Fine Dining - Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken: From Humble Shack to National Champ

Episode Date: June 11, 2025

🐔 Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken (Part 1): Gus's Parents, the Superfan, and Chicken Championships 🐔 Before Gus’s was world famous, it was just spicy chicken sold out the back of a bar in the segregated South. But that secret recipe grew into a Southern staple, complete with 40+ locations, a chicken-loving superfan turned CEO, and even a rogue rooster who hangs out outside one of their Memphis spots. In this episode, I’m joined by improvisor, actor, and all-around delight Dave Theune (NBC’s St. Denis Medical) to go deep on the wild rise of Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, the hearse they use for advertising, and why you’ll never know what’s in their spice blend. Plus, Dave pitches a double-restaurant concept where Italian comfort meets a dessert diner, and it's all Rocky-themed. Is Gus’s really chicken to die for? Or just another chain in a hearse-shaped hat? 🔥 Backdoor Fried Chicken in 1950s Tennessee 🐓 The Secret Recipe That Not Even Marrying into the Family Can Teach You  👑 How a Superfan Became the CEO of the Whole Company 👻 Hearses, Roosters & Other Bizarre Gus’s Lore 🏆 Two-Time Winner of the National Fried Chicken Festival 🧻 Yelp Reviewers vs. Chicken Gremlins 🪑 Dave Theune’s Dream Restaurant: Rocky & Apollo’s 💬 COMMENT BELOW: Have you tried Gus’s? Did it make you say “goddamn”? Or just “meh”? 📢 SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY: 🔥 Patreon (Bonus reviews & exclusive content!): https://www.patreon.com/finediningpodcast 💬 Discord (Share horror stories & chat chains): https://discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4 📸 Instagram/TikTok: @finediningpodcast and @davetheune 🎧 Full episodes & video: https://www.youtube.com/@finediningpodcast 🔗 All links: www.linktree.com/finediningpodcast ⚡ Like, Subscribe & Share if you believe fried chicken is a spiritual experience! Patreon Producers: Sue Ornelas & Joyce Van 👉 NEXT WEEK: We actually eat the chicken at Gus's. Is it “chicken to die for”? Or just fried food with a strong brand? Find out in Part 2.

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken With chickens so good that an actual rooster is known to come hang out at one of their locations, Gus's is building an empire on fried food, spicy batter, and a secret recipe they'd stop at nothing to protect. What started as backdoor chicken sandwiches in the segregated South in the 1950s has grown to 40 locations nationwide. You can find Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken restaurants in 13 different states. And while it has certainly become famous after features in GQ and the Food Network, the World Famous moniker has been in the name just as long as Gus's has, which is certainly a

bold choice. The OG at manifesting. And it's not just the chicken that's famous, it's the weird quirky stuff that comes with it. No other chain is using a hearse in their advertising. But perhaps the craziest part of the Gus's story? A superfan who would regularly drive 40 miles to eat at the original location eventually became the owner of the company.

This week on the show, I'll squirt my chicken juices of knowledge into your succulent, white, or dark meat of curiosity so that you too may become an expert about Gus's world famous fried chicken. Then we'll turn our attention to Yelp to see what the populace is saying about the Gus's we went to. Stay tuned, this is the Fine Dining Podcast. Your table is ready, take a seat The flavor of the day is mediocrity Wouldn't you like to try a bite? Guarantee it'll be the perfect bite Fine dining, better than you thought, worse than you hoped Fine dining We don't treat mediocre as a joke Breaking every single place we've been

Compared to the perfect five out of ten The person who owns it now, they're the owners of all the Gus's Oh man, that's impressive And they started as a super fan. They started as a fan. Can you imagine that? Like you love the Chicago Bulls, now you own the Chicago Bulls. Or whatever your thing is.

That'd be impressive. Hello and welcome to the Fine Dining Podcast, the quest to compare all restaurants to Chili's. I am your host, Michael Ornelas, and this is the show where I spend a week diving deep into the history of our favorite chain restaurants before comparing them to Chili's, the most mediocre restaurant in America, the next.

This week, we will be telling you all about Gus's world famous fried chicken, a fried chicken chain out of Mason, Tennessee, whose start began a full generation before it was even Gus's. Joining me today is a man who's a truly wonderful improviser that I've been watching perform at Upright Citizens Brigade Theater for over 12 years. He was my teacher in the most recent improv class I took, and he's honestly just a light in this world.

Most recently, you can see him on NBC's St. Dennis Medical, it's Dave Tooney. Hey everybody, thanks for having me. How's it going, Dave? It's going well, it's going well. Thanks for having me. How's it going, Dave? It's going well. It's going well. I can't wait to talk about this today. How used to recording a podcast immediately after eating a large meal are you?

This is brand new territory for me. It is unadvisable and I do it so often. Yes, I just want to lay down. Just want to lay down. I just want to lay down. Well, unfortunately, I am the obstacle between you and Rest. Dave, before I go into the history, the story of Gus's and how it got here, I presented you with a few options of places that you could select for us to eat today. Once Gus was said, you were like, that's the one.

Yes. You hadn't tried it before. So usually I ask my guests to tell me about their history with the Chain of the Week. What was it about Gus's that stood out to you? My history with the Chain of the Week is that I'd only seen one, and that was, I believe it's on Wilton, if you live in Los Angeles,

as a local reference, and I'll be driving south and I would pass a Gus's, I thought that was the only one. And I drove by for years and I thought that's the only one and it looks great. It's like the neighborhood that it's in doesn't look, it's not ideal, but this was kind of this like, kind of like bright spot. I was like, man, I bet that's really good.

