It's not your imagination, Tampa Bay is currently saturated with fried chicken.
Sure, we've always had our share of classic fried chicken staples, but over the last few years dozens of national chains, local spots, food trucks and more have popped up all over the Bay area, and it's not a trend that's unique to us.
It's happening everywhere, and there's no one exact reason for the overall chicken-ing of America. But some would argue this all started with the rapid growth of Chick-Fil-A, coupled with the viral pandemic-era Popeye's Chicken sandwich craze of 2020.
According to a study from Edison Trends, Americans love chicken. It's not the only the most consumed meat in the U.S., but spending on chicken sandwiches grew by 420% from January 2019 to December of 2020. In that same period, Chick-fil-A was responsible for 45% of all chicken sandwich spending.
And the chicken wave hasn't slowed down. Last year, research firm Market Research Future estimated that the takeout fried-chicken market will grow by $1.92 billion from 2021 to 2026, and will continue to expand by 5.5% every year until 2030.
So it makes sense that restaurateurs are jumping on the fried chicken wagon, especially in places like Florida, and specifically Tampa Bay, where the population growth has exploded since the pandemic.
To keep track of it all, we decided to go back and look at every new fried chicken spot that has debuted over the last two years. We also included concepts that are about to open in Tampa Bay, as well.
Here's every new concept that's been on our radar.
Every new fried chicken joint that’s opened in Tampa Bay over the last two years
By Colin Wolf on Thu, Sep 12, 2024 at 2:08 pm
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Bonchon
308 E Fletcher Ave., TampaBonchon, arguably one of the best South Korean fried chicken chains, opened its first Tampa location on Sept 13. Besides double-fried, extra crispy Korean wings, the fast-casual spot features bibimbap bowls, pork belly buns, Korean tacos, bulgogi fries, a full beer and wine menu and more. Florida's first Bonchon opened in Orlando in 2017, and the chain has since grown its footprint in the Sunshine State, with new locations in St. Johns and Jacksonville.
Photo via Bonchon/website
Clutch City Cluckers
2315 E Fletcher Ave., TampaA Texas chain that specializes in, you guessed it, Nashville hot chicken will debut its first Florida location in Tampa later this month. Clutch City Cluckers, named after the Houston Rockets' 1994 and 1995 NBA Championship runs, will open its permanent food truck spot on Sept. 27. Known for Nashville-inspired hot chicken, Cluck City's menu also spans cheese topped hot chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, wings, shrimp tacos, salads, loaded fries, shakes, root beer floats, and more. Clutch City Cluckers was launched in Houston in 2021 by Ahmad Kilani, a native of Irbid, Jordan. The food truck chain has since expanded to 11 locations across Texas, Louisiana, and even one brick and mortar in Amman, Jordan.
Photo via Clutch City Cluckers/Facebook
The Fryer House
6617 N Nebraska Ave., TampaThe Fryer House, a new halal fried chicken spot, opened Sunday, Sept. 1 in the former BFF Artisan Bakery, which is directly across the street from popular Korean fried chicken restaurant Ganchu Chicken & Beer.The concept centers around halal-fried chicken sandwiches and tendies, as well as Japanese "karaage" chicken, and American style, all with varying degrees of hotness from "Nada" to "Pepper X," which requires a waiver. The Fry House menu spans plenty of sides like fried corn ribs, mac 'n cheese, fried okra and more. There's also vegan and vegetarian offerings, including vegan cauliflower and waffles, vegan cauliflower sandos and vegetarian loaded fries.
Photo via Fryer House/Facebook
bb.q chicken
3805 Northdale Blvd., TampaA slice of Seoul opened in Northdale back in April of 2023. Whether you’re in the mood for simple golden fried chicken, super spicy wings of fire, or non-stop K-Pop playing in a sit-down atmosphere, bb.q guarantees its customers the “best of the best quality,” because after all, that's what bb.q stands for. While the restaurant has over 3,500 locations worldwide, this is only the second location in Florida, with the first in Orlando.
