Food + Drink: Why did the crispy chicken cross the road?
A new trend in Carolina restaurants upends a semantic staple
Two similar restaurant concepts launched in North Carolina recently. The first, BB’s Crispy Chicken, just opened its second location in Durham (the first one in Raleigh welcomed customers for the first time last October). The other spot, milkbread, is a creation from the same folks who brought us Kindred, an upscale eatery just accross the street from where Steph Curry used to play college basketball.
These joints are fast-casual (with extreme franchisability) and hail from well-respected James Beard award-winning names. That’s not all they share.
The menus from both of these ventures capitalize on a new food trend which seeks to eliminate the word “fried” from menus and replace it with “crispy.” Is it just marketing trying to appeal to healthier-minded appetites? Is there a new technique or different method to making crunchy poultry the public should be made aware?
I called both spots. According to the employees who answered, both places are using the same familiar method: fryers full of canola oil. I guess we can thank the marketing department for this food trend. Of course, these aren’t the first restaurants to opt-out of using the word “fried.”
My Crispy Fried Takes
I have questions. And answers.
Why are respected chefs and restauranteurs getting in on the fried chicken game?
Easy. It’s delicious.
Are they offering a better product than what’s currently on the market?
It’s subjective, of course. But… yeah.
You know with the names attached the food is gonna be delightful. It’s certainly not less expensive. Not that it should be. Underpaying for prepared food (thanks to farming subsidies and tip culture) is basically a guaranteed right in the United States of America. The slim margins known to restaurants could be exactly what’s getting these revered restauranteurs into more oil and starch.
Fast-casual mean franchises. Consistency is hard to scale with sit-down and fine-dining establishments. The fast-casual space offers exponential growth not available elsewhere. In theory, it’s easier to make A LOT of money with these types of eateries. Once the process is perfected and a supply-chain is in place, it’s off to the races. The goal is to open as many of these as possible at a sustainable pace. Success comes in the form of new investors or selling the entire operation to a bigger player. Which is to say, if these places take off and expand nationwide or possibly beyond, at some point they take on a life of their own and don’t have much to do with the people who got it there.
Have you spotted the “crispy chicken” trend in your area?
Let me know below!
