Preacher style fried chicken?

About a year ago, James Lileks posted a picture of a matchbook from a chain of cafes called Harris Lunch, with locations in Ponca City, Oklahoma, and Wellington and Kingman in Kansas.

(UPDATE 2018/03/07: Lileks has since reorganized his matchbooks; here is the location of the Harris Lunch matchbook as of 2018.)

The matchbook advertises as the speciality of the house "Preacher Style Fried Chicken" and "$400 Waffles." Lileks couldn't find those phrases on the web:

Perhaps there was a contest that gave $400 for Waffle recipes, and the Harris folk won. Perhaps "preacher style" meant all white meat, since you'd give the visiting pastor the best. Who knows? These are the details we lose every day.

Does anyone reading this remember the Harris Lunch or know anything about Preacher Style Fried Chicken or $400 Waffles? Please post a comment below, or e-mail me at blog -at- batesline -dot- com.

UPDATE 2009/06/30:

Two and a quarter years after I posted this, the Long Tail of the Internet works its magic. Al Harris, son of the man who owned Harris Lunch and invented Preacher Style Fried Chicken and $400 Waffles, stopped by to post an explanation in the comments:

I happened across this article on matchbook advertising and was delighted to see this one from my father's restaurants. He built and owned several restaurants throughout Kansas, Oklahoma and other states. The Harris Lunch restaurants were very popular in Kingman, Wellington and Ponca city. My father, U.P. Harris operated the restaurants in Wellington and Kingman, while his good friend, Raymond Elmer, Sr. operated the one in Ponca city. My father had developed a secret ingredient waffle batter which he entered in a national food show competion (I believe in Chicago) in the late 1930's or early 40's. He won best of show and a $400 prize for the waffle. At that time that was a great deal of money. He also perfected a special batter and method of cooking chicken that was good enough to bring your preacher to dinner, thus the term "preacher style chicken". The old Harris Lunch in Kingman, Kansas was moved from its original location along Highway 54 to the fair grounds where it was used for many years. I have run across an old photo of this restaurant in Kingman recently while attending a family funeral in Kingman.

UPDATE 2016/05/30:

Gary Hodges from Waldport, Oregon, worked for the Preacher-Style Fried Chicken outlet in Ponca City, and his sister was married to the son of the owner. He sent a note last summer (which I'd intended to post at the time) and a photo:

I worked for Raymond Elmer Sr. (after school) in Ponca City. My sister married Raymond Elmer Jr. in 1946. In 1948 my brother and I rode the "Doodlebug train" from Ponca to Kingman Kansas to see my "big sister" and brother in-law.

Both of them worked at the Harris Cafe for Raymond Sr. and wife Sarah Elmer. At that time we were introduced to Preacher chicken and $400 waffles. I later worked at the Elmers' cafe in Ponca, when it opened in 1950. I was the after school chief dishwasher.
Had a lot of fun and at later got to do some of the prep work for the chicken and waffle batter. Having made the batter 65 years ago, I should be able to replicate the $400.00 waffle, but, I can't. I think mine turn out to be $4.00 waffles.

Those were $400.00 waffles and the chicken good for a preacher or a king. In Ponca, Raymond Sr. had 3 double waffle irons on the line, and what a terrific smell that was when you walked in for breakfast.

Doodlebug? It was a self-propelled railcar -- effectively an interurban car carrying its own gas-powered generator to run the traction engine, rather than drawing power off of an overhead trolley wire.

Gary also sent this photo of Raymond (Sr.) and Sarah Elmer in front of the Harris Lunch in Ponca City:

Gary wrote again this week, with more details about the process:

I worked for Raymond and Sarah Elmer in the late 40s in Ponca City. My Sister Patty was married to their son Raymond Elmer Jr. Both Patty and Raymond jr. are deceased.

I was the Elmers' Cafe "pearl diver" for a couple of years while I was in middle school in Ponca City. At the time, they were operating the Elmers' Cafe on west Highland st. in Ponca. The waffles were outstanding and I think their quality was more about the process they used to mix them and the irons that were used to cook them. Otherwise, they contained basic waffle ingredients. Their heated butter, syrup and hot plates greatly added to their popularity.

Related to the origin of Preacher Fried Chicken, As I remember it, Ray Sr. wanted a chicken which could be ready to eat in a few minutes from the time it was ordered by the preacher and people just getting out of church. As a result he par boiled cut chickens and cooled them. The chicken served out of the deep fryer was extremely tender and when the chicken pieces were dipped in flour and batter and cooked in a deep fryer the results were prompt and super tasty. As I recall, it would take 7 to 10 minutes depending on the size of the chicken portion, to prepare a plate of chicken, potatoes, cream gravy, green veg, and hot rolls ready to be served. I certainly enjoyed working for them and learned a lot about the world of work as a 8th and 9th grader while washing the dishes, etc. To this day, I still prefer fried chicken prepared the Elmers way.

UPDATE 2018/03/07:

Jeff Elmer, son of Raymond Elmer Jr., wrote with more information about the restaurants that the Elmer family operated in Ponca City:

I was very happy to see an article referring to my family. I read your article about the Harris Lunch in Kingman and Mr Harris' reply regarding his father and my grandfather, Raymond Elmer Sr. (March 2007 continuing to 2009). Gary Hodges that replied is my mother's brother.

My grandfather helped to run the Harris Lunch in Kingman and later relocated to Ponca City at the Harris Lunch there until he opened the Elmers' Cafe on west Highland in Ponca City in the late 40's which him and my grandmother operated until the mid 60's.

I was born in 1952 and grew up in the Elmer's Cafe. I spent a lot of time there in my younger years before I started school. Chicken and Waffles was something people ordered.

Mr Harris' story about the preacher fried chicken was probably how the name came about and it was very unique too. What made it special was the way it was prepared. It allows for part of the cooking preparation to be done ahead of time. The raw chicken is cut up into its appropriate parts and boiled. I am sure he seasoned it some. Then the chicken along with the water (broth now) it was boiled in was put in containers and refrigerated. So the chicken is now already cooked and waiting for an order.

To prepare this to serve it must be battered and deep fried to golden brown. To do this there is a pan with water (I think that there might have been something else in the water but it might just be cloudy after being used a few times battering the previous orders) and another pan with a mixture of flour, and pepper (could have had another spice or 2). The chilled chicken pieces are taken from the water they are in and rolled/dredged through the flour, then in the water and back in the flour. These are placed in the deep fryer just until the coating is a light golden brown and the chicken has been heated up, making that first bite piping hot and delicious.

There is still a restaurant in Ponca City in approx the same location as the Harris Lunch was and a restaurant still in the same location as the Elmer's Cafe. I guess my grandfather knew good locations.

The Harris Lunch building now houses the Happy Days Cafe, on the northwest corner of 5th and Grand in downtown Ponca City, although the chrome and Vitrolite (or is it Carrara?) you see in the photo above are long gone. The menu of the Happy Days Cafe lists its predecessors on that corner, beginning in 1939 with the Harris Lunch operated by Raymond and Sarah Elmer. In 1947 "Doc" Oxford took over, changing the name the following year to The Oxford. That would line up with the late '40s or 1950 start for Elmers' Cafe, as mentioned by Jeff Elmer and Gary Hodges.

Country Kitchen Restaurant at 622 W. Highland looks like it might have been home to Elmers' Cafe.