MINNIE PEARL'S CHICKEN - Life in America

[@footballlvnlady]

Love these videos! They are so informative and relaxing!

[@fintan3563]

Mennie Pearl - A true American treasure! ❤️❤️❤️

[@joelfrombethlehem]

Yes, she was great.

[@edwardparkhurst9804]

Always have enjoyed your video's, thanks for sharing this. I remember Minnie.

[@Tiffany-vj1tv]

Loved her on Hee Haw ❤️😉thanks for sharing another great video.

[@pamelamays4186]

I'm glad she made a profit off her shares of stock.

[@zabadazidit]

@Dapper Canuck Right on! I'll give you a big HOW-DEE for that!

[@joelfrombethlehem]

I remember Minnie Pearl on "Nashville Now" on TNN (The Nashville Network) telling host Ralph Emery about this business venture not working out as hoped, sometime in the early 80s. I just cannot remember what she said.

[@bostongirlsandy]

I've never heard of Minnie Pearl's Chicken.

[@russburton8517]

Must be a southern thing

[@thegreenbird795]

Me neither but it's mentioned in the classic rock documentary "Gimme Shelter"..lol

[@leedaniels7196]

Me neither but I knew who she was from Hee Haw.

[@k.h.4698]

It never made it up to Massachusetts. It was a Southern/MidWest thing. Doesn’t look like you missed anything.

[@BakedRBeans]

@@russburton8517 They did make it to California very late in the game,1969, but abruptly shut down. One location was about 90% built (it became a real estate office) and another was only about 10% built (it became a car dealership).

[@RichieTrashmouthTozier]

I'm 17 so i wasnt even alive for this but I enjoy the history of the past

[@goodoldbubba6620]

I recall seeing the restaurant sign when I was a kid. I don't remember my family ever eating there. If we tried it, then it must not have been very good.

[@RIXRADvidz]

An American Story with Iconic Characters. It's all very Archetypal It's what Legends are made of, and Minnie Pearl is nothing short of Legendary.

[@luisreyes1963]

A piece of American culture preserved for posterity. A fascinating look at Minnie Pearl's Chicken. 🍗

[@PiNkNeOnz]

Loved it! Thank you.

[@elwin38]

When i was a kid in the 70's, i loved her role on HEE-HAW and i heard about her chicken but we didnt have any of her restaurants in the Memphis area.🤷🏾‍♂️

[@SilverGorilla1776]

Loved Minnie Pearl as a kid in the 70’s. How-Dee! Hee Haw was on at our house every week.

[@nickhill8612]

Wow that's a shame. Take about putting the cart before the horse. I'm glad it didn't ruin Minnie's reputation. She was great.

[@dicebed]

Yah - Minnie Pearl was a big thing in my house - the quintesiential woman, with the fancy hat, but not enough sense to take of the price tag - or maybe, she left it on deliberatly - to show all her girl friends how much she paid for it -

[@nickhill8612]

@@dicebed Haha she left it on purpose IDK just saying Howdy lol

[@steventuck1524]

I grew up in the 60s in the south and I can't believe I've never heard of Minnie pearls chicken! Maybe they should have consulted with colonel Sanders about how to do it...he was such a generous man, I'm sure he would have been glad to advise her!

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Probably wouldn't have hurt.

[@avg1712]

Thank you for your YT videos. It is a little bit of Normalcy and Sanity to my day

[@leedaniels7196]

Never heard of Minnie Pearls Chicken but I always adored her and her unique style.🤗😇

[@appleforever6664]

As always, great videos!

[@EdwinJayLatama]

There were three Minnie Pearl's Chicken in my NC hometown. Two of the buildings are still in use. One has been a Greek restaurant ever since Minnie Pearl's, the other is a restaurant/pub. The third had become a KFC right after Minnie Pearl's and lasted around ten years but closed and the building was demolished. You can still tell by the distinctive architecture that the two buildings that still exist were Minnie Pearl's.

[@sharksport01]

Minnie told a young k.d. lang... "Honey, youre gonna be so rich and famous you'll be fartin silver dollars".

[@zabadazidit]

Well, apparently Minnie was wrong once in her life...

