Canton woman’s perseverance, expertise help save iconic eatery

Canton resident Nicole Polidori-Badeen’s connection with the Allen Park eatery Wishbone Famous Broasted Chicken was supposed to be relatively short and sweet — close to one month; just enough time to allow the widely-respected restaurant consultant to observe the business’s day-to-day operations and establish a list of suggested enhancement ideas for the owner.

A Downriver chicken-joint favorite since 1957 located at 18617 Ecorse Road, Wishbone had earned iconic status in Allen Park — much like Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken has done in Plymouth — thanks to its mouth-watering food and welcoming, homey vibe.

Nearly two years after she first stepped foot in the 67-year-old comfort-food mainstay, Polidori-Badeen is still there, embracing the title of owner, not consultant — a development she never saw coming during her initial visit.

“After I had spent a month here observing everything — I look for things like: Which employees are eager? What needs to happen to make the restaurant more efficient? How can the menu be reworked to reduce inventory — I told the owner everything that had to be done to meet health department codes,” Polidori-Badeen said.

“After the owner thought it over, he decided it was too much work — he had taken it over from his father-in-law who had passed away — and he was thinking about closing the doors for good.”

Keeping history alive

Knowing a too-good-to-give-up-on tradition when she sees it — and following careful contemplation — Polidori-Badeen delivered an offer to purchase the brand late in 2022.

“I took on this restaurant to revive it because it has so much history,” explained Polidori-Badeen, whose never-a-dull-moment life would make for a compelling reality TV series.

“I’ve heard so many amazing stories about this place. For instance, back in the day, the Detroit Lions used to have Wishbone food brought to their facilities for the players.

“But then the players started getting a little too chubby (she laughed). Now, they have their own in-house nutrition staff that prepares their meals.

“And I can’t begin to tell you how many longtime Allen Park customers have come in and told me how Wishbone catered everything from their families’ high school graduation parties, weddings, post-funeral get-togethers. The stories really warmed my heart.”

In addition to consulting, Polidori-Badeen has worked as an executive chef at multiple metro-Detroit high-end restaurants. She is a top-shelf house flipper (she and her husband totally renovated their 100-year-old Canton home before moving in) — and she’s a loving wife and mother.

“I grew up in a 900-square-foot house with one bathroom in Novi with six people, so I learned to hustle at a young age,” she shared, chuckling.

‘Keep the family feel’

“After I took over Wishbone, I renovated it and cleaned it up to make it manageable for the times,” she added. “At the same time, I wanted to keep that family feel.”

Following a total makeover of the interior (Polidori-Badeen replaced the business’s decades-old booths with two bar-like sitting/eating areas, among other changes) she had an artist paint a modernized reproduction of the business’s logo (that had been originally painted on the east exterior wall) on the interior wall that greets patrons once they enter the freshened-up establishment: “WISHBONE — Home of good things to eat since 1957”.

“The new look was an adjustment, obviously, for longtime customers,” she said, smiling. “But I think it’s growing on them.”

The unthinkable unfolded on the first day Polidori-Badeen secured ownership of Wishbone.

“A lady crashed into the wall (on the east side of the building) with her car,” she revealed. “There was a huge hole in the wall, but the insurance company kind of downplayed it, so that’s been a wild ride.”

Remarkable resolve

A short time later, Wishbone was forced to close for months following a fire that caused extensive damage in the kitchen area.

But Polidori-Badeen persevered through the adversity and reopened in July of 2023.

“As soon as we re-opened, longtime customers returned and told me how happy they were that we were back in business,” Polidori-Badeen reflected.

Polidori-Badeen said her customers appreciate the restaurant’s ambiance and the way it prepares the food.

The timely, pressure-cooker method of cooking the chicken makes it moist and less-greasy than standard fried chicken — and eliminates the chicken sitting around for lengthy periods of time, allowing it to become dry and less-desirable.

“Plus we use nothing but fresh ingredients,” she added. “For instance, our mashed potatoes are made from whole potatoes, not powder, like a lot of fast-casual restaurants prepare them.

Super staff

“I give a lot of credit to my staff, too. We have an amazing team of women who show up everyday and do their jobs, which makes my life so much easier.”

In addition to the unforeseen calamities, the cost of a whole chicken increased approximately 34% from August of 2021 to August of 2023, adding to the balancing act for Polidori-Badeen of not raising prices too much, but still being able to maintain a manageable margin.

Through it all, Wishbone Famous Broasted Chicken continues to serve Downriver families just like it did in 1957.

Thanks in large part to an innovative owner who doesn’t know the definition of quit.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.

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