Guy Fieri-backed Chicken Guy! to open in Livonia

BY JAY DAVIS

e rst of nearly two-dozen restaurants from a famed TV chef is coming to metro Detroit in a couple of weeks.

Chicken Guy!, a fast-casual restaurant chain from Food Network star Guy Fieri, is scheduled to open April 1 at 30130 Plymouth Road in Livonia. Farmington Hills-based Tomey Group LLC is the franchisee.

e Livonia location will be the eighth Chicken Guy! restaurant, joining locations in New Jersey, Florida, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Tomey Group, operating as Tomey Chicken LLC, plans for a total of 20 Chicken Guy! locations to open across metro Detroit. Tomey Group is partnering with Birmingham-based real estate investment services Jonna Group. Jonna, run by Simon and Ray Jonna, will handle seeking potential spaces for future Chicken Guy! locations in Southeast Michigan, according to Anthony Tomey, who heads Tomey Group with his brother Michael Tomey.

e move expands the Tomey portfolio, which also operates 45 Jimmy John’s franchises in Michigan, and owns 8 Mile Vodka and the Born in Detroit apparel line.

Anthony Tomey on Tuesday told Crain’s that the Chicken Guy! opportunity came about by chance.

“We own Jimmy John’s stores.

at’s what we do. My brother, though, is a big fan of the Food Network and he saw a TV show where a Chicken Guy! location was being given away as a prize,” Tomey said. “(My brother) loved it. We talked and decided it was something we could do. During the pandemic, we lost about 300 employees at our Jimmy John’s stores, and we kind of said we would never do food again. is came up and seemed like a good opportunity. e food looked good. We met with their team in Florida and were impressed and we went from there.” e 2,500-square-foot Livonia store will have a sta of at least 50 and seating for 30-35 guests. e other Tomey Group restaurant properties are back on solid ground following a handful of uneven years. e company’s 45 Jimmy John’s franchises in 2022 brought in $38 mil- lion in revenue, surpassing pre-pandemic gures by $6 million. Tomey projects those Jimmy John’s stores will surpass $40 million in revenue this year.

Tomey said the group could open two locations this year and three additional restaurants in 2024, depending on how lease agreements play out.

Letters of intent have been put in for spaces in downtown Detroit, Washington Township and Madison Heights, but no additional lease agreements are in place.

Helping that growth is the addition of sta . Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tomey Group Jimmy John’s restaurants had around 800 employees. e locations closed for six weeks early in the pandemic and about 300 sta ers were laid o . e stores now have a combined 650 employees, according to Tomey.

“We’re doing very well,” Tomey said. “ e rebound is part of the reason we decided to get in with (Chicken Guy!). We looked at it and said one of the things we know is the food industry. Chicken Guy! is a great concept with a great name behind it. It’s something we couldn’t pass up.

“Getting in as early as we are allows us to build the brand the way we want to. We’re going to bring that Jimmy John’s speed of service to Chicken Guy.”

Established in 2018 in Orlando, Chicken Guy! serves up fried or grilled chicken sandwiches and tenders, along with 22 di erent sauces. Depending on the location, diners can also get fried pickles, mac ‘n’ cheese, salads and Flavortown shakes, according to the company website.

“ e people of e Motor City have spoken … I’m bringin’ my real deal chicken tenders, sandwiches, and shakes to Livonia,” Fieri said in the release. “From shooting (“Diners, Drive-ins and Dives”) to taking part in the Woodward Dream Cruise, the Detroit area has always been a go-to for me, so I’m stoked for everyone to give us a try.”

Each location has a franchise fee of $20,000 and a total investment ranging from $818,000 to $2.55 million. Costs also include a 4 percent marketing fee and 6 percent royalty fee. Contact: