Does Anyone Remember Tinsley's Chicken 'n Rolls?

[Utinga]

Ron's Krispy Fried Chicken was owned by my grandfather, Ron Woodall. He'll be thrilled to know that someone remembers his restaurant!

As for me, I'm simply jealous. I was too young to even get to taste the chicken! I've heard it was delicious, though.

Sagemont?

http://www.ronsfoods.com/aboutus.html

[Golfguy]

You are all a bit young to remember the real Tinlsley's chicken N' rolls, which actually started in

Waco, Texas in the 50's under the name The Chicken Shack. The ultimate demise was not at all

from mismanagement, but rather from crass greed of Church's chicken which bought them out for

the express purpose of shutting them down as competition. Ever Tinsleys restaurant that opened

in Cleveland, Texas and other small towns just killed Church's, so they figure the only way to stop

them was to buy them out. They claimed they were going to use them as a higher end chicken

restaurant, but soon shut them down. The owners had a non compete for either 20 or 25 years,

and the Huntsille location was the first new one to open once the non compete ended. They said

they were going to reopen one in Bryan and perhaps another place or two, but that was two years

ago and nothing has happened yet--so, trips have to be planned to go through Huntsville now just

to get a taste of memory lane.

golfguy

[Fringe]

I loved the Chicken Shack. Best chicken ever.

[zaphod]

I just ate at the new Huntsville location. It was very good, I'd definitely eat there again.

It's a little different from Chicken Express as far as the rolls, the seasoning, how much you get in a meal, etc, so I can see it co-existing with the competition around town if they ever come back to Bryan-College Station.

Edited July 21, 2012 by zaphod

[boomerd35]

Ron's Krispy Fried Chicken was owned by my grandfather, Ron Woodall. He'll be thrilled to know that someone remembers his restaurant!

As for me, I'm simply jealous. I was too young to even get to taste the chicken! I've heard it was delicious, though.

 

Sorry to bump an old thread, but oh my I used to love Ron's. I also frequented the one in Sagemont. And it was pretty close to Stuchberry Elementary/Thompson Intermediate school, where my little league baseball team had practice for a couple of years. I would swear on a bible that Ron's purposely wafted the smell of that chicken in the air to get all the people on those fields to come in for dinner.

[hotdog]

This thread has a legacy stretching 8 yrs. I remember we had a Tinsley in my home town and when it closed down another chicken place called Guldens opened in its place. KFC was directly across the street from Tinsley and it wasn't uncommon for people to get the chicken at KFC and rolls at Tinsley's.

[adcolbar]

No, David Tinsley did not go out of business because he was running drugs. Every single town where David or one of his franchises placed a Tinsley's Chicken 'N Rolls put the other chicken restaurants out of business so Churches bought them out with the agreement that David could not sell chicken for the twenty years. After that time, he and/or his son started up a business with just the rolls, which are wonderful and the recipe is a secret. Then he placed another chicken restaurant in Huntsville. David has had some health problems the last I heard which was about ten years ago so I do not know how he is or what is happening now. We worked for Tinsley's and then had a franchise. David did have some trouble with the law but he got out of the business because they paid him a fortune to get out of the business. Great product and the rolls are amazing. I had lunch with David about twenty years ago, so that is the last I have seen him but I kept up with him until the last ten years. Very smart man, except when he got in trouble with the law that time. But who has not done something wrong in their life? I'm pretty sure all of us have, so I do not judge others.

[Marcus Allen]

A rant I am sure, but unless one dines at a decent, newer Lubys, the chicken franchise has declined noticeably. KFC, although having good tasting chicken, skimps on the portions and the biscuits are too bitter ( ease off the baking powder folks).., Hearts is way too greasy along with Popeyes. Churches is decent and the biscuits are good, but sometimes the breading outweighs the chicken. Probably nostalgic, but Tinsleys was wonderful. For me, I applaud any franchise who can still maintain classic tastes and portions. I understand the bottom line is profit in a changing food driven global society, but some franchises are more successful than others. But I digress. Sorry, should be for another thread.

[IronTiger]

Chicken Express, Bush's? Those two I like.

[zaphod]

I was in Brenham today and remembered there's another fried chicken place in the area that flies under the radar; Hartz chicken.

 

Way back in the day I seem to remember they had some kind of gimmick, like a truck shaped like a chicken that clucked, or something like that? Or am I crazy and thinking of another place? Who had the lit up polyurethane chicken sort of like the jack in the box on the roof of the store?

[IronTiger]

Hey, long time no see!

Hartz Chicken is kinda common...there's at least 2 along 290 and another even older specimen along 45.

[zaphod]

Hey, long time no see!

 

 

[Debbie Arizona]

Tinsley's in Bryan was located at the corner of Texas Avenue and Martin Luther King Street. The building is now a Mexican cafe. This location is across the street from the former Gath's Electrical Supply, which was formerly Gath's Fried Chicken, which before that was the original Bryan Popeye's Chicken.

Tinsley's in Bryan closed in the summer of 1996.

[Debbie Arizona]

Does anyone remember tinsleys chicken in stafford,tx. I had managed the restaurant for a few years. Fun place to work for a first job.

[ChannelTwoNews]

Meant to post this in the thread earlier... found this ad for a Tinsley's in Rosenberg from a 1978 phone book during my trip down there this summer. Oddly enough the directory did not mention the address but just the phone number.

 

[Trackudown]

Wow,  there was a Rons in Alvin.   I lived there when I was in 5th and 6th grade back in the early 80s.  We had KFC growing up and I loved what it used to be, but after we moved to Tx and got Rons I have never found a chicken I liked since.   I am saddened by the fact that recipe is gone and I have been chasing it for the last 5 years.   I have never had churches chicken,  did they buy the recipe,  does churches taste like rons?   The world deserves to taste that chicken again.   I'm back in Ky and my wife is ok with a pilgrimage to Tx just so I can share something I have missed since 1983.  I read once upon a time there was still one and just one rons chicken open in Tx but I am starting to discover that may not accurate. 

[raydragon]

I worked at Tinsley's on Manchaca in Austin my senior year (1976), and it was the most fun I've had at a job. We made our own slaw (among other things) which called for a cup of sugar; a cup of salt went in, instead!

My last day before college I cut 40 cases of whole chickens (KFC cut into 9 pieces, we only into 8); to this day, I can't stand chicken. The rolls, however, were amazing!

When that franchise closed, we took all the signage to my parents' - still there over 40 years later. 

Edited May 29, 2021 by raydragon

[Dan D]

I worked for David at Chisos Ranch in Tyler Texas and at the Elite Cafe in Waco Texas…He was a great boss and I was sad when he passed away! 

[JSonehandsomefella]

I do. Whenever dad and I passed through close by (within 40 miles of it) we had to get a dozen rolls. I was just telling a grandchild and my wife about it. Of course they wants to go tomorrow but it shows the place being permanently closed now. 

[Scotch]

In the Facebook group "You Know You're From Bryan/College Station When....." John Ellisor posted a picture of the 9/5-6/2023 demolition (and also of the late 1970's construction) of the former Tinsley's building on Villa Maria near Texas Ave. 

In the comments of that post, the daughter of the landlord of another location of Tinsley's in Bryan stated it was (at least at one time) at the intersection of 20th and Texas Ave.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Scotch