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[REVIEW]
Bird Is the Word The secret to Chicken Out’s delicious success lies in its elegant simplicity Written by
CHERYL BAEHR Chicken Out Multiple locations including 6197 Delmar Boulevard, 314-384-1010. Sun-Sat. 11 a.m.9 p.m.
W
hen Mike Johnson set out to create the perfect chicken sandwich for Chicken Out, he had one driving principle: Make it simple. A plump, tender piece of meat that, when pierced, reveals its juices. Breading that is crunchy enough without taking over and subtly seasoned with a little something s ecial uffy, buttergriddled potato bun that is so soft you want to nuzzle up to it. Duke’s mayonnaise, the creamiest, most avorful around, and mild dill pickles sliced thick enough to retain their coolness and crunch, even when placed on a searing hot piece of chicken. There’s nothing complicated about any individual component, but when they all come together to form Chicken Out’s signature offering, you’ll think you’re tasting magic. It’s no surprise that Johnson was able to capture such chickensandwich lightning in a bottle. ince o ening ugarfire’s original Olivette location in 2012, Johnson has seen one success after another — multiple well-performing outlets across the country, too many barbecue awards to count, an outrageously delicious burger joint (Hi-Pointe Drive-In) and a genius takeover of the Boathouse at Forest ark that finally got the underperforming restaurant’s house in order f anyone as going to find a way to win the current chickensandwich craze, Johnson’s the guy. Except his plans for Chicken Out predate the current fried-bird trend, or even many of his other
Cheep & Cheddar, the Chicken Out and the Spicy Chicken Out sandwiches. | MABEL SUEN successes. For Johnson, a chicken restaurant has always been on the list of things he wanted to do — going back to not long after he launched ugarfire, and ell before he opened Hi-Pointe Drive-In four years ago. In fact, Johnson had originally wanted to turn the old Del Taco that now houses HiPointe into a fried-chicken restaurant, before tabling that idea in favor of burgers. He even had the outlines of his concept drawn out; the restaurant would take inspiration from two prominent eateries: In-N-Out Burger, the West Coast fast-food chain that is near and dear to his heart, and Chick-fil- , which, politics aside, he admired for the way it dominates the operations side of the business. However, as he watched fried-chicken restaurants pop up around town, he decided that the market was too saturated and figured he should wait until the timing was right. That time came last June when he o ened the first location of Chicken Out in the Delmar Loop. Located in the former Piccione Pastry, Johnson transformed the space into a vibrant orange-andred spectacle that oozes the sort of in-your-face fun his brand has be-
From left, partner Ben Hillman, chef and general manager LaRon Richards and partner Mike Johnson. | MABEL SUEN come known for. Whimsical murals — one, of a chicken playing a guitar, reads, “This joint keeps bawkin’ until the moon goes down” — decorate the shotgun space, and yellow, red and white tiles reminiscent of a vintage, pixeled style serve as the backdrop for the fast-casual spot’s order counter. A handful of banquettes
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and tables round out the small dining room of the restaurant’s agshi a second location just opened in Kirkwood this month). Johnson may have wanted to keep things simple with his sandwich, but he made sure to add in one important detail to elevate both the chicken and the fries at
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