First Look: Chuck's Hot Chicken in former Courtesy Diner space in south St. Louis

After two recent fried chicken joint closures – Chicken Out and Sunday Best – the arrival of a new place to get our fix is more welcome than ever. The fourth St. Louis-area location of Chuck’s Hot Chicken opened Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 3155 S. Kingshighway Blvd. in South City in the former home of Courtesy Diner.

What started as a single storefront in Maryland Heights specializing in Nashville hot chicken has experienced remarkable success – including being named a Sauce Best New Restaurant of 2021 – and is now franchising locations around the St. Louis area and even has one in Wichita, Kansas. The other storefronts are in Rock Hill and O’Fallon, Missouri.

“We did a soft opening last weekend and our grand opening this Tuesday, and it’s been quite a Tuesday,” said Warren Hamilton IV, the owner of this location who previously served as general manager at the Rock Hill storefront. “Sometimes those are slower days, but we’ve got a buzz going right now with people in the neighborhood and kids from the school next door.”

Hand-breaded, cooked-to-order chicken available in spice levels from 0 to 6 is the mainstay here, served in sandwich form on buttered brioche, as well as tenders and bone-in wings, which both can be served alongside pearl sugar liege waffles. The chicken is plump and juicy with a lightly crispy breading made with a proprietary blend of spices and an oil-based Nashville hot sauce. The house-made ranch and honey-sriracha aioli are great for dipping or drizzling, but the blue cheese and Chuck’s sauce, a barbecue-honey mustard hybrid, are also popular sauce options.  

The garlic-cheese curds are an absolute must, whether to share with the table or as your side. Other entree companions include corn fritters, french fries, potato salad, coleslaw, green beans and mac and cheese. For dessert, look for a variety of cake slices, including vanilla rainbow, chocolate fudge, confetti, red velvet, and black and white fudge. On the beverage side, there are Pepsi products, along with tea and frozen strawberry lemonade. 

The fully rehabbed space is about 1,100 square feet inside, although seating is only available on the 400-square-foot patio, which has eight picnic-style tables with room for nearly 70 guests.

“We fell in love with the old Courtesy Diner, so we’re happy to be a part of it and bring a historic building back to life,” said Hamilton, an industry veteran who has been cooking full-time for the past 20 years, including a stint as the executive chef of Fit-Flavors. “We put a lot of love and renovations in this place. We did a lot of interior changes with all brand new equipment, but we tried to keep as much of the exterior as we could with the classic white brick. We redid the signs, but otherwise tried to keep that diner look as much as possible.”

As for the already evident success of the budding franchise, Hamilton said: “The quality speaks for itself – it’s as simple as that.”

General manager Jason Robins helps Hamilton run the Kingshighway location. Jon Plawsky and Drew (Chuck) Taylor are co-owners and co-founders of Chuck’s Hot Chicken, while Taylor’s wife Monica Horton is director of operations for the franchise, which shows no signs of slowing down: An Arnold location is slated to open this summer, and the team is also looking at opening locations on the Illinois side of the river. 

The restaurant opens at 11 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closing at 8 p.m. each day but Sunday, when it closes at 7 p.m.