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A former Happy Chef restaurant figure stands outside A-Z Restaurant Equipment in Princeton, Minnesota, with 'A - Z' in green on its hat and a green vest. WJON reported in December 2025 that Highway 169 northbound drivers can see it.
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Happy Chef (former)
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Site-level location · 45.5998° N, 93.6009° W
FIELD GUIDE
The story
Happy Chef was a Midwest restaurant chain with more than 60 locations at one time, according to AM 1240 WJON, and its giant chef statues remain at a few sites. In December 2025 WJON listed three places in Minnesota where a statue can still be found, and one of them is in Princeton, outside A-Z Restaurant Equipment on Highway 169.
This chef has been repurposed for the business. WJON reported that its hat reads "A - Z" in green and that its vest is also painted green. The report gave the statues' height as 16 feet and said: "You can see him standing tall as you pass him going North on Highway 169." Only one Happy Chef restaurant remains in Minnesota, in Mankato, WJON said; the other two statues it listed are at a Wyoming, Minnesota store and at that Mankato restaurant.
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PRACTICAL
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WHAT TO EXPECT
A repurposed Happy Chef statue outside a restaurant equipment business, with the letters 'A - Z' on its hat. WJON reported in December 2025 that it can be seen from Highway 169 northbound; the site is a working business.
ACCESS
Outside A-Z Restaurant Equipment on Highway 169 in Princeton, Minnesota, a commercial site. WJON reported in December 2025 that it can be seen from the northbound lanes.
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