A Nashville-style hot chicken restaurant in Tampa, King of the Coop, is about to take their bites to new places. The beloved fried chicken joint will take their tasty talents to Wesley Chapel soon. But that's not all that they have in store.
Narcity spoke with the literal King of the Coop, Joe Dodd, who gave the inside scoop on what's cookin'.
"We're excited to expand and share what we're able to recreate in new neighborhoods with people who haven't discovered us yet," Dodd explained.
The new spot will be located on Wesley Chapel Boulevard and is currently slated for a mid-October opening — slinging their smothered hot chicken, sammies, $9.99 loaded tender baskets, fries, and southern sides.
Don't worry if heat isn't your thing though, there are mild chicken options as well.
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The new approximately 1,500 square foot space will be able to accommodate about 24 people inside, with an outdoor seating area to come down the line as well. But this upcoming location isn't the only foodie heaven King of the Coop has on the horizon.
Dodd clued Narcity into another location that's in the negotiation stages and expected to come near Tampa's Palma Ceia neighborhood around West Dale Mabry Highway.
Not only is this locally-loved chicken joint spreading their wings to more neighborhoods, but they're also giving back to their communities.
At the start of the pandemic, King of the Coop helped out fellow budding business, Empamama's and their unique Cuban sandwich stuffed empanadas, offering up spare kitchen space for them to use and keep serving their good eats.
Now, King of the Coop is starting its own charitable foundation, with a goal to give back to a new local charity each month.
On the last Sunday of every month, the restaurant will drop the price of their chicken tender baskets to $5, with the profits from those sales going to charity.
For the month of September, the charity of choice is Celebrate Birthdays.
The organization based in Tampa works to raise funds in order to throw birthday parties for foster children on their special day and ensure they receive a present, regardless of financial situation — because as their webpage says, "every child deserves to have a Happy Birthday."
The $5 baskets come with 3 tenders, fries, bread, sauce, and pickles. The King of the Coop himself laughed that he can barely finish it even though he's "thicker than a Snicker."
Celebrate Birthdays will also have a lemonade stand, with those profits also going towards its mission.
"The first reason for starting our charitable foundation, we want to give back to the communities we're in that show up every day to enjoy our chicken," said Dodd.
"We're still considered a little guy, but we also want to show that even the little guys can make a big difference."
Good eats and good hearts, those are the flavors that feed Tampa Bay.
King of the Coop
Price: 💸💸
When: Mid-October; keep an eye out for the official opening date posted to King of the Coop's Facebook and Instagram pages.
Cuisine: Nashville hot fried chicken, baskets, sandwiches, and sides.
Address: New location at 27835 Wesley Chapel Blvd #100B Wesley Chapel, FL; first location found at 6607 N Florida Ave, Tampa, FL.
Why You Need To Go: Delicious Nashville hot fried chicken that will delight your tastebuds. Not only is their food to die for, but the business is giving back to its communities.
