Lewis Rudd
Lewis Rudd is President and Co-Founder of Ezell's Famous Chicken. After waiting six years for initial
funding, the family opened the first Ezell's Famous Chicken store on February 3, 1984 in Seattle's Central
District. Since opening, Ezell's was featured in Esquire Magazine as the Most Life-Changing Fried Chicken in
America and has made many famous fans including Oprah Winfrey, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Quincy Jones, Norm from
"Cheers", Danny Glover, George Foreman and the Seattle Seahawks. Ezell's Famous Chicken has grown to 17 fast
casual locations with around 300 employees, and built a brand that is recognized nationally.
Rudd grew up in Marshall, Texas in a large family of ten siblings, with strong values. His first restaurant
experience was as a teenager working three years for a local chicken chain, which sparked inspiration for
Ezell's Famous Chicken. An entrepreneur at heart, Rudd also owned and operated a photography studio as well
as a talent agency developing and managing local talent.
In 1984, the dream of owning his own restaurant business became a reality. Rudd and his family saw their
mission as simple: Provide fresh and high quality chicken and good homemade side dishes, served with fast
and courteous service. Ezell's makes their signature dishes from scratch, daily at each location. The
family-owned and operated company had nine of the ten siblings working at Ezell's over the years, three of
the family founders are still active in day to day operations.
With Rudd's leadership, Ezell's evolved from fast food to fast casual dining, added a catering division,
delivery, and continues to implement technology in key areas of the business. Ezell's Famous Chicken is now
a household name in Seattle and developed a loyal following throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Rudd is very active in the Seattle community supporting many organizations. In August 2021, Lewis and his
brother Darnell Rudd, along with their sister Faye Stephens, introduced the Rudd's R.U.B.B. (Raising Up
Black Businesses) Initiative, a precedent-setting program designed to financially empower Black-owned
businesses in the Pacific Northwest. The Rudd Family contributed $10,000 to start the fund. In partnership
with food delivery service DoorDash, who donated $40,000 as a Charter Partner, Rudd's R.U.B.B. offers
no-strings-attached business grants to Black-owned businesses and organizations to help fund sustainability,
operations, growth and success.
While reviewing applications for the R.U.B.B Initiative, it became apparent that in addition to financial
support, access to information, education, and networking opportunities would also be incredibly important
for a lot of black owned businesses in the community. With this in mind, Lewis launched the Inaugural Black
Business Leadership Conference in August of 2022, in honor of #NationalBlackBusinessMonth. The conference
allowed R.U.B.B. to reach more businesses by connecting them with sustainable education, tangible resources,
and sustainable networks. For information and updates about the Rudd's R.U.B.B. Initiative and the next
Black Business Leadership Conference, visit the Ezell's Famous Chicken Community page.