Foodland's deli counter has been carrying part of the Chester's Fried Chicken franchise for a few months now, and at their grand opening last week, photo opportunities with Chester himself, free samples and balloons were all a part of the festivities.

Mark Wagner, store manager at Foodland, said he was pleased with how everything came together.

"I think it's been really nice, it's more exciting than I expected," said Wagner. "Chester has been a big hit."

According to Wagner, Foodland started selling Chester's chicken two or three months ago, but they weren't able to coordinate the grand opening until recently.

Steve Currence, of Dailey, said he's always liked the fried chicken at Foodland.

"The price is great," said Currence. "I'm in here three times a week, so I usually stop and get it every time."

The location is the only Chester's in Pocahontas County, and to add the new lineup to the deli counter, some small changes were made.

Donna Dickerson, who works with the Chester's franchise, said they've added a new menu board, a Pepsi machine, and expanded their menu to include combo meals. They've also installed a separate cash register to shorten waiting time.

"Quick in, quick out," laughed Dickerson. "They're also gonna be doing delivery catering."

Doris Arthur is the deli manager at Foodland. She said they've always offered breakfast at the local grocery store, but they've expanded the morning menu now that they're carrying more Chester's products.

"We always had biscuits, but we never had the chicken tender biscuits," said Arthur. "And
we never kept the potato wedges, but we do now as part of the breakfast menu."

According to its website, Chester's originally fried doughnuts when the company was founded by W.O. Giles in 1952, but in 1974 "the brand achieved its world famous signature taste and became known as Chester Fried. The secret family recipe and the process of double breading each piece of chicken to ensure a crispy outside, and a tender, moist inside, is what has given Chester's its consistent success."

Arthur said customers really seem to like the chicken, and she hasn't had any problems or complaints yet.

"So far, so good," said Arthur.

Click below to see a video produced by WV Uncovered intern Melanie Hoffman.