Yankee Doodle Dandy’s Chicken Tenders Rule the Roost on NYC Streets

For Josh Gatewood, the chicken came first.

Gatewood was working on Wall Street in 2012, hawking securities, but his mind kept drifting to a different recipe for success: chicken tenders so good they would draw a crowd, be worth the wait, make people happy.

“Every day was an eye-roll” working on Wall Street, Gatewood says. “I had dreams of the trading floor, but found myself in a job that was leaving me broke. I began to spend more time thinking about chicken than making calls.”

So, while studying for his stock broker license, a series of life-changing events—breaking up with his girlfriend, facing bankruptcy, living on food stamps—set in motion an unusual moment that would change his life forever.

“I was long on ideas, but short on capital,” Gatewood says. “So, I did what any logical person would do to get some money: I applied to be on a game show!”

Out of luck and out of money, he moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, to take up residence on his sister’s couch.

Then, destiny hatched a plan.

Shortly after arriving in Tennessee, a producer from “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” called to tell Gatewood he was selected to be on the game show. All he had to do was make his way back to New York City.

“When I heard the words, ‘You’re on the show!’ I was crying on the phone,” Gatewood says. “It felt like this was the second-chance opportunity I needed to get back in the game.”

He hopped a bus from Knoxville to New York and was soon standing beside host Meredith Vieira, who asked Gatewood to share with a national audience how he’d spend his winnings.

“I’d like to start my own all-American Southern fried chicken restaurant, all organic; I’d like to call it Yankee Doodle Dandy’s to fit the all-American motif. That’s the plan and what I’m gonna do when I win the million,” Gatewood announced on the show, which aired Oct. 31, 2012.

He wants to be “the next Colonel Sanders,” Vieira said.

Gatewood faced questions on bulletproof body armor, author Ray Bradbury, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, and the breakfast dish Potatoes O’Brien.

He had $43,600 in his show bank and was guaranteed to win $25,000 when he decided to skip two questions and move ahead to Round 2. The questions were worth $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.

The first question of Round 2 was worth $100,000:

What did sound effects legend Ben Burtt record to use for the rolling boulder scene in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”?

A. His dogs running down stairs

B. His kids playing in garbage cans

C. His car driving on gravel

D. His shoes in the clothes dryer

Gatewood quickly said, “D. Final answer.”

He was wrong; Burtt used his car to make the legendary sound. Gatewood walked away with $25,000.

He returned to Tennessee with his bankroll to master the art of chicken tenders and started working at a favorite fast-food chicken eatery as a fry cook to gain intel.

“While the chicken there was popular and I had been a fan, I also learned that it was filled with MSG and over-processed. I knew I could do better,” Gatewood says.

After spending time perfecting his tenders recipe, Gatewood returned to New York.

“On Sept. 11, 2013, I bought the first food truck. I was at a Manhattan high-rise office window, looking downtown at the 9/11 Tribute in Light and thinking how blessed I am that the city that ate me up and spit me out would also give me a second chance.”

Gatewood’s chicken tenders are fresh, never frozen, with no antibiotics or hormones. A “secret seasoning” blend coats the tenders, which are then hand-breaded in a flour recipe. Then, after marinating in the coating, the tenders are fried to golden perfection.

Yankee Doodle Dandy’s hit the streets of New York in November 2013 with Betsy, named after Betsy Ross, the upholsterer credited with creating the first American flag during the Revolutionary War. Gatewood’s daily social media posts alerted customers to Betsy’s location, and he was growing his business and gaining a loyal chicken tenders fan club until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and forced Gatewood, like the city he loves, to come to a full stop. He has spent the past few years getting back on track.

And now, nearly 15 years later, the Dandy’s family has grown: Two additional food trucks named Dolly (Madison) and Molly (Pitcher) are making the rounds in New York City.

“I’m so grateful,” Gatewood says. “I’m doing something I love and making people’s days a little better.”