Oh, I want to try that local spot. Uh, but just never did. And then when someone told me there's a chain, I was definitely surprised. So when this was on the table, uh, definitely jumped at it. I was excited. Yeah. And my history with Gus's is I went there pretty soon after they opened and I was like, this is very solid and I'm almost embarrassed to say how seldomly I've gone there given my proximity to it.

Yeah. I've probably been there eight times maybe in eight years, but like I think they're good enough to warrant being in my regular rotation. They just they just haven't been. Yeah. I mean, I think sometimes just fried chicken in general might be hard to have in your regular rotation. Yeah. Just because it is like a heavier food, but it is a super accessible place to go.

I'll actually tell you the, I think I realized the reason it's not in my regular rotation. They close at eight or 8.30 or something. And like, I'm a night person. Sometimes I don't even think to eat until like nine or something like that. And I'll be like, oh, what's open?

Gus's would have been good, but they're closed. There've been at least 10 occasions where I was like, oh And I'll be like, oh, what's open? Guss's would have been good, but they're closed. There've been at least 10 occasions where I was like, oh, I want Guss's, oh, they're closed. That is surprising to me because we are in essentially Los Angeles and it's a huge population of people. And I get that Burbank is like, it's its own place, but there's so many people here and feels like fried chicken would definitely

be a late night place Yeah, I am surprised at that. I wonder what their reasoning is behind that and it's a mark It's a market that Dave's hot chicken has cornered because they're open to like 11 or midnight. Oh, yeah That's a good point. Yeah, also another place. I've never been to they're very good I bet they are although they did just get bought by the company that owns Subway So I do expect quality to take quite a dip. They're the, they're the largest expanding restaurant in the country right now. Yeah.

There's over 900 in the pipeline. Oh my gosh. From a place that started in 2019, six years ago, started in a parking lot out here and now over 900 are on the way. Whoever started this Dave. Dave and three other friends, which honestly kind of funny that he's like, I got dibs on the name. I know what they think about that.

I wonder if they're just like, I guess on their now they're furious. They're also probably super rich now. And that's, I mean, what a meteoric rise that is. Yeah. Do you think Gus's would like to take a similar path? I think not. And we'll get, honestly, now's a great time to segue into it.

Oh, yes. But they are much more protective. Good. So, yeah. And also 40 restaurants is like nothing to shake us to get. And it's like a very good number. I love it when it's just like, nope, this is my thing and I'm proud of it.

And yeah, I have a certain amount of locations and that's as many as I want to handle. And we'll hear all about Gus's expansion in that way as we jump into this week's Eat Deets. Eat Deets. Eatery details. In 1953, Napoleon Nah Vanderbbilt and his wife Maggie started selling fried chicken sandwiches from the back door of their small tavern in Mason, Tennessee.

Can I say right away that for me personally, the 1950s are about as far back as I need to go with almost everything. Restaurants, TV, movies, anything before the 50s, I just don't care. It's too far away for me. Architecture, anything. It's right around there is like my, maybe some late 40s, cause that's when like mid-century moderns

are starting to get noticed. I was gonna say, World War II, no interest. I don't need to hear about it. Not in go or care, I don't know who the parties are. But like around the 50s is when I'm like, okay, this is interesting. And again, because I think because of not only the architecture that I'm interested in

and food gets better to me, or at least more to my tastes. Also just like, we live in Southern California, we live in Los Angeles and I do love Los Angeles. And it feels like the 50s is like when LA was really it was picking up. Yes. On the upswing. I'm sure that the introduction of like more preservatives and fast food items and plastics is like coincides with like what I like.

It's delicious. It's so tasty. I'm with you. Despite the segregated South, the chicken quickly became popular with the locals, drawing customers from both the black and white communities. It wasn't long before their small black owned business operation grew into something bigger. I don't have a huge big history with fried chicken.

We'd had it growing up at our local bar in my small hometown, had would get like, we called it broasted chicken. I can't tell you what broasted means off the top of my head now, but, we called it broasted chicken. I can't tell you what broasted means off the top of my head now, but it's very much like fried chicken. Yeah. I mean, it seems like a portmanteau of broiled and roasted. Yes, I guess it does.

I wonder if it's literally the, like both of those processes. I guess it probably like a double cook sort of thing. Yeah. And it comes out, I think like a fried in a fried way, which is great. And I just don't know what beats fried chicken in the terms of chicken preparation. I'm gonna say there aren't a lot of bad ways to do chicken. There are some, but there's not a lot of bad ways

to do chicken. No, but I did, have you, what is chicken cordon bleu? Do you know? No, I thought it was a university. Well, now I'm questioning whether it is a real thing or not. It is. I'm ignorant to what it is. I don't know either, but I was just like, is that a good way to have chicken?

I've never had it. It sounds a little regal. When I hear blue, I assume blue cheese, and therefore I'm like, since I don't like cheese, not going to go near a chicken carton blue. I don't know if that's what it is, but I'm assuming. I don't think cheese and chicken is a good combo anyways. And people do it. They stuff. No. This is an opening for a story

that I don't know if I've told on the podcast before. When I was 15 years old, I did an honor band. I was a percussionist in middle school and high school band, and it was my original career pursuit. I did a year of college at a conservatory, and I was very serious about orchestra and orchestral percussion and stuff like that.

