At the end of Prohibition (circa 1933) Al & Elizabeth Remaly what was called the shack on the corner of 1940 West Van Dorn & Burlington. After some remodeling it opened as “Al’s Inn” which had seats for a dozen people in booths and the bar counter. They specialized in beer and deluxe hamburgers.

A few years later Peter & Dorothy Dreith purchased the tavern. While keeping the menu intact they put on the first addition. In October of 1945 lee & Alice Franks purchased the small restaurant while the second addition was already in progress. When the Franks purchased it the building had no running water, outdoor restrooms, or plumbing. Alice recounted years later they would have to carry buckets of water from miles away for the basic daily functions of the business.

According to Alice there were days they did not even take in five dollars. Desperate to find something that would bring people in She picked up Wenzl’s menu maker, a popular book for restaurant owners at the time. Alice found the french fries deep fried in peanut oil an interesting idea. So, with a five dollar deposit  she purchased a tabletop deep fryer from the Sears catalog.

Some time later a customer came in and requested fried chicken so Alice went out back then killed and dressed a chicken per her family recipe from Louisiana. It was a huge hit and from then on Lee’s Tavern started to be known by another name Lee’s Chicken.

By 1955, after the completion of the main dining area Lee’s Drive-In seated up to 125 people and could serve 200 vehicles outside with its car-hop service. Through his entire time in business Lee Franks was an innovater in business. Being among the first places to have a television to watch sports in the 1950’s. Also among the first of the restaurants in Lincoln to add air conditioning. By far the most profitable of the ideas he used was the advent of carry-out and catering for picnics and gatherings of all types. From that time onward carry-out and catering has remained a specialty of Lee’s. Lee’s served on average 400 chicken dinners per day through the 1950’s and early 1960’s. 

By the late 1960’s there had been thirteen additions to the original structure including added seating, enlargement of the kitchen, an apartment upstairs, and private party rooms. The indoor seating had reached over 400 persons. On football Saturdays a thousand hungry diners would wait in line out the door and around the building to get some of that famous fowl. They would serve over 600 chickens (5,400pcs!) through the dining room, drive-in, and carry-out services.

In 1969 long time managers Paul (Ozzie) Wilcoxen and his wife Janice purchased the now famous establishment. Although being the second generation of owners of Lee’s as of 2019 they have owned it longer than Lee & Alice did. Ozzie passed away a couple years back however his wife Janice is still actively involved in running the business. They have always had the motto “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” They held that mantra and still do today. Lee’s has stayed successful due to that one simple statement. You can expect the same great food and service you had yesterday, last week, last month, last year, and thirty plus years before that.