[@annek1226]

@@zabadazidit Well, I don’t know that I remember k.d. Lang residing at the poor house!

[@joeheid4757]

Never heard of any of this. Still a fascinating story.

[@robertabrams8562]

Wow, I’ve never heard of this story…until just now!

[@Bill-cv1xu]

Very interesting, I never would have heard of Minnie Pearl's Chicken..Thanks

[@glennso47]

Seems like every celebrity had a chicken restaurant back in the day.

[@dougmottet6568]

We had a restaurant in our town. Like it was pointed out in the video. After tasting the food, returning was never an option. The food was terrible. I remember the talk in the town about how terrible the food was.

[@gambler143]

Thank you for telling this story.

[@johnericejr.9066]

Yeah I remember it being it on Dickerson road but never gone in

[@WisconsinAdventures]

I mostly just watch your videos because I find your voice soothing.

[@nicholasschroeder3678]

😂

[@MilitaryVideoWorks3742]

Awesome video as always.

[@gregtheredneck1715]

J.J Hooker pulled a Poultry Ponzi.

[@davidsquires154]

I remember Minnie Pearl from Hee Haw in the 1970's. And don't forget the price tag on Minnie Pearl's hat.

[@Bigger-Than-Jesus]

Minnie Pearl says, "HOWDY-licious"

[@williamzander4732]

I ate there and loved it had A plaid box and potato salad and roll and coleslaw .

[@davidsaul8048]

I ate in a Minnie Pearl’s fried chicken restaurant back in the day. I had just delivered a piano in southern Texas and was starving, and Minnie Pearl’s fried chicken was the only place open when I was ready to start home. Not the greatest, but good to fill my very empty tummy. Never ate at another one.

[@AnthonyPastore6]

LMAO "the first hint something was wrong was when the restaurant opened and customers tasted the food."

[@mrtodd3620]

2130 N Leavitt Rd still exists, and the building looks the same.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Nice!

[@matismf]

They got their fried chicken recipe from Chicago? Now THERE's the problem!!!

[@Londwar]

It’s unfortunate that the brothers saw Minnie Pearl as a way to make money, rather than an icon to invest in. Sounds like she had the last laugh though.

[@michaeltaylor1603]

Loved watching her on Hee Haww! It's ashamed that some peoples reacH exceeds there GrAsP! If they had ONLY asked If Minnie had her "own" chicken recipe....We might be munching on some mighty fine Southern chicken.

[@donaldpaluga]

Maybe it should have been Grandpa Jones' Chicken #YUMYUM!

[@magnaman1963]

I actually remembered eating at a MP and lemmie tell you, the author of this video is correct, that was the worst eating experience EVER.

[@markushall5855]

I remember when I used to watch hee haw when I was 4yrs old

[@suralos]

The one thing that they never teach you in business school but should: The one customer that more is important than all others is the REPEAT customer because nothing draws in new customers people who can attest to the quality of a product than people who have already proven its worth. Likewise, testimony of a poor product will discourage any new customers from doing business. Minnie Pearl's Chicken was run by people who were more concerned about brand name recognition to get new customers than they were about making a product that no one would want to be brought back to.

[@zabadazidit]

EXACTLY!

[@antd8259]

Both performers, Minnie Pearl and Mahalaia Jackson had no luck in the fried chicken business and were duped into using their names lol.

[@jw8165]

Please do a video on Chicken George, Little Tavern, Gino's restaurants, and Hot Shoppes!! All DC spots!!

[@TheSquirrelgirl55]

We watched Minnie Pearl on the Opry and Hee Haw. Somehow I never really knew about Minnie Pearl’s Chicken. My mother always thought the price tag left on her hat was hilarious…it never got old for her. I liked Minnie even as a kid and teen. Love your videos.

