By Amy Falkofske
There’s a brand new title on the town within the restaurant enterprise, and it’s already making a splash. Scorching Chikn Kitchn, a quick-serve Nashville scorching hen fashion restaurant, opened on Nov. 15, 2020, in Woodbridge and has been enthusiastically welcomed by the group.
The Scorching Chikn Kitchn Story
HCK occupies the area that was a Sweeto Burrito franchise. Franchise proprietor and HCK founder, Mike Sarago, closed the Sweeto Burrito on March 30, 2020, when the pandemic hit and put plans into movement for a Nashville scorching fashion restaurant. That plan included way over simply opening a restaurant.
“The plan was to determine a minority possession group, somebody who was within the restaurant enterprise, or needed to be within the restaurant enterprise on the chef aspect, and get them in enterprise at a low price with the thought of turning the shop over to them sooner or later, so it could be a 100% minority possession group,”
mentioned Sarago.
He then reached out to county supervisor Victor Offended. Offended put him in contact with Eric Williams who Sarago has recognized for years and labored with earlier than on different ventures. Williams is an actual property dealer by day and has a robust monetary background.
“I reached out to Eric and advised him of the thought. He jumped proper on it, and he put collectively an possession group,” mentioned Sarago. That possession group ended up together with Williams himself, Chef Freddy Gilmore, Darrell Williams (Williams’ brother) and Lee Small.
A Ardour for Small Enterprise
Sarago has been self-employed for 27 years and has been within the restaurant enterprise for the final eight. He has a ardour for serving to small companies succeed. That has been a part of the driving drive behind HCK.
“I’m a giant proponent of small enterprise. My concern is we’re going to finish up with Amazon, Goal and Walmart, and on the meals aspect, we’ll have three restaurant selections. I see the pandemic disproportionately smashing small enterprise,” mentioned Sarago.
Sarago and his son, Anthony Sarago, have a holding firm that they’ll license out of. Sarago will use his firm to assist small enterprise restaurant homeowners.
“We’re a restaurant, however we need to be greater than that to the group and whoever we will attain. Which may be within the type of serving to one other small enterprise whose idea is likely to be outdated or drained. They could be in a franchise state of affairs and that franchise is taking an enormous quantity of their revenue. We will reduce that
impression for them and provides them a path ahead,” he mentioned.
Unity By way of Meals
HCK’s homeowners and companions from left to proper: Lee Small, Darrell
Williams, Mike Sarago, Anthony Sarago, Eric Williams, Freddy Gillmore
One other one in every of Sarago’s passions is giving alternatives to minorities in the neighborhood. Out of that zeal was born the restaurant’s motto, Unity By way of Meals. You’ll be able to see the slogan on an indication proper as you stroll in. Patrons like to take selfies in entrance of the signal.
Williams echoes Sarago’s ardour.“We really imagine that once we open our doorways each day that we’re going to be serving our group and selling unity via meals,” he mentioned.
HCK’s meals is Halal licensed, making it the one place that the massive Muslim inhabitants in the neighborhood can go regionally to get fried hen.
Unity via meals can be born out of Sarago and Williams’ want to convey the group collectively via socialization.
“We’re a restaurant, however I believe we’re extra of a social gathering, a spot for folk the place we will convey totally different concepts, totally different races collectively, and it’s an exquisite factor. The idea and the unity resonate via the group. We’ve been humbled by the help and overwhelmed by the eye
we’ve obtained up to now,” mentioned Sarago.
Rooster on the Menu
The hen tenders at HCK are the most well-liked merchandise on the menu. The tenders are large! They are often dipped in one in every of their premium sauces or ordered plain. Two tenders add as much as about 6 ounces of hen.
The hen sandwich is standard too. It comes with the “GOOD” sauce, pickles and slaw. In case you are a fan of hen and waffles, in fact you may get that at HCK, too. They provide a scrumptious fried Nation Chikn Salad as nicely. Moreover, they provide a wide range of aspect objects like crispy crinkle reduce fries, slaw, mac and cheese, and fried pickles. On your candy tooth, they’ve donut drops with a aspect of candy glaze for dipping. All the things at HCK is ready in home, scorching and contemporary. “The hen is made to order,” mentioned Sarago.
4 Ranges of Warmth
One factor that distinguishes HCK from different eating places within the space is their premium, pepper-infused sauces with escalating warmth ranges. Sarago and Williams visited a number of conventional Nashville scorching hen fashion eating places. They discovered that the hen had a number of warmth from the normal pepper rub however lacked taste, in order that they got down to make a flavorful sauce.
Sarago developed a flavorful sauce and infused peppers for various ranges of warmth. First is the Base Sauce made with chili pepper. The second stage is named Afterburner made with habanero pepper. The third stage is named Offended Scorching, named after Supervisor Offended and made with scorpion pepper, and at last, there may be the Medic, the most well liked sauce, made with Carolina Reaper pepper.
Not Simply Spicy
If spicy will not be your factor, haven’t any worry. You may get something on the HCK menu plain.
“We don’t need to be pigeon-holed into solely scorching (spicy) choices as a result of it begins with a succulent, hand breaded piece of hen that anybody can take pleasure in with or with out sauce. We would like this to be a gathering place for all,” mentioned Sarago.
Actually Distinctive in Prince William
Williams mentioned that HCK is basically only a variation on Nashville scorching hen which, in line with Sarago, is large on the west coast and is slowly migrating east.
“As a result of we’re not scorching only for the sake of being scorching and we have now a flavorful, infused pepper sauce, we hope to maneuver towards the Prince William fashion scorching that offers slightly extra native taste as a result of it’s a derivative of Nashville scorching, however what we’ve carried out is actually distinctive and unique,” Williams mentioned.
Adapting to the Pandemic
HCK affords third-party supply and shortly to return, curbside pickup. There are QR codes on the within and out of doors of the restaurant that you could scan, then place your order on-line, pay and decide it up on the restaurant. To position an order for pickup or supply, go to hotchiknkitchn.com. They’re additionally engaged on
contactless supply in anticipation of one other shutdown as a result of pandemic. HCK has catering, as nicely.
HCK is positioned at 14313 Potomac Mills Highway in Woodbridge. They’re open Sunday via Thursday from 11 a.m. to eight p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. You’ll be able to name them at 571-398-2145.
Amy Falkfoske is a contract author and photographer. She has a Grasp’s diploma in Movie-TV with a focus in screenwriting. She lives in Bristow together with her husband, two boys and two Beagle canines.
