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Bloomfield Hills-based chef and restaurateur Zack Sklar is bringing fried chicken to Midtown.
Sklar and other investors plan to build a branch of Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken, based in Memphis, on a vacant lot at Third Street at West Alexandrine Street near the new Detroit hockey arena. An opening is scheduled for May, Sherri Welch of Crain's Detroit Business report.
The 13-location chain has been featured on Food Channel shows. Fried chicken is its only entree, accompanied by southern-style side choices: macaroni and cheese, cole slaw, greens, beans and potato salad.
Sklar's group, Schmaltz Hospitality LLC, has purchased franchise rights for Gus's, and plans to open other locations in Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Colorado and parts of Florida.
This Memphis site is run by a third generation of the founding family. (Instagram photo by company(
Schmaltz opened its first Gus's in Chicago in October and did $70,000 in business the first week, Welch writes.
The chain's website says:
In a tiny little town east of Memphis, not 10 yards off the main drag, sits a roadside shack with a broken-down sign and a packed parking lot. After almost 60 years in business, Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken is more of a tradition than a location, more an identity than a restaurant. The original location has spawned a chain of successful Memphis franchises. Even in today’s rocky economy, lil’ ol’ Gus’s is “too big to fail” among local lovers of this local icon. Regular patrons are fond of saying that Gus’s “is not fast food.” Be prepared to wait, or call ahead with your order. Whether you eat at the original family business out in Mason or one of the Memphis franchises, Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken has the style and attitude of an old-school, blues-infused southern eatery. Wait your turn, pay your money, stay out of the way, make yourself at home. Do your time, and your reward will be a spectacular specimen of southern fried chicken glory.
