Buena Park, California: World's Largest Chicken Restaurant

In 1927, to supplement their income, Walter and Cordelia Knott opened the doors to what would become a California institution, the Chicken Dinner Restaurant. It began with a building that included a nursery, a berry market and a 20 seat Tea Room. Originally the Tea Room was a seasonal eatery, only open during the harvest, but by 1937 the operation had grown into a full-fledged, year-round chicken restaurant serving 400.

Wait times for a seat were hours long, so Walter Knott came up with various ways to entertain hungry, line-locked guests. What started as a fluorescent rock garden went on to become a full-fledged ghost town and a landmark amusement park.

The original Tea Room is still there (albeit with extensive additions), along with the Knotts home, the kitchen of which opened up into the restaurant. Mrs. Knotts bedroom window faces into the kitchen so she could supervise operations at all times. In fact, Cordelia would sit on a high stool during restaurant hours and approve every plate of fried chicken before it was taken into the restaurant and served.