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<\/a>The iconic restaurant, with its large collection of paintings and antique ceramics depicting roosters and chickens adorning its walls and shelves, has had four homes in its 75 years. The first opened in 1938 at Fifth Avenue and B Street, Downtown. It later moved to Uptown, having a short stint at the southeast corner of Fifth and Robinson avenues, and then spent almost 25 years across the street at the northeast corner, where the Hillcrest Starbucks currently operates.<\/p>\n
In 1990, new partner-owner John Townsend moved the business to its current location on El Cajon Boulevard in North Park, where the restaurant expanded in square footage and continued to thrive.<\/p>\n
After Townsend died in 2011, his wife Lynn took over, redecorating, painting, getting new lights for the parking lot, opening for breakfast and expanding the menu, which now includes a variety of pastas, steaks and salads.<\/p>\n
One menu item she has not changed is their \u201cFamous Chicken Pie Dinner,\u201d which, for $7.50, still comes with a hearty chicken and\u00a0 turkey pot pie, mashed potatoes and chicken gravy, the vegetable side of the day, coleslaw, a roll and one slice of eight different dessert pie options.<\/p>\n
Daily specials are also still in place, with their rolled chicken tacos on Wednesday nights and fish tacos on Fridays.<\/p>\n
Lynn Townsend said the employees are the heart and soul of the establishment, many having worked there for decades. Manager Linda Real, who started as a server in 1981, said the restaurant\u2019s primary baker, Steve Mercado, is the longest-standing employee, having baked his first dessert pie in 1955. Shalia Costello has been serving the restaurant\u2019s customers the longest; she started at age 18 in 1976.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of us have been here over 20 years,\u201d Real said. \u201cIt\u2019s a great place to work, we serve quality food and we\u2019re serving the people we know.\u201d<\/p>\n