Chuck’s Hot Chicken is opening its sixth location in Arnold in October

The Nashville hot chicken concept will open in Arnold Crossroads Center shopping center

Chuck’s Hot Chicken is opening its sixth location at 231 Arnold Crossroads Center in Arnold later this month.

The eatery got its start when founders Jon Plawsky and Drew (Chuck) Taylor opened in Maryland Heights three years ago, and the concept was quickly embraced by the St. Louis community, including being named a Sauce Best New Restaurant of 2021. 

Since 2021, the Nashville hot chicken concept has started franchising and has opened locations throughout the St. Louis area, including O’Fallon, Tower Grove and Rock Hill as well as an eatery in Wichita, Kansas. Its sixth location is on track to open mid- to late October. 

The Arnold storefront will be owned and operated by business partners Jamie Mieger and Ken Kimball. Mieger’s background is in business sales, but he shared that he and his wife had been looking for an opportunity to get involved in the food industry for a while. And the opportunity came in the form of a visit to Chuck’s Hot Chicken.

“We tried the chicken and knew we wanted to get involved,” Mieger said of the couple’s experience.

Kimball brings 22 years in the restaurant industry, including restaurant management. As someone who loves spicy food and even grows lots of varieties of peppers in his home garden, Kimball shared that once he tried the chicken at Chuck’s, he also knew that he wanted to become a part of the brand. 

“I just had to have it one time and I was sold,” Kimball said of the experience. 

The restaurant has recently been ranked as the best chicken spot in all of Missouri by Yelp Elites, and with menu offerings that include a Nashville hot chicken sandwich, which is topped with the choice of cheese or slaw, its easy to see why. Additionally, the menu also features chicken tenders and bone-in wings, as well as a chicken and waffles option that comes with a side of syrup. Since heat tolerance can vary from person to person, the restaurant offers its spiciness on a scale of 0 to 6.

There’s also several sauce choices, with classics like ranch and blue cheese, plus a honey-sriracha aioli and Chuck’s sauce, which is a flavorful blend of honey mustard and barbecue sauce. The sides range from fries, loaded potato salad and green beans to coleslaw and mac and cheese. There are also shareable snacks like corn fritters, garlic cheese curds and a basket of fries. Cake slices are what’s on the dessert menu, with options that include red velvet, confetti and chocolate fudge. 

Although the location will mostly focus on to-go orders and deliveries through all the major third-party delivery services, inside the 1,400-square-foot space there will be seating for around 10 to 15, with plans to add one or two tables outside by next spring. 

“We’ll have a small footprint and operate on an efficient model with around 12 to 15 employees,” Kimball said of the location. 

The Arnold Chuck’s Hot Chicken’s hours of operation will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Stay tuned to the restaurant by following it on Facebook or Instagram for more details on the Arnold location’s opening date.