Chicken Guy! Is Finally Open & Itโ€™s Already Attracting Big Crowds!ย 

If you havenโ€™t yet driven to, or by, the new Chicken Guy! restaurant, which finally opened on Jan. 7, on the north side of S.R. 56 (across from the Tampa Premium Outlets, at 25769 Sierra Center Blvd.), well, letโ€™s just say you might be the only person in Wesley Chapel who hasnโ€™t. 

The brightly colored eatery, founded in 2018 and co-owned by restaurateur Robert Earl (the founder of the Planet Hollywood and Earl of Sandwich chains) and Food Network star Guy Fieri, has been packed virtually all the time from the moment it opened, especially the drive-through, which has caused some backups onto 56 from the traffic circle adjacent to the restaurant. 

The Neighborhood News was on hand for both the Friends & Family event on Jan. 6 and the actual opening the next day, when (l.-r. in top photo) Marcelo Cardoza (the manager of culinary operations for Fieriโ€™s Knuckle Sandwich, LLC), franchise co-owners Suhail Rifae and Moe Khalil were joined by Jason Taliaferro (the senior VP of Chicken Guy!) to introduce the Wesley Chapel/Lutz community to Chicken Guy!โ€™s always-fresh chicken. 

Fieri, the self-proclaimed โ€œMayor of Flavortown,โ€ offers several varieties of chicken at the new fast-casual chain, including his seasonal limited menu items like the pepperoni chicken parm sandwich (right photo, shown with Guy fries and the chopped cheese & chicken eggrolls), as well as โ€œBig Bite,โ€ two-tender sandwiches like the BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado & tomato; above photo, shown with mac & cheese and a thick, hand-spun Oreo Flavortown shake); the CG Classic and Buffalo Mac โ€˜Nโ€™ Cheese Sandwich.ย 

All of the fried sandwiches and tenders come lightly seasoned, so you can add your favorite Fieri-created sauce from โ€œThe Boss of Sauceโ€ list (below). 

The good news is that if youโ€™re not a fried chicken lover, all of the sandwiches and tenders also are available grilled, instead of fried, and there are two salad options (including the chopped chicken Caesar with chopped grilled tenders below left).ย 

About the only menu items we havenโ€™t yet sampled are the fried chicken dumplings (topped with smoked bacon, green onions & sesame seeds) and a few shake varieties. Go give it a try! 

For info, call (813) 344-3311 or visit ChickenGuy.com & tell GM Trevor McIntyre (below) I sent you! 

Chicken Guy! & Shake Shack Openings Delayed Again!

In the Dec 10 issue of New Tampa Neighborhood News (see below), we said that both Shake Shack and Chicken Guy! Were expected to open by one day this weekend, but as of today, both restaurants have told us that the expected openings of both fast casual eateries is now not expected until one day next week, with exact opening dates not yet set by either one until they receive their Certificates of Occupancy from Pasco County, pending final inspections.

Stay tuned to our Facebook page and the December 24 Wesley Chapel and January 7, 2025, New Tampa issues ofย Neighborhood Newsย for updated opening dates for these hotly anticipated eateries.

Chicken Guy! & Shake Shack Both Expected To Open On Or Around December 13-14!

The long-awaited opening of the Tampa Bay areaโ€™s first-everย Chicken Guyย location was scheduled at our press time on or aroundย Saturday, December 14ย (please check our โ€œNeighborhood Newsโ€ Facebook page regularly for a more precise opening date). Chicken Guy (top photo), founded by celebrity chef Guy Fieri and restaurateur Robert Earl, currently has a dozen locations, going up quickly to 18, including our โ€œCypress Creekโ€ location at 25769 Sierra Center Blvd.

 The โ€œMayor of Flavortownโ€ menu features hot and โ€œO.G.โ€ mild crispy (or grilled) chicken tenders (and โ€œBig Biteโ€ sandwiches), plus salads, fries, American slaw, mac & cheese and shakes (sound familiar?), although it does also sometimes feature โ€œLimited Timeโ€ offers โ€” such as pepperoni chicken parm sandwiches and chopped cheese & chicken egg rolls, fried chicken dumplings and more. The โ€œBoss of Sauceโ€ also offers everything from Nashville hot honey to avocado crema and many more sauces created by the Chicken Guy himself!

For more info, visit ChickenGuy.com.

Now with an expected opening on or aroundย Friday, December 13, less than a 1/4-mile from Chicken Guy, is the Wesley Chapel/Lutz location ofย Shake Shack,ย in the former slot occupied byย Wendyโ€™s,ย at 25600 Sierra Center Blvd. (photo left). In addition to its variety of burgers โ€” from black truffle to avocado bacon โ€” as well as 100% Viennaยฎ beef hot dogs, Shake Shack also offers (surprise!) crispy chicken sandwiches and bites, crinkle cut fries and shakes (including limited time shakes like Christmas Cookie and Apple Cider Donut), but with the added bonus of vanilla or chocolate frozen custard, which also can be included in your root beer or Creamsicleยฎ float.

For more info, call (813) 696-6752 or visit ShakeShack.com.ย โ€” GN