About a mile east of Springfield's "Chicken Strip" collection of chain restaurants, the owners behind Kick's Chicken are preparing to serve up a local option for fans of battered-and-fried poultry.
After years working in the food industry, Kyle Gitchel and Xavier Cahoone were ready to open their own food truck or restaurant. Now, the duo is nearly ready to open the doors at Kick's Chicken at 1369 E. Sunshine St., formerly occupied by Corner 21.
"We just don't think there're good chicken strips in town at all," Gitchel said. "Like, there are so many chicken strip places, and none of them are good. And so, we just set out to make good chicken strips, and that's about it."
The restaurant will serve up chicken strips, wings, gluten-free chicken, and
mac and cheese, with various side dishes including Brussel sprouts. The chicken strips will also be incorporated into sandwiches, salads and wraps. Gitchel said more menu items are in the works and could be added in the future.
Gitchel said the plan is to prioritize take-out orders, using the drive-thru window for pickup. With the location near Mercy Hospital, he said this will be an easy spot for medical workers and patients and their families alike to grab a quick bite.
"We just want to provide a place where people can get really good food at a reasonable price, and the employees can feel appreciated, you know, feel like they're a part of a team instead of just a number," Gitchel said. "Kind of our mindset is we want to serve as many people as we can in as short amount of time as possible, just to really hit those lunch rushes, because we know that that's what that spot's really good at."
The name for the chicken shop came together fairly simply, Gitchel said. Combining the "K" from his own name with the "X" of Cahoone's, the two letters together sound like "Kick's," and thus the name was born. Both have worked in the food service industry for more than a decade. Gitchel said he has experience in serving and on the people side of the business while Cahoone has done more back-of-the-house work. With months working on realizing their collective dream, Gitchel said it comes down to serving the community.
"[It's about] making sure that we provide good food and good service at a reasonable price, so that we can just be a good place to eat," he said.
While the pair had hoped to be open already, Gitchel said they have run into delays with receiving all the necessary permits. He said as soon as they receive approval, they will open within a week. Updates can be found on the restaurant's Facebook page. Once open, Kick's Chicken will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., though hours could be adjusted based on business demand.
Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Local duo prepares to open new chicken restaurant in Springfield
