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From the article: Customers can thank Boston Market—which opened its first store in 1985 in Newton, Mass., under the name Boston Chicken—for the modern rotisser

by Pamar 10y ago

From the article: Customers can thank Boston Market—which opened its first store in 1985 in Newton, Mass., under the name Boston Chicken—for the modern rotisserie chicken industry. This was a surprise to me. In Italy "Rotisserie chicken" have been a common urban offering since at least the '60s, probably even before. No idea about other parts of Europe or the rest of the world, but I distinctly remember small stores displaying roasted chickens since my childhood. The only recent innovation is that you can now find these in larger supermarkets and that most of the stores are now managed as some franchise.

rz2k 10y ago
A cofounder with me on another project was involved in Boston Chicken in its early stages. Her sister living in NY at the time told her the business was a dumb idea because everyone could already get fresh cooked chicken whenever they want from food carts. It's difficult to appreciate what was novel and what was obvious at different times in the past. I lived in Italy in 1994/95, and when I returned to a non-city in the US I was sure I wouldn't be able to find a good espresso, yet the independent coffee shops starting turning up right about when I returned. I also imagined that the per-minute local phone billing in Italy would end up precluding modems and the internet from taking hold back in Italy any time soon.
- coldcode 10y ago
  From what I remember Boston Chicken was a sort of stock scam that turned out a great buy when it went under. I vaguely remember McDonalds bought them out for virtually nothing.
  - rz2k 10y ago
    She raised money for them as they were exhausting what they could get from "friends and family" connections, and long before they went public. Probably like a few others she worked with they later went through cycles of completely different management that was more suitable for different stages of growth, and rarely stuck to the long term plans of the founders. If I remember correctly, an early business plan for Blockbuster projected streaming, or at least delivery through people cable boxes, about a decade early than when later management was ridiculing Netflix's streaming business.
Gmo 10y ago
Yes, same in France
SmellTheGlove 10y ago
I can confirm, Italian, but I grew up in the US. When I was a kid, we roasted a lot of chickens because la rosticceria wasn't a thing in the neighborhood - in South Philadelphia or then out in the NJ suburbs. When Boston Market opened up, we ate a LOT of that. It was odd to my folks because it's the most basic of prep, and you could pretty much get a roasted chicken (or many other meats prepped the same way) on the go anywhere in Italy. It's fast food that isn't total shit.
- pimlottc 10y ago
  Yep, I remember when Boston Market came along in the 90s, it really spread like wildfire, seemingly overnight. They were quite popular, and no one else was doing rotisserie chicken at a mass scale like that before them.
douche 10y ago
I used to love getting these from doner kebab places when I was studying in Berlin. Our lunch stipend was about 5 euro, and I remember that getting half a chicken, french fries and a Berliner Kindl.
_0ffh 10y ago
Same in Germany, only more often than not we get them from snack vans/food trucks. Unfortunately, though I like grilled chicken, I find most of them quite horrible. The meat is usually too salty (and on top through-and-through too salty, because they soak the chickens in brine) and the only discernible spice is paprika 90% of the time, which fact I hate with a passion.
TheOtherHobbes 10y ago
Rotisserie chicken machines were common in London chip shops and other fast food places in the 70s. Some supermarkets used to have them too. They've largely disappeared from chip shops now, although some ethnic food shops still have them.
mhurron 10y ago
My introduction to rotisserie chicken was the Swiss Chalet chain in Canada. One of the few things I miss about Canada.
- peeters 10y ago
  Swiss Chalet accounts for 4 of the 5 worst dining experiences I've had. The franchise quality has really gone downhill. They have serious customer service issues. That said, I can probably guess what you miss: http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/swiss-chalet-dipping-sauce-mix/6000098328176 http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/swiss-chalet-dipping-sauce-mix/6.... I'm sure they'll ship worldwide ;-).
  - mhurron 10y ago
    Unfortunately the packets are not in any way similar. It has been over 10 years since I've been in one so it's possible it's gone all to hell.
peeters 10y ago
Swiss Chalet and St Hubert in Canada predate 1985 by quite a bit. I guess the claim is either unfounded or talking about the American market.
fbellag 10y ago
My grandparents had a Rotiseria here in Buenos Aires in the '30s and '40s, so I can confirm that is not a novelty :P