And so, uh, as a freshman going into sophomore year, I qualified to join this national honor band that would go out of Washington, DC. You rehearse for like three days or something, learn the pieces, and then you fly to Europe and you tour for like three weeks and you just play in like different town squares and a couple of different venues. And for a 15 year old kid, very cool experience. Very cool. I went to Europe, still the same, you know, picky eater that I am, not liking cheese.

And Europe is a very cheese forward place. And we were in Innsbruck, Austria, and one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in my life, we get to this hotel and there is a hotel catered meal for the entire band and it is a cheese stuffed chicken and I take my friends and I guilt them into going into town with me and being like guys I'm not gonna touch this this is gross everyone's doing it don't you want to experience something better and by the way mind you we're two and a half weeks into the trip now,

and I have made them eat pasta everywhere. That's all we've been eating is just going, like I gained an actual 30 pounds. I became adult sized on this trip. And I find a place that serves pasta, and I'm like, yeah, this is the place. They're like, aren't you tired of this? I'm like, no.

And we ate it and it was delicious. Later that night, we're in the town square doing our concert. Turns out that chicken was undercooked and everyone in the band, have you seen Drop Dead Gorgeous? No. Oh, okay.

Beauty pageant movie with Kirsten Dunst. Oh, where? Yeah. There's a scene where there's massive food poisoning and a bunch of them are like throwing up. That happened during our concert. Someone puked into their trombone. I know, it's just funny. It is.

And the concert had to be stopped and a bunch of people started getting sick. And then it was like a war movie that night because we were in like a hostel. So people were like jumping up out of their beds. It was disgusting. Gross. But who was unaffected? Me and my friend. I saved them with my picky eating.

A hero. Thank you. When that was happening, did that make you, I realize it's a gross situation and that maybe it didn't smell good and it didn't look good. But like there's a part of me that would be like, I feel so good right now.

A little bit. Yes. A little bit. Oh, I slept through it all. Oh. Like I was just like, I would hear it and I'd be like, you know what, nothing's gonna stop my good mood right now. Dave Tooney in 20 years from now is gonna use the word

hero about me in this situation, so I'm flying high. I think the question that we all have that's even maybe more on our minds is, do you still play percussion? I wish I did. I have a piano that I'll occasionally ditty around on, mostly reading sheet music. I've never really been great at playing by ear or improvising musically, but if I can afford to have like a five octave rosewood marimba in my home someday. Yeah.

Most beautiful instrument in the world. I love it. In 1973, with growing demand, Nah and Maggie opened their first official restaurant, Maggie's Short Orders in Mason. The community pitched in to help make it happen and soon enough the spot became known for some of the best fried chicken in the area.

Oh man, to be known in the South as having some of the best fried chicken in the area, it feels like it's gotta be so good. That would be like being known in LA for being the best actor. You know? They should do that in LA. I mean, I guess you could just call the Oscars.

But they should just have like a little bit more of a local specific, like best actor in LA competition. I mean, it wouldn't attract any of the like, Oscar actors, it would attract way, a way lower level. But I do think about that. But then it's like, they don't get the title. Denzel, you didn't enter the best actor in LA contest.

I did, so you know. Anyways, I hope there's an LA acting competition at some point. I in LA contest. I did. So, you know. Anyways, I hope there's an LA acting competition at some point. I would love it. I love it. In 1984, after the passing of his parents, Gus Bonner took over the family business and renamed it Gus's World Famous

Hot and Spicy Fried Chicken. Gus made sure to keep the signature spicy recipe alive, but his bold decision to call it world famous was just the start of a big journey ahead. He literally took it over and called it Gus's chicken, which bold already. Bold just naming it right after yourself. Like this is your parents thing.

It's not like an homage, you're pretty, I mean, he kept the recipe, sure, but like I'm naming it after me. I'm taking credit and I'm saying it's famous. That is such a, I'm sure, sure all plenty of places do it, but that is such an LA thing. And it's not, he didn't start it here, but it is here. It's such an LA thing to call whatever your restaurant is world famous.

I would also say it's like a, of that generation. Yes. Um, like fifties through eighties, I feel like the marketing was all about like, this is the best thing. Yes. Like 50s through 80s. Yes. I feel like the marketing was all about like, this is the best thing. Yes. That like, yeah. You'll never need another, you know, Yes, and that's when-

Plunger. When, whatever. This is the best plunger. You'll only need one. Yes. It feels like in the world, even though that's still like, if something is the best in the world now,

it's like, holy cow. But I feel like back then, when we didn't have the internet and the world was a more mysterious place To be named like the best in the world Like I can't even wrap my mind around that and you're right. That does feel like such a thing of its time And by the way No one had any way to like cross reference none like you can't google like, okay Well based on what credentials are you the best? No, nothing. Who gave you this title?

No. Yes. And there's, yeah, you're right, there's no way to cross check that. And there was not even like they weren't even having a bunch of big competitions worldwide. It was like local. This is a reputable place. Yeah.

In the late 1990s, Wendy McCrory, a Memphis native, fell in love with Gus's chicken and would regularly drive 40 miles to Mason to bring friends and family. Her passion for the food led her to start working at the original location where she learned the ropes and built a close relationship with the Bonner family. Something feels weird about that. I do agree. Yeah. It is a little weird to just, but like, I don't know.

At the same time, you got to admire it. Yes. Like, I love this place so much. I have places where if someone came to town to visit me, even if it's far, I'm like, but you've got to try it. I get that. And I agree. Forty miles is a crazy amount of distance to me. I think here's where I bump up against it,

and this might be old man Dave at mind here, but I'm like, that seems like something that like, that seems like something a guy would do, but then when it's like, this lady did this, I'm like, really? They're weirdos like that too? Men have it in them to just plow through their weirdness and dedicate.

