Alan Arkin goes crazy in the beginning of Little Miss Sunshine. He shouts, “Again with the fucking chicken! It's always with the goddamn fucking chicken!” In the scene all you have to instantly recognize the bucket and think, “How could anyone ever get sick of Dinah’s?”

Dinah’s Fried Chicken has been a Glendale institution since 1967.

In 1967 the Pearson Family opened Dinah's Chicken's doors in Glendale, CA. Dave Pearson came to California with hopes of pursuing a golf career. To help his parents come to California, he bought into Dinah's exclusive recipe and opened up on San Fernando in 1967. His parents, Harry and Mae, ran Dinah's for years until Dave and Linda took over. Since then, four generations of the Pearson Family have worked to provide customers with the same original recipe chicken and sides accompanied by the family- style hospitality people appreciate.

Dinah's employees include familiar faces with over 30-40 years of experience at Dinah's. Santiago Flores has been apart of Dinah's staff for over 40 years and still enjoys working in our kitchen. Other staff, has been a part of Dinah's since their teenage years with 20 plus years at Dinah's. Our staff quickly become family which is part of what makes Dinah's so special.

There are two Dinah’s Chickens in Los Angeles! They are the same but distinctively different.  The LAist got solved the mystery of the two “Dinah’s.”

Los Angeles is also home to Dinah’s Family Restaurant in Culver City, which is more of a coffee shop. The Culver City Dinah's is known for its gigantic German apple pancakes, but it also has a chicken take-out in a separate part of the building. With the exact same buckets. With the same fried chicken. There is quite a bit of speculation on the internet about the two Dinah's. Most people assume that the same family used to own both restaurants, but that they sold the Culver City location. Some people claim the exact opposite - that the Culver City Dinah's is the original, which has sold the Glendale location. There are even rumors that it was once a chain. Nobody is very clear on the real story.

Straight from Linda Pearson.

40 years ago, a group of golfing buddies came up with the idea for Dinah's. They shared plans, recipes and logos, but the restaurants were each independently owned and operated.

One family decided to build their Dinah's as a coffeeshop (The Culver City coffeeshop is now run by the original golfing buddy's step-grandson).

The other families decided to open chicken stands, six in all. As time has worn on, one Dinah's after another has closed its doors. The last of the other Dinah's called it quits in Burbank ten years ago, leaving only the Culver City coffee shop and an the Glendale chicken stand. Although nothing has been said outright, I get the impression that the two Dinah's are not exactly on visiting terms.