One of Guy Fieri's chicken restaurants might get evicted

One of Fieri's "Chicken Guy!" locations in Florida owes almost $40,000 in unpaid rent

By Dennis Lee2 min readPublished March 19, 2024

Back in 2018, Guy Fieri opened a chain of restaurants called Chicken Guy! (exclamation point and all) with business partner Robert Earl, founder of both the Planet Hollywood and Earl of Sandwich restaurant chains. The first location opened up in the Disney $DIS Springs shopping and entertainment area of Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, and the chain has grown to 12 locations with seven more on the way. However, one outpost is currently in legal hot water and might be on the fast track to eviction.

Chicken Guy!, explained

The menu at Chicken Guy! was originally described as offering guests “one-of-a kind flavors to satisfy any appetite, including all-natural chicken tenders, skewers, sandwiches and salads that can be paired with more than 20 varieties of house-made sauces.”

In fact, the pressure-fried and grilled tenders could once be paired with an even more hilarious amount of sauces than that — 22, to be exact. It was a selling point for many, just like the idea of interacting with the culinary stylings of a chef with frosted tips. But as of last year, the restaurant drastically shrank the options down to a mere 10 sauces.

You can also order from a menu of Flavortown Shakes, but the flavors are nothing too wild.

One Chicken Guy! location is in trouble

Local news publication Click Orlando reports that one Chicken Guy! location in Winter Park, Florida, owes nearly $40,000 in unpaid rent, which could eventually lead to the eviction of the restaurant.

The shop opened up in early December of 2021, and recent notices from the landlord to pay rent indicate that as of March 4, over $38,507 was owed by the business. But the legal complaint doesn’t just ask to recoup the rent; it goes on to demand damages in excess of $50,000 including taxes and fines assessed against the landlord, attorney fees, late charges, accelerated rent, future unpaid rent, and overdue rent. I’m out of breath just typing all of that.

As we all know, celebrity-owned chicken chains have the potential to do pretty well—just ask Shaq how he’s doing. Or Drake. Or Post Malone. But competition across the restaurant landscape can be brutal, and Guy Fieri has already seen his fair share of restaurant closures, including his poorly reviewed Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar in Times Square $SQ. Though he’s not the only one with a stake in the Chicken Guy! business, he is the one whose likeness brings in customers — and this particular roost might not be home to his chicken tenders for much longer.

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