Raising Chicken, a Southern-style restaurant chain, opened its first Columbus franchise, near Ohio State’s campus.
“We do chicken fingers, fries and toast, and we do it better than anybody else,” said Todd Graves, president of Raising Chicken.
The majority of the restaurants are located in Los Angeles. Graves said he has had many inquiries to franchise but only felt comfortable franchising it to the right people.
“We’re operational and cultural fanatics,” Graves said.
Tim McCarthy, owner of the Columbus franchise, is not new to the chicken finger business. He spent the past year working in Los Angeles, learning the company’s trade. McCarthy was impressed by the product and believed it was something that would sell well in Columbus.
“You’ll like it when you taste it, but wait until later,” McCarthy said. “You’ll want some more. It’s addictive.”
Graves said the key to the success of his restaurants are the company’s policies and culture.
“We provide great food and we make it fresh to order. We have clean stores and our staff is genuinely friendly,” Graves said.
The company’s tag line is “One love,” a motto that expresses its desire to provide the best chicken strips and also foster a work environment that builds a team atmosphere. Employees seem to like working for the company, such as Ben Latour, who moved to Columbus from Los Angeles to work at the new restaurant.
“The concept works so well and it’s such a fun place to work,” Latour said.
Graves said if employees are treated well, then the employees will treat the customers with a friendly attitude.
“They can have fun while working here. We let them pick the music, it’s a real cool environment,” Graves said. “One of the girls was crying tonight when we opened the store. We all believe in the company – it’s one big family.”
The staff’s friendliness is apparent to the customers.
“The staff really cares. It doesn’t seem like a routine, they don’t act like robots,” said Andrew Balla, a Raising Chicken customer.
Marlene Wensink, another customer, said she enjoys the restaurant and the food.
“It’s really good. I like the atmosphere and the food is great,” Wensick said.
“It’s an inviting place to come,” Balla said. “It’s very modern. It’s a good place to hang out.”
People might be disappointed to discover that the company offers only one sauce.
“Once you taste it, you’ll know why we don’t need a variety of sauces,” McCarthy said. “It’s a secret recipe – a bit tangy and irresistible.”
McCarthy said people seem to like the sauce as much as the chicken.
“People use the sauce for their fries, for the toast. They like it,” McCarthy said.
While eating at Raising Chicken, customer Zak Reed did not try the sauce.
“I use ketchup so sauce doesn’t matter to me,” Reed said. “The chicken is really good and that’s what matters.”
McCarthy said the store works to provide the best chicken strips.
“We pick fresh ingredients and cook the chicken to order,” McCarthy said.
Graves said a difference between their chicken and Wendy’s or McDonald’s chicken can be tasted.
“Ours is not a frozen pre-prepared product,” Graves said. “We marinate the chicken for 24 hours and then bread it in a store-prepared batter.”