Photo via bb.q chicken/Facebook
Chick N Max
Location TBDKansas-based chicken chain Chick N Max is headed to Tampa Bay. The company, known for its almond wood-smoked pulled chicken sandwiches, announced plans to debut up to five Tampa area locations in the coming years. The fast-casual chain currently has eight locations spread out across Kansas, Texas and South Dakota. For the unfamiliar, the chain's menu centers around 10 different types of chicken sandwiches, including its signature almond wood-smoked pulled chicken and fried tenders. There's also a handful of sides like fries, onion rings, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and smoked white beans, plus eleven sauces up for grabs.
Photo via Chick N Max
Chicken Guy
25769 Sierra Center Blvd., Wesley ChapelChicken Guy, a fast-food chicken sandwich and tender concept spearheaded by the Mayor of Flavortown himself, will soon open a new location in Wesley Chapel. Co-founded in 2018 with Planet Hollywood founder Robert Earl, the chain's menu primarily focuses on chicken tenders and Guy's "Big Bite" chicken sandwiches, which are both served either grilled or "crispy fried." There's also shakes, fries, mac and cheese, salads and more up for grabs. No exact opening date has been announced for the new Wesley Chapel restaurant, but local blog Tampa Bay Is Awesome says it will debut in October.
Photo via Chicken Guy/Facebook
Gangchu 2.0
6618 N Nebraska Ave., TampaFour months after going on the market, Gangchu has new owners who reopened the space in August. New owners Josh Kang, and his wife Jeanie, owned and operated Brandon’s Bom Oriental Market for about four years. Josh also runs five franchise locations of Charleys Cheesesteaks between the Bay area, Georgia and Ohio. Jeanie is a lawyer by trade, and a great cook, too. The couple wanted to run an independent Korean food restaurant before opening any of the Charleys locations. “We love to have fun, so this concept is a really perfect fit for us,” Josh added about the decision to move in. He’s excited to use his management skills, his wife’s food knowledge, and more help from Jeanie’s brother Sam who is also a great cook, to serve customers who’re already used to having Korean food at 6618 N Nebraska Ave. Josh said that for now, Gangchu 2.0 will run a smaller menu than the previous iteration.
Photo via Loopnet
Sugar Wing
12004 Anderson Rd., TampaEast coast chicken tendie concept Sugar Wing made its deep-fried debut in Pinellas County last April, and has since opened another location in the Carrollwood area. Sugar Wing, which will be open daily between 11 a.m.-9 p.m., is clearly all about consuming various types of chicken (like wings, hand-breaded strips, and chicken sandwiches). But there's also chopped salads, mac and cheese, fries, and sauces... a lot of sauces, 16 to be exact. Sugar Wing started as a ghost kitchen concept in 2019 from the folks at Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque, and has since expanded to include brick and mortar locations in the New York and New Jersey area.
Photo via Sugar Wing
Dave's Hot Chicken
Multiple LocationsDave's Hot Chicken opened its first Tampa area location in June of 2023. Since then the popular West Coast poultry chain has debuted a second outpost in South Tampa. For the unfamiliar, the main event at Dave's are the hot chicken tenders—which range from "no spice" to the fiery red "reaper" level. The menu also includes fries, kale slaw, mac and cheese, and a variety of milkshakes. Outside of Tampa, there are just three other Dave's Hot Chicken locations in Florida, with spots in Orlando, Lake Mary and Altamonte Springs.
daveshotchicken/Instagram
HCK Hot Chicken
3343 S Westshore Blvd., TampaFast casual restaurant chain HCK Hot Chicken (which stands for Hot Chickn Kitchn), celebrated the grand opening of its first Tampa location in December 2023. As the name suggests, the Virginia-based chain specializes inmade-to-order Nashville-style chicken tendies and sandwiches, made with 100% certified halal chicken. The menu also features loaded fries, salads, fried pickles, wings, mac and cheese and waffles. Last year, HCK opened its first Florida location in Sarasota, and also announced plans to open 200 new locations throughout the country.
Photo via HCK Hot Chicken
Flavas
4819 E Busch Blvd., TampaFlavas restaurant made its debut in September of 2023 specializing in chicken wings, burgers, hot dogs and freshly-squeezed lemonade. The new restaurant offers dozens of chicken wing variations—from unique sauces to dry rubs, and everything in between. Just a handful of wing flavors include chili lime, honey barbecue, ghost pepper, Nashville hot, mango habanero and garlic parmesan. Flavas co-owners Jacques Brooks (pictured) and partner Deonta Taylor recently relocated from Chicago, and wanted to bring a taste of home back to Tampa. A few Chicago-inspired items on their menu include a Polish sausage topped with cheese, grilled onions and peppers, and the city's beloved pizza puff, which is basically a fancy Hot Pocket.
