Ezell’s Is Opening a Brand New Location in Kirkland | Eater Seattle

"Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Ezell’s Famous Chicken has grown from a single small Central District restaurant to 17 locations and is opening an 18th in Kirkland on Tuesday, August 6 at 12559 116th Avenue NE; the grand opening ceremony at 10:30 a.m. will give the first 50 guests free Ezell’s swag after the ribbon-cutting, with celebrity guests appearing throughout the day. The business got a major boost when Oprah Winfrey tried the chicken during a 1989 visit to Seattle, liked it so much she had it again and raved about it publicly. The owners — Lewis and Darnell Rudd and their sister, Faye Stephens — started the R.U.B.B. (Raising Up Black Businesses) Initiative, which has awarded $75,000 in grants to Black-owned businesses in the Seattle and Portland areas and will hold a conference on August 17 at the University of Washington." - Harry Cheadle