MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Since the 1970s, Oklahomans have enjoyed the famous chicken chunks at Charlie’s Chicken.
Founder Charlie Randolph passed away, Dec. 9, at the age of 91.
“I got to see him every single day. Even up until he was 91 years old, when he passed, he was here, at least an hour a day,” Charlie’s grandson, Charlie Randolph III, said.
WATCH: CHICKEN, CHARITY AND FAMILY: Charlie's Chicken founder, Randolph, dies at 91
Randolph Sr. spent the first half of his life in different jobs. Not until he turned 41 did he have an epiphany. He wanted to start a restaurant, using his mom’s recipe for fried chicken. Thus, Charlie’s Chicken was born. Perhaps hatched would be the correct term.
Randolph senior’s legacy, can fit into three silos; Chicken, Charity and Family.
Thousands of customers agree, his food is delicious, but it was the people who embody the spirit of the restaurant.
“Just trying to make our customers feel welcome and appreciated, and like I said, the employees too,” Holly Sten, another of Charlie’s grandchildren, said.
The business is a family affair. Randolph III runs the flagship location in Muskogee. Stern runs the other. The memories of grandpa, though, extend past the chicken joint.
“We loved to go fishing,” Randolph III said, “I caught my personal best fish with him, that was a cool memory. We got it mounted, and I love that.”
Randolph senior, born April 1,1934, never forgot his April Fools roots.
“He was a prankster. Christmas, the kids would open all their presents, and he’d grab one of their toys and kind of hide it. Or, he would pick it up and start playing with it. My daughter would go, ‘Hey that’s mine!’ And he’d go, nope, I found it, it’s mine, it’s mine,” Stern said.
Randolph was proud of his family and his chicken, but both grandchildren agree, his generosity will be remembered for generations.
“He grew up dirt poor. They lived on a farm, there were eight brothers and sisters,” Stern said, “It really hurt him to see other people struggle. When he finally got to a place where he could give back and help them, he couldn’t wait to help.”
Charlie is survived by several family members, many of whom work at Charlie’s Chicken in one capacity or another.
Today, 19 Charlie’s Chicken locations are open in Oklahoma, along with one in Joplin, Missouri.
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