Krispy Krunchy Chicken

Ater pumping a full tank of gas, you stroll into the nearby convenience store to grab a drink and a snack. As you approach the front door, brightly colored signs featuring a happy sun greet you from the storefront windows. You step into the store and are immediately bombarded by the unmistakable scent of fried chicken. Suddenly, your cravings for a snack and drink change to a hankering for Cajun-style chicken, and your selections from the hot food case fill that very need‚a need you didnt even know you had. Capitalizing on this impulse-buy concept is exactly what has made Krispy Krunchy Chicken a successful and viable business model over the past decade. With about 9 percent of its locations housed in convenience stores, the Southern fried chicken company has carved a niche market that has since expanded far beyond its Louisiana roots. Krispy Krunchy founder Neal Onebane owned eight convenience stores in Lafayette, La. , Where he began serving his Cajun-style fried chicken in 1989. At that time, more convenience stores were using pressure cookers to cook their chicken. Inspired by the successes of Popeyes, Onebane decided to cook in fryers instead, and was inspired to design a hot food case with grates for the chicken. He started doing his own food photography and selling the breading and marinade he made to other convenience store owners. Eventually, in 1989, Krispy Krunchy was born.