More on the latest chicken chain; update on a Lawrence resident’s effort to win Kelly Ripa contest; local business awards and Habitat for Humanity fundraiser

As promised earlier this week, I’ve talked with the executive who is bringing the chicken chain Slim Chickens to Lawrence. Yes, I’ve got more detailed information about when and where that chain will locate in Lawrence, but more importantly we may be one step closer to figuring out why we may wake up one morning to learn Lawrence is being run by fingerless chickens.

In talking with Slim Chickens franchisee Mark Killeen — who was an executive in the Applebee’s chain for many years — there are at least two reasons Lawrence is seeing an explosion of chicken restaurants and menus of chicken fingers: There is only so much more you can do with a hamburger, and millennials love chicken.

“I think we have gone through the burger revolution,” Killeen said. “There are plenty of those restaurants. Chicken tenders became a big staple with millennials. It just seems like a natural progression.”

As for Slim Chickens’ pending entry into the Lawrence market, look for it to happen near Sixth and Wakarusa. Killeen confirmed his company has purchased the former KFC location along Wakarusa Drive. Renovation work will begin soon, and Killeen hopes to have the restaurant open by mid-January.

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Killeen also confirmed he has a deal to purchase the former BarbWire Steakhouse building at 2412 Iowa St. Killeen said demolition of that building could begin in the near term, but he said it will be a bit longer before the company opens a Slim Chickens at that location. Killeen said he also has franchise opportunities in other communities. The Wakarusa Drive store will be his first, a location in Wichita likely will be his second, and the Iowa Street spot may be his third. He’s not ruling out that it all could happen relatively quickly.

“We need to get our feet underneath us with the store on Wakarusa,” he said. “But we probably could have three restaurants in Kansas in the next six months or so.”

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Killeen said the explosion of chicken restaurants in Lawrence doesn’t worry him. In case you have forgotten, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chick-fil-A, Wing Stop, Popeyes, Raising Cane’s, and Zaxby’s have all either opened in Lawrence or are under construction.

Killeen said Slim Chickens uses high quality chicken that has never been frozen, and its dips and sauces set the restaurant apart. They are all made on site, and there are up to a dozen dipping sauces and about 10 wing sauces available.

“You are going to have choice,” Killeen said. “You are not going to have to stick to two or three items. You have a lot of flavors to choose from, and great variety is something people really like to have.”

Indeed, the millennial generation may well be the sauce generation. Years ago I remember wondering what was in my younger cousin’s Fruit Loops that caused her to order ranch dressing so she could dip her pizza into it. Now, everything gets dipped. (Yes, I realize I am getting very close to sounding like a grumpy old man complaining about those “dang dipping kids.”) If you read marketing or restaurant industry websites, you will see that them come up. One said chicken wings may be the “ultimate millennial food.” The variety of sauces available at most wing locations — and now chicken tender restaurants — speaks out to the generation.

“It allows them to create their own experience and therefore speaks out more than other restaurants,” Jeff Fromm at Millennial Marketing wrote in 2013. “While they want to be served, they also want the freedom to put their own signature on the dishes they’ll later devour alongside their friends or family.”

So, for what it is worth, those are the best guesses about the chicken explosion we’ve seen in Lawrence. The bigger question may be whether it is done. I’m not sure, but there are a couple of other locations to keep an eye on for fast food additions. I’ve certainly heard that restaurants are interested in the former Jayhawk Bookstore location, which sits atop Mt. Oread and is a rare piece of commercial property adjacent to the KU campus. I’ll try to get you an update on that location. I do believe the property has changed hands since the store closed earlier this year, and it is being marketed to potential tenants.

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The other location is the former site of the Cadillac Ranch, 2515 W. Sixth St. I’ve heard a redevelopment into a fast-food location is a possibility, although no deals have been struck.

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In other news and notes from around town:

• Maybe Lawrence’s fried chicken phenomenon will make it on national TV. If you recall, Lawrence resident Courtenay DeHoff is a finalist to be a co-host for a day on the “Live! with Kelly” talk show.

If DeHoff is chosen, and host Kelly Ripa asks how everything is in Lawrence, surely she will bring up the chicken situation. That’s what I always lead with, although it is kind of necessary to explain why I have wing sauce on my glasses. What will DeHoff do? As they say in the TV business, stay tuned. As we reported earlier this month, DeHoff — a Tonganoxie native — was one of 20 finalists selected from across the country to serve as Ripa’s special co-host for a day.

https://vimeo.com/185640340

Well, the latest on DeHoff is that she still very much is in the running to win the competition. The show has announced that DeHoff is one of the 10 remaining finalists. According to DeHoff’s Facebook page, she expects to learn on Friday whether she is one of the Top 5 finalists. If she makes that cut, the show’s producers will fly her to New York to be on an upcoming episode where the winner is announced.

We will update you on Friday.

• It is not chicken and it doesn’t involve Kelly Ripa (as far as I know) but a Lawrence restaurant has been named a big winner. Lawrence’s Leeway Franks has been named the Minority-Owned Retail Firm of the Year by the Kansas Department of Commerce.

As we reported, Leeway Franks opened last year, and it has since become a real hit in Lawrence. The business makes homemade bratwursts, hot dogs, plus other sausages and sandwiches, and also has gained a following for homemade tater tots that can come with brown gravy or cheese sauce.

We are honored to have been awarded Kansas Minority-Owned Retail Business of the Year by the Kansas Department of…

Posted by Leeway Franks on Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Even though it may not be able to compete in the gravy category, one other Lawrence business won a big award at the Department of Commerce’s Minority Enterprise Development ceremony. Lawrence-based A.S.K. Associates was named the Women-Owned Professional Service Firm of the Year.

The company provides conference and event planning services for clients across the country, and also has a division that provides information technology services to clients.

Posted by A-S-K Associates, Inc., Conference Management Group on Wednesday, October 5, 2016

• Speaking of efforts that involve women leading the way, there will be a fundraiser tomorrow evening celebrating such a program with Lawrence’s Habitat for Humanity.

The Happy Homes Happy Hour is the biggest fundraiser of the year for Habitat’s Women Build program. In addition to food, drinks, live music and an auction, the event also will feature the unveiling of the 2017 Women Build calendar that features 12 prominent Lawrence women modeling ’40s style looks.

The event is set from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Oread. Tickets for the event are $35, which includes a calendar, or $20 without a calendar. Tickets are available at Habitat’s website.

Posted by Lawrence Habitat for Humanity on Thursday, October 6, 2016