Like, stalkers aren't women most of the time, you know? Right, right. Men have that stalker drive and, you know, Wendy McCrory, she's got that dog in her. Yes, yes. I equate like this type of behavior, like also this is incorrect because I'm sure I do these things too, but I'm like, I would equate this with some like lonely dude, but she's doing it. And it's like, OK, I guess I don't know anything.

But good for good on her. I loved it. I do give it the past because it's for food. Yeah. Yeah. Like there is no, you know, I it doesn't sound like she was like weird to the Bonners or anything like that. It was just like, oh, man man, that is a notable passion. Yes. But also like, sometimes that's what it takes to make it in whatever it is.

And, you know, spoiler alert, I mentioned that there was a super fan who now owns the company. We'll get to it. Okay, okay. By 2001, Wendy was ready to make Gus's more accessible to the people of Memphis, where she was driving from. She opened to the first Gus's franchise location

on Front Street in Memphis, giving locals a taste of Gus's hot spicy fried chicken without the drive. This move was the start of Gus's gradual expansion beyond its Mason roots. I think, and now that you're saying that, that feels like a thing of like, and I'm not saying that was in her mindset at all going into it, but maybe that was like early on,

like this is so good and there's something special about this that I do wanna be a part of. Yeah. Even if it's just eating it, but maybe there's something more that I can't put my finger on yet, but maybe that's making it worthwhile. And like you said, food is a reason to do it,

but I guess there's lots of things like people go see bands. Right. And it's like, there's something about this band. I just got to see them. You got to be a part of it and good on her. And that's great that she got to be a part of it in this way. Yeah. In 2012, a rooster appeared in front of the Memphis Gus's

location and just hung around. He became a staple of the location with management joking, we don't serve chicken that fresh. He has been referred to as both Gus and Big Red. Oh, oh, it's that's so sad though, right? It's a little sad. If only he knew. Only knew that his brethren were just, that's, were slaughtered.

That's all they're serving up. But they left him alone. Yes, they did leave him alone. You're right, you're right. Yeah, there is a tremendous sadness of like, if that rooster was 50% more sentient. I know. Oh no.

I know. Who's gonna tell him? I think it's funny when anyone has like, as their restaurant, like, the animal they've slaughtered as their mascot. And that mascot's always happy, always thrilled. And you know what? There is some baggage with the Chick-fil-A brand, but I gotta say, using cows to say, eat more chicken, is very clever.

It is very clever. Do not kill us. Kill this other creature. It is a clever idea for sure. Yeah. With the success of the Memphis franchise, Gus has slowly expanded across the United States. Locations began opening in states like Texas, Arkansas, California, and many more, with the chain growing to 30 plus locations by 2020. Gus's fame was no longer just a regional thing,

it was going national, baby. Ooh, I love that. Gus's fried was no longer just a regional thing, it was going national baby. Ooh, I love that. Gus's Fried Chicken started showing up in the pages of national publications like GQ, which called it one of the top 10 meals in the United States worth flying for. The restaurant was also featured on the Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate, helping boost the brand's profile even further. Man, the food network.

I wonder how many restaurants are out there that have just like, Oh, a considerable amount of food network. What's crazy is being featured in this segment. I tried to look it up online. It's like a two minute segment on a five segment episode about the best fried chicken places in America. So it's like they got two minutes or something like that. And that was enough for them to like, it's in their Wikipedia.

When you look them up, it's all it's like, we were mentioned in this thing. And it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter that it was just a few minutes long or whatever. We'll never look into it. We will never look that far into it. It's a stamp of approval. It that's all it is. And as a person who does enjoy,

I realize it's an old show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. As a person who does love that show because it's all positive all the time, every restaurant does look good. I do love seeing them talk to the chefs and the owners and then making one of those meals. Like those restaurants, when I watch them, I'm like, if I was in that area, I would go there.

And it works. It absolutely works. And I get it. And I think it actually does a really great job of highlighting the fact that towns you may not think to travel to, everywhere has food. Everywhere has food. And everywhere can have great food.

Yes, absolutely. And so I think it puts some more destinations on your radar, so to speak, just to be like, oh, that's a spot worth driving 40 miles to. So yeah. Gus has racked up multiple awards, including Best Fried Chicken at the National Fried Chicken Festival

in both 2017 and 2019. It has earned mentions in Southern Living, Travel and Leisure, and many more, solidifying its place as one of the best spots for fried chicken in America. Sgt. Do you think it's done winning awards because it has expanded now to 40 locations? You're too big now to win major awards anymore for fried chicken. Now it's got to go to the next local spot.

I don't know. Because you look at the Emmys, for example, and's like a show that may have had an amazing season one may not win the Emmy until like season five or something like that. And so part of it is like establishing yourself. But in this case, I think it's just, there are so many people doing fried chicken that even to win it once is like one and done is fine. Yes, all you need.

Yeah. You can say you're, you're best fried. You don't need to specify what year the fact that they're two timers, big endorsement, do you think you could tell the difference between the first and second place, like as far as maybe you could tell, like this one's breadier. This one's this, but like it's gotta be preference. It's gotta just be preference. Right. Like what the ratio of batter to meat, it's got to be preference. It's gotta just be preference. Right.

Like what the ratio of batter to meat, the juiciness level, like everyone's got their different thing or spice level even. Yeah. Yeah. It also feels like a, like every time you, they have it down, not a science, but not that far from it, but like you're deep frying chicken. Like I get that you can get really good at it, but it's still just like the frying is doing what it's doing. Like you don't have all that much control over it.

