Andy Howard knows a thing or two about chicken.
In fact, Howard may know more about chicken than the rest of the restaurant industry. He’s likely been in the category longer than some chicken chain executives have been alive (more than 35 years).
The industry veteran is currently with his fourth chicken concept, having started with Kenny Rogers Roasters before moving on to chicken-breast specialists Ranch One and later wing titan Wingstop. In his decade or so at Wingstop, the chain grew from about 80 locations to 600.
And yet with all that experience, Howard thinks he’s “saved his best for last.” That would be the chicken-tender franchise Huey Magoo’s, which Howard bought a majority stake in back in 2016. The fast casual that carries the tagline “The Filet Mignon of Chicken” now has 66 locations, and according to the Technomic Top 500 grew its sales by 55% in 2023 to around $100 million.
Howard joined the latest episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches to talk about what he’s learned in nearly four decades serving chicken, plus how he’s positioning Huey Magoo’s to stand out in the crowded chicken category.
In this conversation, you’ll learn more about why:
- A killer tagline can help you stand tall among competitors
- New store prototypes can unlock access to new potential franchisees
- To excel in this industry, you need to be good student of it
- Just like Goldilocks, your menu shouldn’t be too simple or too difficult, but just right
Contact Sam Oches at [email protected].