[@sonyafox3271]

Minnie Pearl appeared on the Grand Old Opry and, she usually would share the stage with Grandpa Jones, Roy A. and, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and, many others that came to the Opry to make there debut. She also was on the real old black and white country music shows that, I got to see when, I was little such as the Saturday Night Barn Dance, before starring on Hee-Haw. Then, she made appearances on all the Country Music Awards Shows and, the specials they had and sometimes she helped hosted. She also made a ton of a appearances on all the Country Music Variety Shows. She’s also related to some of the country music musicians/ no joke. One in particular person she’s related to is Amy Grant, she named one of her daughters after Minnie. I never got to go to any of the Minnie Pearl Restaurants, none was near where, I lived. At the time her restaurants popped up that’s at the time when, Kenny Rodger’s had his restaurants to, they were sought after because, of being 2 big names in country music, it wasn’t about the quality or how these businesses would effect them personally if they didn’t succeed. Same owners, it was more about trying to make a quick buck and, not about the quality of the product. If you don’t know anything about the restaurant business or to up and run one, it’s best to have some experience first. My mom worked in restaurants a biggest part of her life, cooking and waiting tables both,she never worked in chain restaurants but, she did take over her brother’s business at one point.But, even when, she was just cooking and didn’t wait tables she still earned tips. You know your good when, your real good at your job when, your getting $100s in tips daily and, your earning more in tips than your pay. If my mom worked at chain restaurants than hometown cafes is she wouldn’t have came home with all those tips, she would have had to give a percentage of them back to the restaurant. The downside of running or working in a restaurant it’s very time consuming business.

[@joejohnston2035]

Moral of the story ...not everybody knows how to fry chicken

[@amyfisher6380]

A cautionary tale of how NOT to establish a restaurant chain.

[@kendrapratt2098]

I’m a Nashville native. Sometimes I’d see John Jay at the local Starbucks in West Nashville

[@rochelleb973]

Howdy!!!!!!

[@aarongranda7825]

They consulted a Chicago food lab? Huh?

[@edwinsalau150]

I like the Johnny Cash song!The song where he needed a ride.It’s been a while since I heard it.

[@dangreene9846]

Minnies Pearls chicken and Roy Rodgers roast beef opened up side by side in my hometown in the sixtys. As I remember the Chicken was good .

[@glennb8397]

Hat tag $ 1.99.? Flowers extra she added ? 🤔😇

[@thetrumpnewsnetwork7503]

I used to watch Minnie Pearl on Hee Haw as a young lad.

[@chrisparker9646]

Love all your videos you should do Walmart keep on it up man 👍😃

[@KaneshaAndrews]

So, long story short....John Jay Hooker knew nothing about running a restaurant, nothing about cooking fried chicken and just simply thought if he slapped Minnie Pearl's name on something that it would be successful. Good plan....NOT!

[@fuzzy6813]

Lmao😂 You got to love it....

[@SilverGorilla1776]

The devils in the details. Note to self. Self, if you ever decide to open a chicken restaurant make for damn sure the chickens good!

[@model-man7802]

Love Minnie,remember her from Hee Haw.What a great Lady!❤

[@glennso47]

I remember her on Tennessee Ernie Ford

[@bossman1974]

If the food sucks then it is no wonder that the customers don't come back

[@wandajames6234]

...oh, he was a politician at heart-- that explains a lot....

[@donaldpaluga]

HEY GRAMPA! WHAT'S FOR SUPPER?????

[@mistergrandpasbakery9941]

As a child, I remember a place called Ozark Fried Chicken. Its byline was Miss Alma's recipe. That place had some delicious chicken. Even better than Church's or KFC extra crispy! I wish someone would do some research on that!

[@BatchelderPatrick]

She majored in Psychology.

[@followerofjulian1652]

“O wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in't.” William Shakespeare, The Tempest

[@Rmby5759]

That was some great chicken.

[@sandeec6381]

I don’t remember how the chicken tasted, but the tater tots were great. First time I ever had tater tots was at Minnie Pearl’s Chicken.

[@interwebtubes]

Yeah, remember way back when I was a little kid , There was a running joke that said that Minnie pearl was a SHORT BEER; This was long before I could have consumed alcohol However I remember how silly that particular joke was ; Peace out everyone 👍

[@johnwelsh4054]

Had one in my area a local chicken chain took the building over sometime in the 70's. It was demolished about 10 years ago to make room for a drug store. As I remember the food was okay but not great.