by Pamar 10y ago

rz2k 10y ago

A cofounder with me on another project was involved in Boston Chicken in its early stages. Her sister living in NY at the time told her the business was a dumb idea because everyone could already get fresh cooked chicken whenever they want from food carts. It's difficult to appreciate what was novel and what was obvious at different times in the past. I lived in Italy in 1994/95, and when I returned to a non-city in the US I was sure I wouldn't be able to find a good espresso, yet the independent coffee shops starting turning up right about when I returned. I also imagined that the per-minute local phone billing in Italy would end up precluding modems and the internet from taking hold back in Italy any time soon.

coldcode 10y ago
From what I remember Boston Chicken was a sort of stock scam that turned out a great buy when it went under. I vaguely remember McDonalds bought them out for virtually nothing.
- rz2k 10y ago
  She raised money for them as they were exhausting what they could get from "friends and family" connections, and long before they went public. Probably like a few others she worked with they later went through cycles of completely different management that was more suitable for different stages of growth, and rarely stuck to the long term plans of the founders. If I remember correctly, an early business plan for Blockbuster projected streaming, or at least delivery through people cable boxes, about a decade early than when later management was ridiculing Netflix's streaming business.

Gmo 10y ago

Yes, same in France

SmellTheGlove 10y ago

I can confirm, Italian, but I grew up in the US. When I was a kid, we roasted a lot of chickens because la rosticceria wasn't a thing in the neighborhood - in South Philadelphia or then out in the NJ suburbs. When Boston Market opened up, we ate a LOT of that. It was odd to my folks because it's the most basic of prep, and you could pretty much get a roasted chicken (or many other meats prepped the same way) on the go anywhere in Italy. It's fast food that isn't total shit.

pimlottc 10y ago
Yep, I remember when Boston Market came along in the 90s, it really spread like wildfire, seemingly overnight. They were quite popular, and no one else was doing rotisserie chicken at a mass scale like that before them.

douche 10y ago

I used to love getting these from doner kebab places when I was studying in Berlin. Our lunch stipend was about 5 euro, and I remember that getting half a chicken, french fries and a Berliner Kindl.

_0ffh 10y ago

Same in Germany, only more often than not we get them from snack vans/food trucks. Unfortunately, though I like grilled chicken, I find most of them quite horrible. The meat is usually too salty (and on top through-and-through too salty, because they soak the chickens in brine) and the only discernible spice is paprika 90% of the time, which fact I hate with a passion.

TheOtherHobbes 10y ago

Rotisserie chicken machines were common in London chip shops and other fast food places in the 70s. Some supermarkets used to have them too. They've largely disappeared from chip shops now, although some ethnic food shops still have them.

mhurron 10y ago

My introduction to rotisserie chicken was the Swiss Chalet chain in Canada. One of the few things I miss about Canada.

peeters 10y ago
Swiss Chalet accounts for 4 of the 5 worst dining experiences I've had. The franchise quality has really gone downhill. They have serious customer service issues. That said, I can probably guess what you miss: http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/swiss-chalet-dipping-sauce-mix/6000098328176 http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/swiss-chalet-dipping-sauce-mix/6.... I'm sure they'll ship worldwide ;-).
- mhurron 10y ago
  Unfortunately the packets are not in any way similar. It has been over 10 years since I've been in one so it's possible it's gone all to hell.

peeters 10y ago

Swiss Chalet and St Hubert in Canada predate 1985 by quite a bit. I guess the claim is either unfounded or talking about the American market.

fbellag 10y ago

My grandparents had a Rotiseria here in Buenos Aires in the '30s and '40s, so I can confirm that is not a novelty :P