It's the specific, uh, like type of oil they use. I think it's like a maintenance on, on the, like, you know, certain people change their oil, certain amounts or whatever. But the thing about Gus's specifically is their batter recipe. Um, so in one of their most memorable marketing stunts, Gus's created a promotional vehicle that became as famous as the chicken itself. A white hearse with a plastic rooster on top and the slogan, Chicken to Die For. Very fun. I do like that.

This strange but fun marketing tactic turned the hearse into a beloved symbol of the brand. I didn't see a hearse in the parking lot here. They don't all have them. The Memphis one for sure does. Okay. But I think a few of the Gustas locations kind of have this hearse, but it's not a staple at all of them. I do think, though, I think I like weird things like that,

like weird marketing, and that just makes me think of a restaurant that existed in Milwaukee, but no longer, and I don't even know if it was that long, it only went once, but it was a restaurant in an old funeral home. And- That would weird me out.

Yes, I agree. And their main thing was selling hot dogs and beer, and they were called Frankenstein's. Okay, into it. It was great, kind of like a horror themed place. Yeah. Yeah, loved it. Everything about that clicks. It really does. Really of like a horror-themed place. Yeah. Yeah, loved it. Everything about that clicks. It really does. It really does.

Yeah, I wish it was still wrong. Throughout its expansion, Gus has kept its signature chicken recipe close to the chest. Even Terry Bonner, one of Gus's children, hasn't shared the recipe with his own wife. To quote Gus himself, this is a dead man's recipe and I ain't telling.

The family still oversees the preparation of the spice blend and batter, which is delivered to every franchise to maintain consistency across all locations. His wife simply does not care about this recipe, right? Because otherwise, that would be a point of contention. Wouldn't it? Like, can you please tell me? Can you please tell me?

Yeah. Nope. I feel like I'd just be like, tell me. I'm your wife. Yeah. Tell me what this recipe is. Yeah. Right?

She just simply must not care about what it is. Yeah, well, cause it's like, at that point, you can have it whenever. It's not like I need to know so I can make it. You're in the family. They can provide the chicken. Yeah. Like, yeah, I don't know.

I don't cook a lot myself. I do. I make a really good blueberry muffin, like baking wise, and I'm trying to get better at steak, like to get that to my liking. Okay. But like the idea of a recipe being precious, when you're selling it, I understand. I get it. But when it's like a personal family recipe, I would wanna share like all over the place. I would think so too, but wouldn't it be, I guess wouldn't it be a little cool if people were like, you gotta try Michael's steak. And it's like, and you just don't tell them what it is.

What is it? You're like, my secret recipe. It's people. And then it would be like exciting when you make it. Yeah, that is true. Yeah, I guess so. I don't know, but that puts the onus on me to then have, now I exciting when you make it. Yeah, that is true. Yeah, I guess so. I don't know, but that puts the onus on me to then have to now have to cook for people.

Yeah, you're right. You're right. You're right. I would give it up immediately. Yeah. Yeah. But that's just me. Some people love cooking for people. Yes. No, no, not me. That's not my thing. I like people enjoying the thing I made if there happened to be enough for them to try it.

But I'm cooking for one baby. Yeah. If by chance you're here and I'm cooking for one baby. Yeah, if my chance, you're here and I made more great. Yeah. Yeah. In 2020, Gus has had to take legal action when a franchisee refused to stop using the brand's name and recipes after their franchise agreement was terminated. Despite the challenges, the company has worked hard

to protect the integrity of the brand and ensure quality control at all its locations. So how many people know the secret recipe? What it sounds like is the family oversees the preparation and then they ship it or deliver the blend. And then the restaurants themselves prepare the blend, but they don't necessarily know the ingredients of it. And then this franchisee didn't stop using their products or whatever after, so I don't know, yeah, somewhere in there it's like how did they get the blend

if they were cut off, but they continued operating under the Gus's name. Got it. And were using their recipes and then got sued for it despite this franchise agreement ending. Got it, but I mean, otherwise it's up to the, what's who's the owner now? Wendy McCrory.

I mean, it's up to just Wendy or just like, I guess I have to be at every seasoning creation. Like every, I'm the one that's there all the time. And honestly, I don't even know if she, I would imagine if she owns it, she knows it, but it really sounds like it's still within the Bonner family. Right, still with the Bonner family. So does the Bonner family just have to like,

I guess I have to be there every day for when we make the seasoning. Yeah. Or however often they have to make the seasoning. Imagine it to like, I guess I have to be there every day for when we make the seasoning. Yeah. Or however often they have to make the seasoning. Imagine it's like, uh, I don't know the world of drugs, but I know from TV shows, like sometimes they'll have like, you know, people that are like naked sorting through the stuff to like, make sure they're not like smuggling anything. Yeah.

Do you think they have like a warehouse like that for their spice? People in like, you know, uh, air filter gas mask type things. Yes, that's such a funny idea. Being strip searched and all that. If you want to franchise a Gus's, there's an initial franchise fee of $75,000. Initial investments range from approximately $5000 to over 1.2 million. The initial term is for 15 years and there's a franchise royalty fee of 6.5%. Wow, that's a commitment. If you're going to get into it, that is a commitment.

Yeah. So you're paying the company 75 grand just to, just to license it. Just to license it. And then your operating costs are going to be five and a half, a hundred thousand to 1.2 million, depending on your location and the requirements in that area. And then you pay them 6.5% royalties. And you agree to 15 years at first. That's unbelievable.

