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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Chicken Delight boss was frugal, generous

By: Breanne Massey

Posted: 12/31/2010 6:53 AM | Last Modified: 01/2/2011 2:17 AM | Updates

Otto Koch

THE Winnipeg businessman behind the Chicken Delight chain died from heart failure last week.

Otto Koch, 73, immigrated from Herzberg/Harz, Germany to Winnipeg in 1959 and made Winnipeg his home. Koch and Irv Benne, his first business-partner, purchased the Chicken Delightfranchise on Portage Avenue in May of 1969 and, by 1979, Koch was the sole owner of global franchise rights for the Chicken Delight company.

Known for a particularly catchy jingle, "Don’t cook tonight, call Chicken Delight," the company is based in Winnipeg. The chain of restaurants serves chicken, pizza and ribs that can be ordered to eat in, take out or delivered.

Koch’s entrepreneurial flare and his vision provided a lucrative living, but friends remember him as a gentle and down-to-earth man who was humble.

"For somebody who was as frugal with his own expenses, he was so generous with others," said Armin von Hacht, a close friend who was sitting with Koch’s family last night. "If he saw people had a need for something, he was always ready to go and assist them."

"He had a huge gathering of close friends," said von Hacht. "Not just associates, he had a lot of friends."

Many people observed Koch at work or on trips home to Germany, but people noticed that he always took others under his wing ensuring their happiness both professionally and personally.

Koch, who died Dec. 21, is survived by relatives including his wife Alayna Braunstein and his sister Rose Brenner.

The Glen Eden Funeral Home on 4477 Main Street will hold a celebration of Koch’s life on Jan. 10 at 2 p.m.

breanne.massey@freepress.mb.ca