Chef Nick Leahy continues to pivot during the pandemic. In October, he said adieu to upscale French restaurant Aix and adjacent wine bar Tin Tin in West Midtown to make way for casual neighborhood concept Nick’s Westside. Now, he’s putting that same space to further use with a ghost kitchen that debuts today.
Called Chicken Out, the delivery-only concept focuses on chicken preparations.
Leahy decided to launch the venture as another revenue stream. He thinks restaurant delivery will be a fixture long after the pandemic ends and sees his concept as an as-yet untapped niche in the food delivery marketplace.
“If you look around, there are other options in chicken delivery, but there is not a lot of attention paid to sourcing,” said Leahy, who will source all-natural, humanely raised birds from Springer Mountain Farms in North Georgia. “In this current climate, any entrepreneur needs to pivot and take advantage of opportunities that arise. The menu functions well for the delivery of responsibly sourced food. There’s a market for it. We’re going for it.”
Chicken Out’s concise menu will include 30 flavors of dry-rubbed or sauced wings, fried chicken, whole and half roasted birds, as well as a chicken sandwich, all prepared in the Nick’s Westside kitchen.
Dry rubbed flavors include harissa, citrus-pepper, everything bagel and honey-habanero, with sauce flavors including hot and sour, garlic and chili butter and green curry.
Rounding out the menu are a half-dozen side dishes – potato salad, fries, coleslaw, braised greens with pot liquor, macaroni and cheese, and seasonal vegetables – and cinnamon-sugar fried doughnut holes for dessert.
“The idea is: comfort food that’s simple, approachable, and you get it delivered to your house,” Leahy summed.
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
He also tried to price the menu as affordably as possible considering the high quality of ingredients.
Wings, which are brined, smoked on a Big Green Egg and then fried crispy to order, are $9 for a half-dozen and $16 for a dozen; flats and drums incur a $3 upcharge. Fried chicken will be available in 4- or 8-piece orders for $20 and $30, respectively, and will come with biscuits and choice of sides. The herb and lemon roasted bird is priced at $17 for a half bird, $28 for a whole bird.
Leahy has partnered with four third-party delivery services: DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub and Postmates. Customers select the delivery service when placing their order on the Chicken Out website, chickenoutatl.com. A $3 delivery charge is added to every order.
Chicken Out will operate from 2 to 10 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays.
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