Brush With Tragedy Can't Stop Lee's Chicken Of Tulsa

By Dan Bewley and Teri Hood, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- An Oklahoma family is celebrating 40 years in business, despite a heartbreaking setback. Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken restaurant opened its doors in the spring of 1970.

They've served thousands of chicken dinners and dealt with tragedy.

For 40 years, at 9th and Sheridan, Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken has taken care of hungry Tulsans.

"Two-piece, all white breast, best chicken in town," said customer Rusty Vanderpool.

Rusty Vanderpool has been coming here at least once a week for the past three decades.

"Yeah, when we first started coming in here these girls were little bitty," he said.

Those girls are sisters, Lucinda Whitworth and Samantha Bonfitto. Their grandfather opened the restaurant in 1970. He still owns it, and his granddaughters are the managers.

"I think it's the consistency that people come to love," said co-manager Lucinda Whitworth.

The sisters say the secret ingredient is hard work and dedicated customers.

"I had a customer come in a few weeks back and order livers and gizzards to take to his wife in California," said Samantha Bonfitto, co-manager of Lee's Chicken.

"He put them in his suitcase and put them on the plane with him and took them to California. I don't know if they made it there or not but he sure did take them with him."

But the family has seen their share of tragedy.

In 1992, four employees were killed during an armed robbery, and the restaurant was shut down for weeks.

Whitworth credits her loyal customers for keeping the business open.

"Customers that had been coming in for years saying, 'What can I do to help you? What can I do to help you?' They still today come in and eat," she said.

Whitworth says their 40 year history gives reason to believe that Lee's will be around for a long time to come.

"I hope so, I hope so. I'm not quite sure if I will be here but I would love for the family to keep it going," said co-manager Lucinda Whitworth.

The sisters say the famous recipe is still the same after all these years. The only thing that's changed is the size of the menu.