Chicken Charlie’s Rotisserie, Grill & BBQ at 1160 Williston Road in South Burlington has closed, at least for now, while the behind-the-scenes ownership group that bought the business in 2022 evaluates its future. The group also owns Richmond’s Kitchen Table restaurant and the Kitchen Table Market & Café, the latter of which opened late last year and took over two-thirds of the Chicken Charlie’s space. The 25-year-old chicken restaurant lost all of its seating in that development and cut back to takeout and delivery. The two restaurants shared a doorway and vestibule.
Chef Craig Anthony, the group’s director of operations, said by text that the closure may not be final. “We have not made any permanent decisions regarding the future of the Chicken Charlie’s concept,” said Anthony, 39. But in December, he told Seven Days that Chicken Charlie’s niche was becoming more crowded, which is partly why the owners gave him the go-ahead to take over part of the South Burlington storefront to extend the Kitchen Table brand.
Anthony said the group will “take time to refresh the space, evaluate some current infrastructure challenges and thoughtfully consider how [Chicken Charlie’s] may fit into the long-term vision for the location.” He added that staffing “has been tough,” so he was able to redeploy Chicken Charlie’s employees in the neighboring market and café, and only two people lost jobs with the closure.
Chicken Charlie’s crossover ingredients on the Kitchen Table Market menu, such as fried or grilled tenders in the Charlie’s Caesar salad wrap and the fried tenders layered with bacon and provolone in the Patty sandwich, will continue, Anthony said.
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