So this Burbank one will be there until 20, 20, uh, 2032 at the earliest. Wow. Okay. And they do 10 year terms after that. Good gravy. Uh, isn't the thing about like McDonald's is they all own their, their own properties? Some restaurants are very precious of like, we want everything corporate owned, uh, because you can ensure quality a little bit more easily.

Uh, but there are a lot of benefits to restaurants that are franchise driven, like Blaze pizza, like Gus's where it like, something about it feels way more local. It really feels like you're supporting a local business, even though it is a chain. Yes, agreed, agreed. Yeah, I don't personally really have a preference between either one. No, me neither.

I just, you know, you put a name on a sign and if I can have an expectation met when I go, I'm happy. Yep, absolutely. And lastly, Gus's chicken is served over a piece of white bread. This is done as an homage to the original chicken sandwiches Na and Maggie used to sell over 60 years ago on white bread. Oh, we talked about that at the restaurant. I love that it's an homage. I'm giving an homage any day of the week.

I love seeing those in movies and TV when there's an homage for Easter eggs. And I love it here. I ate the bread, bread is good. It's gotta be soaking up a little bit of that oil. I think of it so much as when I get barbecue in Texas, a lot of it is served with maybe not like Wonder Bread like that, but I mean, Rudy's barbecue,

if you've ever been to Austin Austin operates out of a gas station. Okay. And they serve you literally just a loaf of white bread, um, like literally like packaged sliced bread, like Wonder Bread that just comes with your order. And like, it's just the thing where it's like, look, we don't want our sauce to go to waste. So, uh, in barbecue culture for me, the white bread is like, it's my edible napkin. Oh, I like that.

My greasy barbecue-y hands have it and then you eat it at the end. Yeah. Good. It's a horrendously disgusting behavior, but you know. And that'll do it for this week's Eat Deets. Dave, I hope you were listening to all of that and got some good advice on how to become a true magnate among restaurateurs because the next few minutes are all about you and

your vision for a themed chain restaurant dining experience of your very own. Yes. Give me a song style right now. We're going to make a theme song for this segment. Oh my gosh. I'm going gonna say country. This is a restaurant of your dreams. Give me line two.

Um, where you can create anything as it seems. Chicken, chicken, chicken or rice and beans. This is a restaurant of your dreams. Oh, wonderful. Dave, tell me all about a restaurant concept that you see missing in the world, that only you could make a reality. It must be practical, delicious, memorable.

Three, two, one, go. Okay, I don't know how practical this one's gonna be. I don't actually want practical. I really don't want it to be practical. Okay, my idea is I am someone who likes to go to old restaurants in Los Angeles. Yeah. I like to see things that are specific to LA

and those are often historical things, not always, but things that are specific to LA. And when it comes to restaurants, those are often old LA specific restaurants. I love them. I love the decor. I love the themes. I love the decor. I love the themes.

I love the way it feels in there, the vibe, the energy, the atmosphere. I love all of that. What I do not love is I do not love the food. The food is at most of, not all, but most of these old restaurants that are from the 60s or 50s, 70s, the food is mediocre.

It takes a back seat to the atmosphere that is the restaurants, right? Which I understand, and I'm not a foodie, so I'm going for the vibe, I'm going for the atmosphere. But they're resting on their laurels. Absolutely, whatever was going on back in the fifties or sixties, that's how they're still making it, and I do not love it.

So here's my pitch. My pitch is- More microplastics. More microplastics, more please. Absolutely. I want plastic straws in the, if you're in the meatloaf, you're eating, um, this is going to be a kind of a combo deal. So the first section is an Italian restaurant, an Italian restaurant that

is full of all the kitsch. It's got the red leather booze. It's got the checkered tabletops. It's got the Chianti bottles hanging from the ceiling. It is warm. It's rich. It's wood. I love that inside. There's some, a lot of stone on the outside, maybe some river rock, but

I want two things out of it. I want it to be good modern day Italian. I'm talking, uh, including like whole house made pasta, homemade pasta, fresh made pasta. Give me like a ciabatta or something. Yes. Yes. Give me something. Ciabatta, some olive oil or an olive oil flight. Sorry. This is your pitch. No, this is exactly what I wanted.

This is exactly what I want. I do not care about menu or items that were the taste of 40 years ago, but are not the taste now. It doesn't include things like spaghetti. That's evergreen, that's always. But I want legit, legit good pizza with legit good crust that feels more modern and with techniques that we know now and that work with today's palate.

I want that, but I do want the restaurant to still be at least 50 years old. I want a Domino's, but in an old space. You do want those Prop 75 warnings on the building. I want them, I want them, I want them. So it's gotta be modern food, but it's gotta be at a very old restaurant. And that restaurant is gonna be called Rocky's,

because that to me sounds Italian. And also I do love the franchise film, Rocky, or Fortalki franchises. One of my favorite films franchises of all time. So that, you've got your old Italian restaurant, maybe the outside has got some candles instead of lamps, or they're really warm lamps that invite you into the place, got stained glass windows on the outside has got some candles instead of lamps, or they're really warm lamps that invite you into the place. Got stained glass windows on the outside.

So you have your meal there. You have your delicious Italian classic, yet modern meal there. Can I just say, it really sounds like you're just describing Olive Garden, but good. It's Olive Garden, but good. I've never eaten inside of an Olive Garden before. It's very rustic.