Photo via Flavas
King of The Coop
1812 N 15th St., Ybor CityArguably one of the most influential of local hot chicken purveyors, Joe Dodd, owner of King of the Coop, opened his first location in 2022. In that time, he opened multiple locations across Tampa Bay, and even a food hall. But quality didn't keep up with Dodd's expectations, and he since scaled back the operation to just his latest Ybor outpost.
Photo via kingofthecooptampa/Facebook
St. Pete’s first Zaxby’s
3700 34th St. S, St. PetersburgSt. Pete’s very first Zaxby’s will open its doors in June of 2023. In addition to its beloved trifecta of chicken tenders, Zax sauce and a fat slice of toast, Zaxby’s also dishes out loaded fries, fried white cheddar bites, chicken wings, salads, fried pickles and a variety of chicken sandwiches. There are over 600 locations of the Georgia-based chain across the country, with over a hundred Zaxby's locations in Florida alone.
Photo via Zaxby's/Facebook
Detroit Wing Company
5006 E Fowler Ave., TampaThe Michigan-based wing chain Detroit Wing Company debuted its first Florida location in Tampa in February 2023. The spot has 20 wing sauces and six variations of dry rubs. If wings aren't your thing, the menu also has various types of mac ‘n cheese, cornbread bites, poutine and seasoned fries. The chain first opened in Eastpointe, Michigan in 2015 and currently has over 30 restaurants, mostly in Michigan and Ohio, and now its first outpost in Florida.
Photo via Detroit Wing Company/Facebook
Raising Cane’s
2525 Gulf to Bay Blvd., ClearwaterKnown for American delicacies like chicken tenders and crinkle cut fries, Raising Cane's made its Tampa Bay debut in January of 2023. Although chicken tenders dipped in its tangy signature sauce are the name of the Raising Canes’ game, popular sides on its menu also include coleslaw and Texas toast. Currently, the only other Raising Cane's storefronts in the entirety of the Sunshine State are located in Homestead and Miami.
Photo via Raising Cane’s/Facebook
Cheeky's
2823 Central Ave., St. PetersburgA new raw bar, seafood grill and fried chicken bar is coming to St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District, and it's from local restaurateur Nate Siegel, co-founder of new American restaurant Willa’s in North Hyde Park. Cheeky's, which is expected to open by the end of 2024, plans to offer up "fresh seafood, including East Coast oysters, shrimp, fish and daily specials from local waters and the Gulf, along with piping hot bowls of chowder, fried chicken, salads and more," according to a press release.
Rendering Courtesy of Cheeky's
Slim Chickens
7244 Wesley Chapel Blvd., Wesley ChapelArkansas-based chicken chain Slim Chickens will debut its first Wesley Chapel location in September of 2023, just down the street from The Grove shopping mall.This was actually the second Slim Chickens in the Tampa area. But the first was actually located within Mac Dill Air Force Base, so civilians never had a chance to go. The franchise is known for its buttermilk chicken tenders served with toast and fries, as well as salads, wraps and waffles. Plus, there's "Southern Sides" like fried okra, mushrooms and pickles, and classics like coleslaw, potato salad and mac and cheese. Founded in 2005, Slim Chickens currently has eight locations in Florida and over 200 locations around the country and overseas.
Photo via Slim Chickens/Facebook
Hot Chix
5208 N 22nd St., Suite B, TampaCalifornia-based chicken chain Hot Chix made its Tampa debut in July 2023. Nashville-style hot fried chicken is the main event, but there's also hot buns, chocolate shakes, mac and cheese, fries and more up for grabs.
Photo via Hot Chix/website
Holy Fry
8890 N 56th St, Temple TerraceHoly Fry opened its door in January of 2024. The locally-owned fast-casual restaurant is about halal fried chicken, but it also offers up fried pickles, fried okra, fried cheese, fried shrimp, fried fish and pretty much anything else you can toss in a fryer.
Photo via Holy Fry/website
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