COVID casualty no more: Chicken chain reverses course, adding Lexington location after all
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Hold onto your napkin: Joella’s Hot Chicken has reversed course and will be coming to Hamburg after all.
The Louisville-based restaurant chain had confirmed plans in February to move into 2305 Sir Barton Way, where Blaze Pizza had been.
But in July that plan looked like pandemic roadkill: “Joella’s does not have current plans to open a store in Hamburg,” Christina Happel, regional vice president of operations for Joella’s Hot Chicken, said in a statement on July 27. “While we do look for growth opportunities in our existing markets, we’ve paused on opening any new locations that weren’t already in progress before the pandemic.”
Now, the chicken is changing course again. On Friday, Joella’s announced that they plan to open two new stores, including one in Lexington on Sir Barton Way.
The 2,484-square-foot space will be transformed into a “Southern dining experience for the entire family with indoor and outdoor patio seating,” according to Joella’s.
The other will be in Clarksville, Ind., according to the announcement.
Both stores will open in the fall of 2020.
This will be Lexington’s second Joella’s restaurant, joining the one on the corner of Cochran and Tates Creek roads.
What changed? Apparently people have been eating a lot more chicken than anticipated.
“In an unprecedented time for the hospitality industry, we are incredibly grateful to continue our growth by opening these two new restaurants,” Happel said in the news release. “Our loyal fans in Kentucky and Indiana have supported us since we opened our fist location in Louisville five years ago and have continued to support us during the pandemic. We look forward to expanding Joella’s footprint in these markets to welcome even more guests to experience our spiced-just-right hot chicken and mouth-watering Southern sides.”
