Welcome to the Lendy's
Web Page, Richmond
Welcome to the Lendy's
Web Page, Richmond
Featuring Salem and Roanoke Va.'s most FAMOUS restaurant chain.
click image to see building today
Its 1961, and the new Lendy's "featuring Col. Sanders' Kentucky Fried Chicken" opens on Broad Street in Richmond. This location was formerly the site of the popular Wakefield Grill, which was destroyed by fire.
Another example of the importance Lendy's placed on its signage. The
Col. Sanders caricature was an eye catching addition to the new
restaurant, and helped it to stand out among the many businesses on
this busy street.
Ad from Richmond Times Dispatch, Apr. 1962.
click image for more recent view
Visible above the roofline is the large 3-D Kentucky Fried Chicken
bucket, dwarfed only by the transmission tower of Richmond's CBS
affiliate, WTVR TV Channel 6.
As in some of the other locations, the Broad Street Lendy's incorporated the Dine-A-Phone system into their operation. The novelty of ordering from your table by phone was just another reason to come to Lendy's.
ad from Richmond Times Dispatch, Apr. '62.
The "Great Sign" of a Holiday Inn is just visible next door to
the Broad St. Lendy's. The proximity was very beneficial for the new
restaurant.
click ad to hear commercial
You don't want to listen to this Lendy's Christmas commercial.
A closer look at the massive bucket sign reveals its detail and
complexity. The support posts actually came through the roof of the
restaurant.
Previously referred to as the "Mystery Lendy's", Robbie Delius discovered this ad for the Grand Opening of the Williamsburg Road location in June of '64. The building was formerly a Gibson's Drive In, and is today the Moon Garden restaurant.
click image to see building today
The Williamsburg Road location's remodeling with its bold red stripes was no doubt designed to emphasize Lendy's Kentucky Fried Chicken fare.
Lendy's Country Chicken
Due to conflicting business directions, Lendy's dropped their Kentucky Fried Chicken operations in the Richmond area, then reopened some of them as "Lendy's Country Chicken" outlets. Different in appearance from the Lendy's norm, one still looked like a converted Kentucky Fried Chicken design, which it was. The other was more along the lines of an roadside stand, with overhangs that swung down to act as shutters at closing time.
click image for closer view
After the KFC corporation released a rather terse announcement in the newspaper
concerning the closing of the stores in the Richmond
area, Leonard Goldstein seized the opportunity to capitalize on the
publicity, and created an ad campaign to feature his new Lendy's
Country Chicken!
Lendy's Country Chicken and its colorful packaging... sold only in Richmond.
By 1970, Richmond had seven Lendy's restaurants in operation.
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