Dallas-Based Fast Casual Chain Continues Expansion into Midwest with Newest Restaurant
The wait is over for Midwestern diners seeking the authentic flavor of wood-fired rotisserie chicken and homemade sides. On Tuesday, Oct. 3, Cowboy Chicken continues its national expansion with the opening of its first Iowa location at 802 SE Oralabor Road in Ankeny. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“Cowboy Chicken is dedicated to exceeding guests’ expectations each time they visit, and we are excited to bring our bold flavors and wholesome ingredients to the Ankeny community,” said Sean Kennedy, Cowboy Chicken’s president and CEO.
The Cowboy Chicken menu features all-natural, hormone-free rotisserie chickens that are hand-seasoned in store, marinated for 24 hours and then slowly roasted for two hours over a real wood-burning fire. Other dishes include signature sour cream tomatillo chicken enchiladas, abundant scratch-made sides such as Twice Baked Potaters™, Baked Mac & Cheese, Ranchero Beans and seasonal cobblers baked in-house daily.
This is the first Cowboy Chicken restaurant for Franchise Restaurant Concepts Group (FRC Group), which is an Omaha, Nebraska-based affiliate of Sun Capital Partners. FRC Group has 30 years of franchised restaurant experience across a wide range of concepts and is focused on growth throughout the Midwest. This restaurant is part of a franchise agreement signed earlier this year with FRC Group to open 14 Cowboy Chicken locations across Iowa, Kansas and South Dakota. With the debut of this Ankeny location, Cowboy Chicken now has 20 locations open for business throughout Texas, as well as in Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Iowa.
The 2,500-square-foot Ankeny restaurant centers on a large, wood-burning rotisserie where guests can view the chickens roasting from the rustic-meets-modern dining area with wood-style laminate floors and a custom multi-media art installation. The restaurant seats 69 guests.
In addition to dine-in counter service, Cowboy Chicken offers delivery and caters large group events. Guests can eliminate waiting in line with a mobile app and online ordering capabilities. Beyond the ability to order and pay online and on their phone, guests can take advantage of the Campfire Club loyalty program via the mobile app, earning rewards and much more.
A weeklong grand opening celebration with daily discounts and promotions is set for November. More details will be announced soon.
Founded in Dallas in 1981, Cowboy Chicken is a fast casual restaurant chain specializing in real wood-fired rotisserie chicken. The brand has been included in Fast Casual’s Top 100 Movers & Shakers list every year since 2012 and in 2017 won the Emerging Chain of the Year award from Restaurant Business and was named one of the Top 25 Most Loved Brands by Foodable. Forbes magazine also chose Cowboy Chicken as one “Hot Restaurant Chain to Buy into Now.” Cowboy Chicken is currently seeking qualified franchisees to help build the brand in select markets across the U.S. For more information, visit www.cowboychicken.com or contact Kathy Davidson at kdavidson@cowboychicken.com.
