Our official name is KFC of Polly’s, and we are a restaurant company that began way back in February 1965 when two brothers, Donald and Eddie Sheldrake, became franchisees of a chicken roasting concept that was then gathering fans across the nation and today is known throughout the world by the initials KFC.

Both Don and Eddie were young men then. Some say they are still young; and since they are both still involved in the ownership and management of the company, there’s reason to believe that their youth may be perpetual.

Don had previous experience in the restaurant business during his college days. Eddie, on the other hand was a restaurant novice. After he graduated from UCLA where he was a Little All-American for basketball coach, John Wooden, he was in sales and marketing, including representing furniture manufacturers all around the West.

Through their good friend, Jim Collins, the Sheldrakes got to know KFC, liked what they saw, and sought an association with KFC that has lasted now for over 43 years.

The brother’s first franchise turned out to be the first freestanding KFC restaurant in Southern California, located on hip and busy 2nd Street in Belmont Shore in the city of Long Beach, just a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean. Hard work, a good location, and a desire to be successful afforded Don and Eddie opportunities to expand.

During the next six years – through 1971 – the brothers opened a new KFC franchise virtually every year, so that they were soon doing business across a large segment of the Los Angeles-Orange County megalopolis: Downey, Torrance, Los Alamitos, Bell Gardens, Cypress, Artesia, Yorba Linda and Brea.

There were no franchises added during the 1980s. But the company opened its Hawaiian Gardens restaurant in 1990. Then in 1991 the company purchased franchises from another franchisee and acquired four restaurants at one time: Hemet West; Hemet East; Yucaipa; and Ridgecrest. In 1993 the company opened a franchise in Sun City. Since then, and interspersed in the previous time frames, the company has moved some locations and significantly remodeled others.

All counted, the company today operates 15 KFC franchises and loves and nurtures every one of them. Four of the franchise locations are known as “2n1’s,” i.e., a combination of KFC and, in one case A&W; in two cases Long John Silver; and in a third case, Taco Bell. Each business contributes to the economy of its respective neighborhood, through employment and services. And each offers unique, tasty, nourishing KFC chicken and KFC sides to its guests. The company enthusiastically believes in the convenience and high quality of these offerings and is committed to serving them in a restaurant that is clean, well run, and as good as you, our guests, would have them be if you were the owners and managers.

Our motto is our mission statement: We want you to be glad you chose KFC of Polly’s.