Certainly he had to be happy that once there were 63 Happy Chef Restaurants dotted across the Midwest. The first one in Mankato, Minnesota opened its doors in 1963, when not one, but 3, happy chefs started serving family favorites. Tom Frederick Sr. was joined by brothers Bob and Sal, and soon they were able to purchase other restaurants in nearby cities, eventually spreading to Iowa, Kansas, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Missouri.
Each location had its own 36 ft. tall Happy Chef out front that would "talk" if customers pushed a button. Apparently, the message could be recorded at the local manager's whim because there was no standard message playing at each location.
The KC Matchgirl had her own brush with the famed Happy Chef many years ago. Turns out that the local Happy Chef Restaurant was in the path along the way to her grandparents house in nearby Raytown. After a while, it became quite the landmark for the 2 kids in the back seat of the family car, and one of us, or both, would have to exclaim, "Look, it's the Happy Chef!" My dad was game to try different restaurants from time to time, so we did actually stop once and "Dine at the Sign". For some reason, I don't recall hearing the Chef talk during that visit- maybe we didn't know you had to push a button or it just wasn't working. The most vivid memory was getting to take home a new matchbook!
We never made it back before the restaurant was shuttered and dark, and the Happy Chef was removed- Gone!
But my story does have a happy ending. While nearly every Happy Chef location has been sold or closed over the years, one still remains. If you're ever in Mankato, look for the original Happy Chef. He's still waving his spoon, and happy as ever to be your chef.
Notes: Visit the original Happy Chef restaurant at 51646 US Hiway 169, Mankato, MN
The Kansas City Happy Chef stood just outside the main entrance of the Blue Ridge Mall. The restaurant was remodeled and operated as a ChiChi's Mexican restaurant for many years. The mall and restaurant buildings were closed over a decade ago and demolished for new development.
