Chester’s Fried Chicken Closes – For Now

Ron Wilshire

Ron Wilshire

Published March 21, 2019 4:40 am
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CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Chester’s Fried Chicken has flown the coop—for now.

Yasir Bhatti, co-owner of University Korner located at 800 Main Street, Clarion, said that Chester’s Fried Chicken is now closed.

“I think it’s because we don’t have seating and a lot of customers want to sit and eat. Maybe down the road, we will open it up somewhere on Main Street, with the cooking continuing here,” explained Bhatti.

University Korner is a convenience store that also sells gas. The owners are supportive of the community, donating one cent per gallon to the Clarion County YMCA.

“Fried chicken isn’t a good fit — we don’t have enough of a customer base. People don’t like standing up and waiting, so there needs to be a proper sit-down restaurant. The students (at nearby Clarion University) have their own cafeteria and things like that. It’s not about fried chicken–they have all sorts of food, and they don’t have a lot of money.”

Yasir, whose family also owns other convenience stores in the area, is convinced the store did the right things.

“We didn’t compromise on quality,” he continued. “We didn’t keep chicken any longer than we were supposed to and did all the right things to keep it fresh. A lot of people liked it, but there was just not enough of a customer base.”

Just as many people still mourn the loss of KFC from many years ago, Chester’s fans can hope another version will appear on Main Street in the future.

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