Lou Pappan

Elias Demetrios Papanikolaou (May 30, 1930 – April 11, 2023), more commonly known as Lou Pappan, was a Greek personality and western Pennsylvania-based restaurant owner who owned the restaurant chain, Pappan's Family Restaurants. He has been described as a Beaver County icon. His father owned a restaurant in Makrakomi, where he and his family worked and learned to cook. He immigrated to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, on June 7, 1951

Career

Pappan got married in 1960 and bought his first restaurant in 1961, which had been a failed candy store called "The Sweet Shop". Pappan claimed to have kept the name because he spent all his money to the point where he couldn't afford a new sign. In 1964, he opened the first Pappan's Family Restaurant location. The restaurant became known for its fried chicken radio and television commercials which featured Pappan saying his famous phrases, "Chicken, Chicken, Chicken!" and "you gonna like it".

Pappan's Family Restaurants filed for bankruptcy in 2007. Pappan retired in the 2010s and died on April 11, 2023, at the age of 92.