Weird Signs Around Los Angeles: Pioneer Chicken

Color us confused on this one, but is that some sort of an Italian or French chef popping out of a covered wagon with a freshly cooked chicken on his hand? And he's one tough guy, because he's not even using a plate or a potholder. Ah yes, it brings to mind the long and arduous journeys that the settlers undertook to come out West, bringing with them the joys of international cuisine and fried chicken. We would say he's Italian because of the red scarf, but that mustache just says French all over the place. "Oh Ho HO! Zees ees what ees for deener! I wheeped eet up in zee wagon!" And check out his dandy boots. This is clearly a man about town. Or at least a man about Olympic and San Vicente.

As a little bit of a backstory, Pioneer Chicken used to be very populous around Southern California, but as of today only five or so locations exist. LA Lakers announcer Chick Hearn used to advertise for them in the 1980s, not sure if that was a "slam dunk" or an "air ball".