Is ‘hot chicken’ the next boom for fast casual?
By Peter Romeo on Dec. 08, 2015It’s been done with burgers, pizza and sandwiches. Now chefs are trying a particular style of fried chicken as a way to ride the fast-casual boom. The last week alone has brought ambitious expansion announcements from three upstarts specializing in Nashville “hot chicken,” a spiced-up version traditionally served in a fashion reminiscent of a hot open sandwich.
They join a flock of slightly earlier entrants who are garnering a following far from Music City.
Here’s a quick review of the various contenders to date and how they differ from one another.
Nashville Hot
Chef James Hutchison, who formerly manned the stove at hot-chicken shrine Hattie B’s in Nashville, intends to open the prototype next month in the Cincinnati area. He promises authentic hot chicken—a thigh, wing or breast battered in a peppery spice blend, served atop a piece of white bread and garnished with pickle chips. Patrons can opt for various levels of spiciness. They also have a choice of sides and can order fish instead of the chicken. Hutchison and partner David Krikorian, a veteran of the Tom+Chee fast-casual chain, say they’ve already lined up additional locations.
Joella’s Hot Chicken
The new venture from EAP Restaurant Concepts, a multi-concept operator in Louisville, Ky., announced that it’s developing a second location of its hot-chicken entrant. Joella’s delivers “its own spin on Nashville’s classic hot chicken” by using a variety of spice blends to provide different levels of intensity, according to the announcement. Other differentiators include the use of all-natural local chickens and self-service craft beer draft stations that charge customers by the ounce so they can sample and experiment.
Big Shake’s Hot Chicken & Fish
Chef Shawn Davis is the Big Shake in the title, and he comes to hot chicken after a successful launch of a wholesale product, the Shrimp Burger, which was funded in part by an appearance on the TV show “Shark Tank.” He just opened his second hot-chicken restaurant, near Lexington. About half the customers of his original nearby store opted to forego the ultra-spicy coating on his chicken and fish. His sides include white beans and collard greens.
Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen
New York City chef and TV star Carla Hall hasn’t yet opened her Southern Kitchen, a hot-chicken place slated for Brooklyn, but news reports say she’s already lined up a second location, inside the borough’s Barclay Center sports arena. Meanwhile, she’s still trying to raise development funds through Kickstarter. Southern Kitchen is expected to give classic hot chicken a few twists. For instance, it may be offered as part of a sandwich made with a potato bun, and in the form of boneless chicken tenders.
Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken
Hailing from Memphis rather than Nashville, Gus’s is the current leader in the national hot-chicken derby, with 13 branches in seven states. Six more are under development. All but the original store are franchised. Gus, a.k.a. Vernon Bonner, died in 2007, but his grandfather’s recipe is still used by the chain. The original Gus’s opened in 1984, already boasting that its fiery chicken was world-famous, and is run today by the children of Gus’ widow and some members of the Bonner family.
Big chains trying hot chicken
KFC hasn’t been oblivious to the interest in hot chicken. The chain’s branches in Pittsburgh, Penn., are testing it, both in a bone-in and boneless form. Executives have confirmed that a nationwide rollout is in the works.
Captain D’s must have noticed that the traditional spicing and presentation used for hot chicken translate well to fish. The seafood chain added Nashville Hot Fish in 60 restaurants as a limited-time offer in October.