Chicken Chef set for grand opening
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/06/2018 (2775 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A family-friendly community event will help celebrate the grand opening of Brandon’s Chicken Chef restaurant today.
The event, at their Trails West Inn space at 210 18th St. North, will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the local Chris Ghidoni Band performing for its final two hours.
A bouncy castle, classic car show courtesy of the Brandon Area Car Enthusiasts, and a 50/50 draw for a local charity they’ve yet to select will fill out the day’s activities alongside promotional sales within the restaurant itself.
Additional seating will be set up outside to accommodate the crowd.
Until Chicken Chef’s soft opening in November, the restaurant space operated as Bistro 40, a name that owner Leo Ho said did not resonate with the same power as Chicken Chef.
With Chicken Chef known throughout both Manitoba and Saskatchewan, including in various rural communities where franchises have been established, it was a clear choice for the Trails West Inn, Ho said.
Brandon’s role as a regional hub for Westman means that this rural familiarity is one of its strengths, he said, adding that there are already Chicken Chef restaurants operating in Souris, Virden and Melita.
“We are excited about the place, business is growing and we’re meeting a lot of friendly people and building up our reputation,” he said.
Brandon Chicken Chef general manager Liz Lee said that their soft opening in November was light on the “soft,” with a deluge of people coming in right out the gate, eager to check out the new restaurant.
Although an experienced staff from Bistro 40 had shifted over to the Chicken Chef, a new restaurant always carries its challenges, so the staff had to ease into their new positions before Lee said they were comfortable enough in hosting a full-fledged grand opening.
More than six months into operations, Lee said that it has become clear that the restaurant changing over to a Chicken Chef was the right decision, with the name bringing more people into the front door.
Their most popular items have been their fried chicken and gravy, which she said go “hand in hand,” and their addition of a takeout area has opened up another client base.
She said that a frequent requisition — that they begin deliveries —remains up for consideration as they see whether there’s enough demand for it.
They’ve also absorbed some of Bistro 40’s more popular items into their new Chicken Chef menu, including their steak, pickerel and a few of their more unique poutines.
This is Brandon’s only Chicken Chef, although Ho said that there used to be one across the street from Trails West Inn several years ago.
» tclarke@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB