ALEXANDRIA JONES



It hasn't even been a week since he expanded his Seminole Heights location, but Joe Dodd—owner of King of the Coop—has just signed the lease on a space at The Grove in Wesley Chapel. The ink is still be wet on the deal, and Dodd tells CL that he is excited, and nervous, to debut King of the Coop's second location at 27835 Wesley Chapel Blvd. Unit 100B.

"You'll be able to see us coming off the interstate," Dodd says before mentioning the joint will be sandwiched between a Brooklyn Bagel and an Eyeglass World (which might come in handy if customers get some of that King's Fury sauce in their eyes).

"[Expansion] is a big undertaking with still building the original location in Seminole Heights, but I'm looking forward to the challenge," Dodd adds with a laugh. The Tampa Bay hot chicken lord is pushing to open the doors in Wesley Chapel within the next five months, and Dodd tells CL that the new spot could open within four months if the stars align.

The Grove will take over the first phase of demo tomorrow, preparing what Dodd calls a "vanilla shell" for the restaurant to call home. The shell will make the space easy to personalize and gets the big renovations out of the way. Phase two will consist of Dodd and his team installing bar and table seating (about 30-40 seats) within the 1,700-square-foot-space which used to be a Verizon. In phase three, Dodd plans on bringing in Kaycee Allyson at Bay Edge Media to duplicate the signature King of the Coop design. Local muralist Karan Patel will slide in and make it a reality. Dodd says the new location's layout will be the new model for coming locations.

That's right, Dodd is already searching for the third location to unleash his hot chicken fury onto.

King of the Coop's Wesley Chapel KOTC location will offer the same eats, plus the Seminole Heights location's new menu additions (which will go into effect at the flagship location this week) including banana pudding, wings and catfish.

By the way, if you haven't been by the Seminole Heights location after it took over the former Florida Eats space, you'll find that the access to your hot chicken has gotten easier. Now customers pay towards the far end of the bar, rather than at the front door, which has helped the cramped line situation. And, rather than standing around waiting on your order, you'll receive a text once your chicken or fish has left the fryer and is ready for you to pick up. More seating, less waiting, happier foodies.

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