March 02, 2023
@loveandhoneyfriedchicken/Instagram
Love & Honey Fried Chicken opened in 2017 at 1100 N. Front St. in Northern Liberties. The business is looking to franchise and bring several new locations to the region.
Northern Liberties takeout spot Love & Honey Fried Chicken plans to begin franchising in hopes of opening several new dine-in storefronts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
The southern-style fried chicken concept, founded in 2017 at 1100 N. Front St., is led by husband-and-wife Todd and Laura Lyons. Their restaurant serves up a variety of fried chicken tenders, wings and sandwiches, along with biscuits, tater tots and sauces made from scratch. In 2019, the TODAY show included the restaurant among the best fried chicken places in the U.S.
This week, the company announced it's creating a franchise program that aims to open up to six new restaurants in the region in the years to come.
Todd Lyons told the Philadelphia Business Journal that he and his wife started thinking about franchising during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the business had to shift from a small dine-in restaurant to takeout only.
The Lyons view Love & Honey as more than a fast food concept. Todd previously was a sous chef for Aramark at Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park, and before that worked for Campbell Soup Co. Laura also worked at Aramark, and culinary schools Le Cordon Bleu and the Culinary Institute of America.
The business is looking for store locations in the range of 1,200 and 2,000 square feet, enough to seat between 20-30 people.
The move to franchise comes amid a growing fried chicken market in the Philadelphia area. Last year, California-based Dave's Hot Chicken's announced plans to open eight stores in the region. Philadelphia has also long been served by Federal Donuts, which recently announced an expansion in the mid-Atlantic region and elsewhere in the United States.