It's like, yeah. It's like, yeah, it's like trying to be like kind of the old Italian villa feel. Yes, I think I want to be Bucca di Beppo, but. Okay, but without like the intentionally offensive artwork. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like Mona Lisa with her boobs out is like actual things you can find on the wall at Bucca. Yeah, I can keep a couple of those things. So that, we've got that, right? But here's the thing. So when you're done with that, we still want dessert.

And they've got great Italian desserts, of course. There's courses, tons of great Italian desserts. They'll be wonderful. But sometimes you just need a change of pace, a change of atmosphere. You need a breath of fresh air just for a little bit. The food's kind of heavy. You need to kind of fresh air just for a little bit. The food's kind of heavy. You need to kind of move a little bit.

You gotta walk around. That's when you leave Rockies. You walk outside into that cool, ooh, cool autumn air. It feels good. You get a little coolness to you. I love how you have control over the weather in this scenario.

If you're in LA, you can only there like in November through March. Yeah, that's about it. That's about it. So you get outside, you're, oh, that was so good. We had such a good time. You talk, maybe take a little lap and walk around just a little bit. But right next door, right next door. And if there's raining, there's a little bit of an awning that can connect the two. So it's covered up, maybe some lights.

Right next door, you're still the same ownership group. You have Apollo's, Rocky's main competitor within the film franchise. I'm into it. And Apollo's is a small yet quaint, googie style architecture, 50s style diner. Very quaint, very like angular, with a lot of glass. If you live out here in Los Angeles, think Astro's family restaurant, think Norm's on La Cienega, think Mel's on Sunset.

I feel like you've got to have like the neon stars and stripes. 100%. The red, white and blue. Yes, yes, yes. Same as the pants, Apollo. And you go in and that's where you get yourself just Apollo, and you go in and that's where you get yourself just one classic delicious slice of pie a la mode. There's tons of options. Think House of Pies out here in Los Angeles. Love House of Pies. I love House of Pies. House of Pies, admittedly a place that I love, a little dumpy, but I do love it. And you just walk over there and now it's a little brighter. It's not so dark as the Italian restaurant was.

Now you got a little bit of brightness and you're waking up again. You're like, oh, what a great time. And you're mainly just there for the pie and the ice cream is a small place. Maybe it's nothing but diner, like the bar area. And maybe that's all you can sit at. And that's where you get your dessert.

And you just had a nice little night at Rocky and Apollo's. I like it. And then you go next door and you get punched in the face by a Russian at a place called Ivan's. That's the wake up so that you can get home and don't fall asleep in the car. Hey, you're crashing from the sugar.

Bop, bop, bop, bop. Yeah. Yeah, that would be my dream. And then you end your night just like celebrating on top of a mountain, you know? Or the top of the stairs. Yes, you're the top of something, all right? You're the top of something. Top of the world. Absolutely. That's my dream scenario.

Okay, one last time, just that last line. This is the restaurant of your dreams. Thanks for going over all of that with me. I now have a better insight into what you dream about. But now we have to bring things back to reality and see what other people think of the very same Gus's famous fried chicken, world famous fried chicken that we went to in this week's Yelp From Strangers. We need a little yelp, a little yelp, a little yelp from strangers. A one star, two star, three star, four or five-eye.

So get a little yelp, a little yelp, a little yelp from strangers. A little yelp, a little yelp. Give us those complaints while you literally whine and die. Yelp. All right, this is Yelp from Strangers, our segment where we turn to Yelp and read out our favorite. One, two, three, four, and five star Yelp reviews

of the very restaurant that we went to. Dave, do you mind if I start us off? I would love it. Two-star review. This is a two-star Yelp review from John D. of La Cagnata Flintridge, California, written July 15th, 2019. Okay. Once upon a time,

spicy chicken was the best thing on their menu. It was beloved by all who visited. Strangers, from as far as the eye can see, came to eat Gus's world-famous spicy chicken. This is a one-star? was beloved by all who visited. Strangers, from as far as the eye can see, came to eat Gus's world famous spicy chicken. This is a one star? This is a two star. This is a two star.

I love it when people are gonna dump on a restaurant, but they put the effort into it. They paint a picture. I love it. And I can guarantee you, there is no amount of money in the world that you could be winning to have properly guessed what comes next.

OK. Then one day the gremlins started to cook. They used less spiciness on the chicken and the magic Gus's world famous chicken died a slow death. Villagers stopped going here because they can taste the water down spicy chicken in all caps. It was insulting to them, so they gave it to the Warriors. What is this? The Warriors were furious and vowed to never again taste this pathetic attempt of spicy. It was vomit inducing favor.

I think he meant flavor. You got this spicy, baby food is hotter than this chicken, said Warrior One. The best thing about this chicken is to practice the beheading of gremlins, said Warrior Two. Ice water is spicier than this chicken. Let's vowed to never return to this place. The once mighty spicy chicken is now a hollow shell of itself, said Warrior III.

He's so creative until he gets to having to name the warriors. Yeah. It's Warrior I, Warrior II, Warrior III. Not like, you know, you could, you could have like, I am Calot of the, you know, of the clan. Yes. Uh, Warrior III. What was that?

