About Pete's

The Pete's Chicken Story

Pete’s Chicken N More, a local restaurant with 8 locations started its very humble beginnings right here in Corpus Christi, Texas. “We didn’t set out to have multiple locations”, says Randy Maldonado, Head Boss Bird of the company. He along with his wife, Yvette Maldonado purchased the mom and pop icon from Pete and JoAnna Santikos in January 1995. The Santikos Family arrived from Greece to live the American dream of owning a business. Thus, in 1976, Pete’s Chicken To Go was established in an industrial area in the west side of Corpus Christi. The menu then is much like the menu today in that it offers a wide variety of food selections. Fried chicken was the primary menu item along with burgers, steak fingers, fish and shrimp. Complimenting the menu were sides such as fries, fresh cut and hand breaded onion rings, homemade cole slaw, and fried okra. The landmark location at 3801 Agnes was the destination for many hungry people seeking good food, large portions, and friendly service. Pete’s was one of the few places where you could get family style orders and so it became a tradition to get “Pete’s for family gatherings. The tradition continues today as Pete’s has entered into different areas of Corpus Christi. Pete’s may appear to be different on the outside; however, the basic principles of great food, value and friendly service are being carried out today by its owners.

Randy was very familiar with Pete’s as he and his family lived around the corner and often ate there. Later in life, Randy’s wholesale egg and poultry company supplied Pete’s Chicken to Go with poultry. Little did he know that his relationship with Pete would someday set him up in business. In 1994, when Randy was at a crossroad in life with the closing of his wholesale company, he went to work for Pete as a cashier”. Little did he know this would be the training needed to later on purchase the restaurant from Pete. A year later the opportunity to purchase the well known restaurant was offered to Randy and Yvette. After negotiating a deal, some work went in to putting together a business plan and securing financing. Thus in 1995, Pete’s Chicken N More was hatched. “Pete’s was the opportunity needed to secure a future for me and my family”. “We didn’t know anything about the restaurant business at the time; we just knew we had to make it work”.

The entrepreneurial spirit and skill set that Randy inherited from his father, Rodolfo P. Maldonado, would become important factors to the success of Pete’s Chicken N More. Careful planning went into making gradual changes. The restaurant was already well established with a great reputation so the focus was concentrated on implementing systems and procedures that would enhance the quality of food and customer service provided to the customer. The customers responded very positively; therefore, giving the green light to consider opening a second location.

The second location was “testing the waters”. Would another location make it? Would Pete’s be accepted in another part of town? Would it take away business from the first one? The answers to these questions would soon be tackled by Michael and Patti Garcia, an engineer and teacher, who traded in their ties for aprons. An agreement was established for the Garcia family to own and operate the restaurant located at 5401 Kostoryz. This project involved overseeing the construction of the new building from the ground up. Upon opening in October of 2000, the response to the unknown was discovered. Customers were hungry for more of Pete’s chicken in the central part of Corpus Christi. “We’ve been blessed to have customers who are fanatical about our food who have helped us to expand in this community,” says Yvette Maldonado. This resulted in the development of opening more units across the city and establishing a franchise program to do business in 39 states. The additional restaurants are located at 4101 S. Port, 4128 S. Staples, 6502 Yorktown and three locations in the Coastal Bend.

Pete’s Chicken N More is proud to give back to their community that has supported them for many years. The company donates their time, money and food to organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, American Heart Association, Halo Flight, Red Cross, MDA, Sea Camp, Habitat for Humanity, Communities in Schools and little league sports teams. An annual health clinic is available to school aged children to receive free immunizations, physicals, vision and hearing tests and dental checkups. Also, they assist with college scholarships and local programs such as Neighborhood Visions and Rise Up and Shine for foster children.

Pete’s Chicken N More thanks all their staff for their dedication and loyalty. It is due to their commitment that they are able to continue to serve their community. The Pete’s Chicken N More family wishes to thank all of its loyal customers who support a local family owned business. It is the desire of the company to continue the growth with future entrepreneurs. Currently, more locations are being sought in Corpus Christi and surrounding areas. If you are interested in joining the Pete’s Chicken N More family of operators and take part in a ground floor opportunity, we would love to hear from you.