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The odd thing about the Happy Chef is that he is actually kind of sad. You press a button and he speaks (or, rather, a recording plays) and talks about how lonely and cold he is standing outside in the wind. Jeez, Happy Chef, you're bringing me down, man.
[Jenny Allan, 12/20/2013]Last Happy Chef:- Address:
- 51646 US-169, Mankato, MN
- Directions:
- Happy Chef Restaurant. Just north of the interchange of US Hwy 14 and US Hwy 169, on the west side of US Hwy 169.
- Phone:
- 507-345-4571
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
According to the people at Happy Chef HQ, Mankato is the last remaining Happy Chef location with a statue. As I have long kept a "No Statue, No Stop" policy with this chain, I made a stop last summer for some fries, and took some creepy nighttime Chef photos. Hopefully this Chef will remain standing, as their empire has fallen quickly in the past few years...
[luther rochester, 01/04/2004]Other Happy Chef statues have disappeared, even though a handful of restaurants continue under the HC banner. While a few statues have moved on to new careers, many have been lost or destroyed...
Directions alert: there is a Rum River Drive exit on the south side of Princeton. Drivers need to drive to the north side of the city to Rum River Drive exit there.
[Louisa, 08/09/2012]A-Z Happy Chef:- Address:
- 3804 Brickton Rd, Princeton, MN
- Directions:
- On the north side of the city, US Hwy 169 exit onto Rum River Rd/La Grande Ave. Drive east, then quickly turn left (north) onto Brickton Rd and drive about a half-mile.
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
A re-purposed Happy Chef statue stands in front of A-Z Restaurant Equipment Company just north of Princeton, MN and is visible from Highway 169. It has been repainted and now has the A-Z logo on his hat. He looks to be in great condition.
[Josh Mattson, 04/27/2008]Repurposed Happy Chef, instead of holding a spoon he's holding a pizza in front of Linwood Pizza.
[Blair Overton, 04/11/2008]Happy Chef, Now a Pizza Chef:- Address:
- 21831 Viking Blvd NE, Wyoming, MN
- Directions:
- Linwood Pizza. Northeast of town, on the west side of Hwy 22/Viking Blvd NE, just west of Hwy 85.
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With only one talking Happy Chef survivor, you'd think the chain would be more attentive to what he has to say. Maybe the recording was made by the store manager during a snowbound lull in business.