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Trufoods, a New Jersey-based fast-food franchiser, wants to bring back a time when Long Island's roadsides were dominated by a chubby, smiling chicken donning a chef's hat.
Pudgie's, the iconic Long Island chain of chicken joints, is ready for a comeback, with Trufoods paving the way, said Gary Occhiogrosso, chief development officer of the franchise.
Once with 131 stores spanning 10 states and another 48 grinning chickens on the Island, Pudgie's has shrunk to seven stores, all back home where they started.
Aman Singh, a Pudgie's franchisee with stores in West Islip and Shirley, now has plans for another in Holbrook, he said at the West Islip location.
Singh has done well, he said, but now with Trufoods taking the reins as franchiser, he'll do even better.
Singh bases his optimism on three promises Trufoods is making: a national advertising campaign; the redesigning and upgrading of all the stores; and new distribution systems for food and equipment.
Singh said America's love of fast food for its taste, convenience and low prices is a profitable trifecta.
"Fast food is the future," Singh said. "As a businessman,...