West Germany: Ruler of the Roost

"My aim," says roly-poly Friedrich Jahn, 39, "is to become the European Howard Johnson." He is well on the way. Only seven years ago, Austrian-born Jahn was a waiter in a Munich striptease nightclub. Today he runs a money-clinking chain of 111 "Wienerwald" restaurants that serve up spit-roasted chicken, Viennese wine, and recorded zither music to 100,000 customers a day in 58 German cities. Partly because of Jahn's promotional abilities, German consumption of chicken has increased nearly fourfold since 1955 (to last year's average 13 Ibs. per person), and West Germany has become the world's largest importer of poultry.

In...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!