Restaurant Review #6: Donahoo's Golden Chicken

Let's talk Chicken.   Chickens are meant to be fried.   That is their purpose in life.   Oh, I know that many of you think that they serve another purpose, that of producing eggs.   I say rubbish.  Ducks produce eggs that work just as well as chicken eggs, and yet, no one eats fried duck.  Besides, most of you know my opinion of eggs (they were originally cooked to feed prisoners of war in order to get them to surrender quicker.  True fact.), so you can understand my feelings about chickens. 

There is another school of thought that says that chickens do not have to be fried.   They can be baked, or grilled, or even sauteed.   This hypothesis is so ridiculous I will not even respect it with a discussion.   Chickens are meant to be fried.  Skin on, by the way.

Lately I've been trying a few fried chicken joints, searching for the best.   I thought I'd start a small series of "Great Places to get Fried Chicken" and this is the first entry in that series.   We're starting with an above-average place here in Pomona:   Donahoo's. 

A great chicken joint needs a few things to guarantee it success.  Obviously, they need deep fryers, a good coating recipe, good sides, and - most important - a giant statue of a chicken on the roof.   Donahoo's does indeed have the giant chicken, perched high above Garey Avenue, threatening anyone who happens to park under him.   I have spotted the giant chicken for several months now, and finally couldn't pass him by any longer.  

Donahoo's was once a small chain of chicken take-out restaurants in the area. Today there are still three restaurants existing: one in Pomona, one in Riverside and one in Ontario, all owned by different people. The blogs say the Pomona location is the best of the bunch, having changed the least since the family sold the restaurants.  This one is run by a family, and you can see the entire family working together in the kitchen during the busy times.

The restaurant serves take-out only, with each meal packaged in it's own take-out box.   The serve chicken, chicken fingers, and giblets.   You can get an entire meal of chicken giblets, although why you would want to do that is beyond me.  I ordered chicken.  

The chicken is breaded, fried, and packaged while you wait.   Fries, rolls, and salads are the only sides available.  I got fries.

The chicken here tastes homemade, which is a big selling point to me.   The spices are good, but nothing out of the ordinary.   Flour is a big percentage of the mix.  The skin is golden and crunchy, while the meat underneath is moist, as good fried chicken should be.  The steakfries are typical.   The rolls have the butter baked into them, saving me eating time, which I always appreciate.
Overall, Donahoo's is a great place for a quick fried chicken fix.   Here is my rundown on Donahoo's  (scales are from 1-10):

Giant Chicken on Roof:  Yes
Ambiance of restaurant:    5
Taste of Chicken:    8
Side Dishes:     3
Something besides Coke to drink:     5
Mashed Potatoes:   N/A
Gravy:   N/A
Overall rating:   6