BATON ROUGE - This year, the legendary Chicken Shack restaurant celebrates its 90th anniversary. The late Thomas "Tommy" Delpit opened the business in 1935.

“It's like a Christmas story. We hear it every year. In 1935, he came from New Orleans to Baton Rouge with, I wanna say, 35 cents in his pocket...and he started the Chicken Shack,” Delpit's great-grandson, Doug Smith, said.

Smith is one of many of Delpit's family members who keep the business running. It was originally an ice cream parlor. In 1937, Tommy changed it to the Chicken Shack that people know and love today.

"I think my great-grandfather did a marvelous job, but my grandfather and my grandmother, they really took it to a whole new level,” Smith said.

Doug’s grandfather and Tommy’s son, Joseph Delpit, took over the business in 1959. He expanded it to new heights.

"With the tenders, the fish, the pork chops. We got fish sandwiches, fish po'boys, shrimp po'boys,” he said.

General manager Troy Carter has worked at the Chicken Shack for 46 years. He says Joe Delpit created a legacy that expanded far beyond the chicken.

"When Baton Rouge had a problem, Mr. Delpit was at the forefront, and so he rallied around people,” Carter said.

Joe Delpit was the first Black city councilman for Baton Rouge. After that, he served four terms in the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 67.

"Now, the people rally around Chicken Shack. It don't matter what's going on in Baton Rouge, we can count on at least 500 people coming in that door every day,” Delpit said.

To celebrate its 90th anniversary, the restaurant is having a special on Feb. 8. All day, the two-piece chicken meal will cost $1.90. However, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., the two-piece will cost 90 cents.