It’s only been three years, but the line at Howlin’ Ray’s in Chinatown is already the stuff of legend, a spectacle of stoicism, the world championships of waiting.

The Nashville-style hot chicken shop at Far East Plaza has become an essential pilgrimage for a certain kind of Los Angeles foodie. And Howlin’ Ray’s has come up in a lot of the interviews I’ve done with Chinatown locals since the restaurant opened in 2016, an object of bewilderment for some older residents and envy for business owners struggling to make rent. Most I talked with haven’t tried it.