrand Avenue in Flatbush. Oh, and here’s the funny part: The Times photographs Haye in his kitchen, so anyone looking to rip him off can see that he uses Texas Chicken bread crumbs from Nice Blends in Hempstead, available at Restaurant Depot. Here’s the recipe Nice Blends features on its site.

Texas Breading® Original Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: Drop moist chicken pieces into breading and toss to coat evenly dusting off excess flour.
Step 2: Place chicken in single layer on cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes up 4 hours.
Step 3: Drop into pressure fryer at 340 degrees for 11 minutes or open fryer at 350 degrees for 14 minutes.

Have at it. These chicken chains are pretty profitable!

A Chicken War in New York, Where Afghans Rule the Roost [NYT]

Kennedy Fried Chicken Doesn’t Want You Imitating It, But Here’s How