[@ladycatherinedebourgh7336]

Definitely before time, but this was interesting.

[@ElmerCat]

Seeing her on TV, I always thought she was creepy - one of the last persons I'd ever want to buy fried chicken from. It's no wonder the restaurants were failures.

[@nicholasschroeder3678]

😂

[@libertyann439]

Yeah this wasn't Minnie's fault. I was unaware of this story.

[@sunshine3914]

Sooooo.... I take it that she was never accused of having insider information?

[@TheMotorick]

First thought that came to my mind was how suspicious that was.

[@summerrose4286]

I have never heard of this restaurant, but it sounds like it was a really bad idea.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Restaurant franchising was a pretty wild business in the 60's and 70's.

[@summerrose4286]

@@ChristopherSobieniak indeed it was!

[@drfalcon4102]

It was a scam from the start

[@stillaboveground2470]

How-deee!

[@glennb8397]

The KFC 🍗 was going strong

[@pernelldh]

So is Popeyes.

[@pernelldh]

Speaking of Popeyes, please post a video?

[@glennb8397]

KFC 🍗 had the Sanders with his herbs 🌿 and spices in 🐔🐔🐔 And somethings you got a mystery peirce of meat 🐔🐤🐥 and oh the cole slaw and biscuits with butter and honey. As jed clampett would say ya doggy finger licking good 👍

[@____7465]

💃😂

[@marka.graffakasnakebitenat3736]

Picture Minnie Pearl sitting on men's faces.

[@marywilliamson1260]

💝

[@thomasdearment3214]

too much too fast, sounds like as you would call them FlimFlam men still Im not a country person but she was great I would always listen to her stuff

[@overworlder]

Lumber magnet

[@donaldduncan7095]

R.R. sure can trigger memories, no wonder it failed it was based on a fraud that it was Minnie's recipe. I ate there once when I was in high school not far from a KFC.

[@onefatstratcat]

I ate there once... gave me the SCHITT HOWDEEEEE'S!!

[@billyhawkins9885]

Such a shame. Minnie Pearls Chicken was actually a brilliant idea that could have worked if they had only practiced quality control and not tried to do everything in such a hurry.

[@Kevin-yh9yt]

So...what happened with Mahalia Jacksons restaurant? Same deal, I guess. Two greedy good-ole-boys taking advantage of two great American ladies. I hope Ms Jackson made out as well as Minnie!

[@stonehaven]

John Jay Hooker, a corrupt Democrat. Sorry, that's redundant. I say this as a Tennessean who remembers Hooker's campaign jingle. Imagine that he owned the corrupt Nashville Banner. He gave Bezos an idea.

[@wandajames6234]

talk about counting your chickens before they're hatched..... sorry....

[@tolfan4438]

Lumber magnet, fact-checked and found to be false. Lumber is not magnetic

[@surejack5]

Ma - HALL - i - ya Jackson - don't think so. Look up the pronunciation.

[@themanfromphoto]

What a scam. Talk about red flags

[@crimsonchin479]

Had my first gay experience there

[@scrappyjunk8793]

gloom dispear and agony on me deep dark depression exsessive missery hee hawww

[@TexRenner]

Shame on her for not tasting what she put her name on.

[@scofab]

Hype... and another piece of the puzzle of the dumbing down of America. Bread and circuses... mostly circuses. If you don't know how to cook don't open a restaurant.

[@glennso47]

Hooker and Crooker.

[@truckubuddy]

I love your videos, but you left out so much of Minnie Pearls life. Fail.

[@KaneshaAndrews]

Well, this video is strictly about the failed restaurant that John Jay Hooker slapped her name on. Not about Minnie Pearl herself.

[@1corinthians-138]

Great video. I remember her from Heehaw, but didn't know about the chicken. I just remember she had a price tag on her hat, lol.

[@getoffmydarnlawn]

I saw Minnie Pearl at Opryland USA on a summer trip to the World's Fair in Knoxville, TN -- I think it was 1983. She was hilarious! That's all I got, never had the opportunity to try her chicken, looks like I didn't miss anything.