Women's History Month - Cordelia Knott
Knott's Berry Farm
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In honor of Women's History Month, Knott's would like to highlight the matriarch of our theme park, Mrs. Cordelia Knott. Cordelia Knott was a businesswoman who, along with her husband, was responsible for the creation of Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant. Knott's Berry Farm began as a roadside Berry Stand, selling berries and homemade jams and jellies along Highway 39 (Beach Blvd.) in the 1920s. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to help support their growing family, so the Knotts expanded the business into the tearoom of their farmhouse.
Initially, Mrs. Knott had no desire to go into the restaurant business, but she had no idea that eventually, she would run one of the most popular dinner spots in Orange County. To keep their farm in business during the Great Depression, Cordelia suggested that perhaps they should add her fried chicken dinner, a popular item amongst friends and family, to the menu. And so, on June 13, 1934, they added four tables to the tearoom, and Cordelia served her first chicken dinner to guests. That day, they only sold eight chicken dinners, all on their wedding china, at 65 cents apiece, but it was the start of something big. The thought process was that if they could entice people in for dinner and enjoyed the jams and pies, they would take some home.
The restaurant became a family affair, with Cordelia managing the kitchen, while daughters Virginia and Toni served the guests, and Marion helped bus the tables. By the end of 1934, they expanded their seating to twenty people, and by 1936, it grew to seventy. Within a few weeks, Cordelia's Tea Room was packed. While crowds surged on weekends, the popularity continued to grow, and people started driving from as far away as Pasadena to have some of Cordelia's home-cooked meals.
Today, Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant serves more than 1.5 million guests a year, with guests still visiting to get a taste of Mrs. Knott's classic fried chicken.