High-caliber ingredients meet a no-fuss atmosphere at The Crack Shack, a fried chicken concept set to open its sixth location, and first outside California, this month.
Led by CEO Michael Rosen and “Top Chef” alum Richard Blais, The Crack Shack marries premium ingredients — Jidori chicken and organic produce and eggs — with counter service and lively spaces featuring patio seating and yard games.
That high-low dichotomy has been part of the brand’s DNA from the start. The first Crack Shack debuted nearly four years ago in a shed adjacent to Blais’ fine-dining restaurant Juniper & Ivy in San Diego.
The chain’s specialty is chicken sandwiches and bone-in fried chicken with the brand’s proprietary “crack spice” blend, but the menu also includes salads, deviled eggs, biscuits, fries, milkshakes and a full bar.
Since its debut in 2015, the brand has opened four more locations in Southern California, including two in Los Angeles last year. Next up: Las Vegas. The next Crack Shack, scheduled to open in August, will be located at the Park MGM.
The Crack Shack is one of five emerging brands honored by Nation’s Restaurant News in this year’s class of Hot Concept award winners. The brand will be celebrated at the annual MUFSO conference in October. The awards program is sponsored by V&V Supremo.
Get a closer look at this growing brand.
MUFSO sponsors:
Kitchen Hero Cookoff Sponsor: Texas Pete
Presenting Sponsors: Shift4 Payables, Shift Pixy, QU and Valyant AI
Sponsor Partners: 505 Southwestern, Appetize Technologies Inc., CardFree, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, Compaction Technologies, Daiya, Exponential Interactive, Greenberg Traurig, J.R. Simplot Company, OpenTable, PACO Collective, Tundra Restaurant Supply, Upshow, Royal Cup Coffee, V&V Supremo and Ventura Foods
Presented by Nation’s Restaurant News, the 60th Annual MUFSO Conference brings together the restaurant industry’s top leaders to share business insights that are laser focused on moving the restaurant industry forward. MUFSO is scheduled for October 14-16, 2019 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown. For more info visit www.mufso.com. For sponsorship/exhibit information contact [email protected]
