Dixie Lee Fried Chicken
Encyclopedia
Dixie Lee is a franchised fried chicken
fast-food restaurant founded in Belleville, Ontario
in 1964. Joe Murano is the president of the company since 2007. The corporate head office is located in Napanee, Ontario. It has over 70 restaurants in operation in Canada and the United States, and one branch in Dubai
, United Arab Emirates
.
David Silvester started in the business in 1977 as an owner/operator of a single Dixie Lee outlet in Castlegar, British Columbia
. He then acquired a Dixie Lee Area Franchise for British Columbia
where he opened and sold 17 franchises.
After developing British Columbia, he bought the Dixie Lee franchise parent company in 1979. Silvester moved to Dixie Lee's Head Office in Belleville. He was responsible for developing Dixie Lee from eight outlets in Ontario
to more than 50 by 1987."
In 2007, Joe Murano assumed the management of the company as a president.
Dixie Lee operates over 77 restaurants in Canada and the United States with sales in excess of $55 million per year. Dixie Lee is ranked by the food and hospitality industry as the fourth largest chicken franchise company in Canada.
(25 outlets), New Brunswick
, British Columbia
, Alberta
, and Quebec
.
The outlets located in Eastern Canada are managed by Dixie Lee Maritimes Ltd, while those in other areas of Canada and the United States are operated by Dixie Lee Food Systems Ltd.
The company's website states that its chicken products may contain trace amount of MSG and that other products may contain allergens and ingredients that may cause sensitivity to some persons.
in a small take-out restaurant just past the wharf. It moved following a fire during a winter storm to a new location where Cinéma Vidéo is now situated, not far from what was once the Enfant-Jésus hospital and next door to the Petro Canada gas station. It then moved on to a bigger building in the mid-1990s, where the Trio-Éclatant's clothing store once used to be. Successively other restaurants opened in Shippagan, Tracadie-Sheila and then in Lamèque. The Tracadie-Sheila location is one of the biggest Dixie Lee restaurants in New-Brunswick, and one of the first to include a drive-through function.
The Dixie Lee franchise in Bathurst, New Brunswick, is known for its popularity among teenagers and university students once bars close.
Avril Lavigne sings in her song "My World" about having worked here.
Even though they serve about the same menu, the food served at each restaurant does not always taste the same. For example, the clams strips sold at the Shediac location come from the local coast, while some other locations serve clams strips that can be found in any grocery store. Also, the recipes of the coleslaw and the macaroni salad may vary greatly between restaurants. The macaroni salad in Caraquet for instance is pink in colour, due to a different salad dressing than the ordinary white one. They also serve home made desserts. Matt Harrison and Aaron McKenzie Fraser of OttawaXpress web site report that the food prepared in the Maritimes' restaurants tastes better in New Brunswick than in Ontario. Some customers also state that the franchises in the Acadian Peninsula of New Brunswick have a certain variation in the quality of the food, regardless on how close they are geographically.
The Dixie Lee branch in Dubai
offers free wi-fi
to attract customers.
Fried chicken
Fried chicken is a dish consisting of chicken pieces usually from broiler chickens which have been floured or battered and then pan fried, deep fried, or pressure fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or crust to the exterior...
fast-food restaurant founded in Belleville, Ontario
Belleville, Ontario
Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County, but is politically independent of it. and the centre of the Bay of Quinte Region...
in 1964. Joe Murano is the president of the company since 2007. The corporate head office is located in Napanee, Ontario. It has over 70 restaurants in operation in Canada and the United States, and one branch in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
.
History
The original Dixie Lee restaurant opened in 1964 in Belleville, Ontario.David Silvester started in the business in 1977 as an owner/operator of a single Dixie Lee outlet in Castlegar, British Columbia
Castlegar, British Columbia
Castlegar is the second largest city in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located within the Selkirk Mountains at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers. It is a regional trade and transportation centre, with a local economy fueled by forestry, mining and tourism...
. He then acquired a Dixie Lee Area Franchise for British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
where he opened and sold 17 franchises.
After developing British Columbia, he bought the Dixie Lee franchise parent company in 1979. Silvester moved to Dixie Lee's Head Office in Belleville. He was responsible for developing Dixie Lee from eight outlets in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
to more than 50 by 1987."
In 2007, Joe Murano assumed the management of the company as a president.
Dixie Lee operates over 77 restaurants in Canada and the United States with sales in excess of $55 million per year. Dixie Lee is ranked by the food and hospitality industry as the fourth largest chicken franchise company in Canada.
Franchise coverage
Dixie Lee restaurants are located in OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
(25 outlets), New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
The outlets located in Eastern Canada are managed by Dixie Lee Maritimes Ltd, while those in other areas of Canada and the United States are operated by Dixie Lee Food Systems Ltd.
Menu and nutrition
Dixie Lee restaurants serve fish and chips, fried chicken, nuggets and other side items such as cole slaw, French fries, and soft drinks. According to its website, fried products are prepared with trans-fat free oils.The company's website states that its chicken products may contain trace amount of MSG and that other products may contain allergens and ingredients that may cause sensitivity to some persons.
Locations
The first Dixie Lee restaurant in New Brunswick opened its door in CaraquetCaraquet, New Brunswick
Caraquet is a Canadian town in Gloucester County, New Brunswick.-Location:Situated on the shore of Chaleur Bay in the Acadian Peninsula, its name is derived from the Mi'kmaq term for meeting of two rivers...
in a small take-out restaurant just past the wharf. It moved following a fire during a winter storm to a new location where Cinéma Vidéo is now situated, not far from what was once the Enfant-Jésus hospital and next door to the Petro Canada gas station. It then moved on to a bigger building in the mid-1990s, where the Trio-Éclatant's clothing store once used to be. Successively other restaurants opened in Shippagan, Tracadie-Sheila and then in Lamèque. The Tracadie-Sheila location is one of the biggest Dixie Lee restaurants in New-Brunswick, and one of the first to include a drive-through function.
The Dixie Lee franchise in Bathurst, New Brunswick, is known for its popularity among teenagers and university students once bars close.
Avril Lavigne sings in her song "My World" about having worked here.
Even though they serve about the same menu, the food served at each restaurant does not always taste the same. For example, the clams strips sold at the Shediac location come from the local coast, while some other locations serve clams strips that can be found in any grocery store. Also, the recipes of the coleslaw and the macaroni salad may vary greatly between restaurants. The macaroni salad in Caraquet for instance is pink in colour, due to a different salad dressing than the ordinary white one. They also serve home made desserts. Matt Harrison and Aaron McKenzie Fraser of OttawaXpress web site report that the food prepared in the Maritimes' restaurants tastes better in New Brunswick than in Ontario. Some customers also state that the franchises in the Acadian Peninsula of New Brunswick have a certain variation in the quality of the food, regardless on how close they are geographically.
The Dixie Lee branch in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
offers free wi-fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
to attract customers.