A new Nashville-style chicken restaurant is landing in town, and the local couple behind it are excited to bring, along with good chicken, 15 jobs and plenty of community goodwill.
Billy Zenn, 47, and his wife, Carla, 45, are the franchise owners of the HCK Hot Chicken location opening on July 29 in Fort Worth at 6600 N. Freeway, Suite 128. They are longtime Fort Worth residents and raised their family here. They are excited about helping HCK Hot Chicken spread its wings around the state and also pleased to do something community-minded along the way. HCK Hot Chicken offers monthly nonprofit support for a day that sees a percentage (typically 25%) of pre-tax sales donated back to an organization. That community aspect really appealed to the Zenns as they decided which franchise concept was a good fit for them.
“We looked at other concepts, but this one really appealed to us because we were going to hire local people and because of that community aspect,” said Carla Zenn.
The couple were ready to leave their careers and own their own business. Carla had worked for Sonic Drive-In as a teenager, so she had a background in food.
“We went the franchise route because we really wanted to own our business,” she said. “But we didn’t have the background to develop a full business plan. HCK helped us with that part of it.”
The Zenns get to open the first HCK Hot Chicken in Texas in their hometown, but it’s also one of the first for the chain outside of the east coast, which has five current locations and three more, including Fort Worth, set to open soon.
HCK Hot Chicken is a fast-casual concept that specializes in Nashville-style food, including hot chicken tenders and sandwiches prepared with made-to-order spices. Each of its hot sauce flavors – base, afterburner, angry hot and medic – are infused with different types of peppers. The menu features tenders, sandwiches, salads with sides like fries, coleslaw and mac and cheese.
“If you want it plain, you can have the sauce on the side,” Billy Zenn said.
The company was established in 2020 by cofounders Mike and Anthony Sarago, along with founding chef Freddy Gilmore. The flagship restaurant was opened in Woodbridge, Virginia, with the idea of bringing Nashville-style food to the area and across the east coast.
“Everybody loves chicken and everybody loves flavor, and to bring those two together is just something really great,” Billy Zenn said.
The food industry attracted Carla Zenn because of her background, but also because she knows how important food can be.
“It didn’t matter how mad he was at me when he got home or how mad I was at him, food was a downtime that kind of brought us all together,” she said. “We really want to share that with the community.”
“Unity through food,” said Billy Zenn, echoing the company slogan. “We really believe it.”
The grand opening will feature $5 sandwiches all day long (one per guest). In addition to in-restaurant dining, HCK Hot Chicken offers online ordering for pickup, delivery through third-party partners and catering.
First phase completed
Presidium, a diversified real estate development, investment and management firm, has completed the first phase of Presidium Berkshire, a 340-unit community located at 9632 Berkshire Lake Blvd., Fort Worth, in the AllianceTexas area. The development was designed by Dallas-based O’Brien Architects. Presidium Berkshire offers studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes ranging from $1,560 to $2,780. Phase 2, which is located adjacent to Presidium Berkshire, will break ground at the end of 2023 and will have 302 units.
Expansions in Arlington’s Entertainment District
Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services has locked in three expansions at Arlington Downs Tower, shoring up 17,498 square feet of office space for the long term in a two-week round of leasing. The leases increase occupancy to 86% in the 87,411-square-foot building at 2225
E. Randol Mill Road in Arlington. The leasing rally, dominated by renewals, included one deal that quadrupled the size of the tenant’s office.
Longtime tenant Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has signed the largest deal in the
stack, renewing 10,064 square feet for its regional office. Jim Montgomery of Swearingen Realty Group represented the state agency.
Also renewed was Men N Motion, which occupies 1,082 square feet. Tynna Dixon of Henderson Realty Group LLC represented the men’s clothing and accessories shop.
The Bradford team negotiated directly with the remaining tenants.
▪ Blessed Hands Phlebotomy, 2,476 square feet, a renewal and expansion to quadruple the
office size in a relocation from a 613-square-foot office within the building;
▪ D4C Dental Brands Inc., 2,373 square feet, signing a 771-square-foot expansion lease running
concurrently with its existing pact;
▪ Hispanic Law Firm, 1,503 square feet, leasing 588 square feet of contiguous space in a renewal and expansion.
Do you have something for the Bob on Business column? Email Bob Francis as bob.francis@fortworthreport.org
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org.
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