In the early 1960s, fried chicken restaurateur Albert Constantine found himself in direct competition with Colonel Sanders. Constantine knew he had to step up his game. "He had a line outside his store every day,” the restaurateur told Baltimore City Paper. “I figured I could do business like that too." He devised a breading that would feature 21 herbs and spices, and he used his trusty broaster―a type of pressure fryer used for frying poultry―to fry bone-in chicken in 100% peanut oil. The result: crispy chicken that wasn’t greasy. Maryland Fried Chicken was born.

Today the franchise has restaurants in a few different states, and they all serve Constantine’s original recipe for Maryland-style fried chicken. The most popular menu items are the individual and family-size chicken dinners, which come with white or dark meat chicken, southern sides, and buttery biscuits. There are also some bite-size snacks available at the restaurants, such as buffalo wings, hush puppies, and ice cubes.