I'm curious to know how often the person that wrote this comes back to review their review just to like admire their work. They printed it out, they framed it. Yes. Or if they ever get feedback on these reviews like, hey, that was a really funny review. Or if there's ever any payoff to making a review like this. There's a girl who did a review for California Pizza Kitchen that I actually messaged. Really? She never responded. It was her only Yelp review and it was like five years ago

and I messaged her in like November, December. You can message through Yelp? Yeah, you can like, yeah, because you can like add, it's a social media, you can add friends. You're right, it is. And so I just sent a message basically saying like, hey, I love this review and featured it in my podcast. As like a thing like, hey, I love this review and featured it in my podcast. As like a thing like, Hey, you should listen or whatever. Right. But she did a thing about like hitting the top reward tier at cpk and like Painted this like vibrant picture of like it's like the doors were opening and everyone was applauding and like Kind of like made a lot of parallels to like lala land or something. Yeah, and it was a very fun review. Yes. Um, and so I was like, oh, maybe people on Yelp, maybe I should pick more active Yelpers to tell them.

But it's also like, I only want to tell someone if like, I think their take is reasonable because if I'm like roasting someone, I don't want to like be like, Hey, do you want to hear this podcast where you're kind of the bad guy? Right? No, you don't want to do that. Yeah. Four star review. Right, no, you don't want to do that. Yeah.

Four star review. This is from Nick F in Pasadena, California, written in April 3rd, 2023. So relatively recent. Four star review. Darn good chicken, darn good. Best I've had in LA? Well, no, but you won't be disappointed.

The chicken hits all the check marks. Crispy, juicy, seasoned well. So why didn't it make my tongue sing? Honestly, can't tell you. But you're the only one who could possibly tell us. You know when you take that first bite and then you squinch up your face and then you shout, I said, god damn, that's the best, right?

Don't we as fried chicken fiends live for that? Well, this didn't quite do that, but it hit the spot nonetheless. I got the three piece dark with baked beans and coleslaw. The beans were maybe a tad too sweet, but I liked them. The slaw reminded me of KFCs, which I consider a compliment. Okay. I don't. I don't. reminded me of KFCs, which I consider a compliment. Okay.

I don't, I don't. The drinks come in paper cups and the plate looks like something you'd get at a park barbecue. I dug it. Honestly, that is a vibe where I'm just like, yeah, it's, it's kind of nice. It is. That said, there were a lot of Yelp reviews I saw that, uh, mentioned that they used like a lot of wasteful, like styrofoam and stuff like that, which I probably came across maybe 10 reviews that mentioned like, oh really it's like 2019 or 20, whatever the year was. And the owner of the restaurant responded to them all in mass on

the day that they were like, great news, we've switched. Oh really? Yeah, but it was like three years later. So imagine you wrote a review in 2017 and someone messages you and be like, we fixed the thing. Oh my gosh. That's so funny. I got a lot. I got a kick out of that. Not sure I'll be back.

Is there just too many great options in this city? But if you're close by, it's worth trying. Solid review feels legit. Yeah. I'll buy that. I do love the, it makes you say, I said, God legit. Yeah. I'll buy that. I do love the, it makes you say, I said goddamn. Yes. Something very flavorful about the way some people rate their reviews, and I'm into it.

Yes. Did you like those two Yelp reviews? You can get three more over at my Patreon. That's patreon.com slash fine dining podcast. In addition to that, I do an exclusive episode every single month. Recently, I did an episode on A&W, A&W root beer ahead of the Septemberger tournament. It will be one of the competitors so you can see how that stacks up.

They have an amazing root beer float as well. I also covered the Halal Guys for the month of May. It's my first time dabbling in Middle Eastern food for the podcast. And for the month of June, I will be going to Boston market. I have to fly all the way to the East coast to cover it, but I did find a Boston market that's still existing. So you can check out all of that and more at my Patreon. Hope to see you there.

And that's part one tune in next week as we actually give our review of Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken. This will be my last review in this recording space as I'm moving. So it's only appropriate that we'll be reviewing the literal closest restaurant to my home. That's next week. We'll go into everything that's good about it, not good about it, and all the other things that were just there. Until then, Dave, where can people get more of you online? You can check out my Instagram that I sometimes post too, and that is at DaveToonie.com. I was gonna say that's not true.

Just at DaveToonie. And then just check me out on, you can check out St. Dennis Medical on NBC on Tuesday nights. I'll be in a bunch of those episodes. and check out St. Dennis Medical on NBC on Tuesday nights. I'll be in a bunch of those episodes. Awesome. And you can follow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and bluesky at Fine Dining Podcast. I have a Patreon if you want an exclusive restaurant

episode every month, I put one out on the last day of each month, as well as the extended Yelp from Stranger segment. You get to hear all five of these Yelp reviews instead of just two. So hop on over to the Patreon. And lastly, join my Discord server. If you want to just come chat food and post pictures.

Oop, oop, oh god, the Gus, the Gus is getting me. All right. Yeah, if you want to go to the Discord and just talk about food and chain restaurants and hear things way ahead of when it's actually coming out on the show, I openly discussed the restaurants that I'm going to that you may not see for like three months. So yeah, it's a fun spot.

There's a link for that in the description of this episode or on my website. In the meantime, we're just gonna be sitting here waiting on our table one week. Thanks for listening. Have a fine day. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. The set is done and we had some fun now. We're waiting on our table, waiting on our table.

Join us next time, we're stuck in line. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. We're so hungry, Tommy's grumbling, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table.

Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table.

Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table. Waiting on our table, waiting on our table We're so hungry Tommy's grumbling Waiting on our table, waiting on our table We gotta continue our search for mediocrity Yeah Waiting on our table, waiting on our table We'll be waiting and dissipating

Waiting on our table, waiting on our table We're sleeping in this week, we're digging in Waiting on our table, waiting on our table We've got an appetite, but just sit tight Waiting on our table, waiting on our table Sirs, you continue and we see you next week Hee hee hee, for the millennium Waiting on our table, waiting on our table