Chicken's Kitchen to open on East Bank

Zoom in: Chicken's Kitchen's original location at 629 Derbigny St. will close after service Friday, Feb. 13, Marlon "Chicken" Williams tells Axios New Orleans.

• The Coop, Williams' breakfast and brunch spot at 1030 Derbigny St., will stay open and start offering lunch service, too, the chef says.
• Meanwhile, Williams is building out Chicken's Kitchen's new East Bank location on Dryades Street between Calliope and Howard.

Fun fact: He broke the CBD restaurant news on social media late Wednesday and immediately had to follow up the post with a more specific location.

• Follower reactions were so excited, Williams wrote, they threatened to "break my ... inbox."

State of play: Despite all the accolades Williams has stacked up for Chicken's Kitchen, including its spot on a New York Times best-of list and the James Beard nod, the Gretna location has remained a challenge, he says.

• Then, when he learned he'd need to wait a couple extra months for approvals on a minor renovation, that sealed the deal: Williams would close his original location.
• "Our business, since we opened, has always come with an asterisk or a 'but' because we're on the West Bank," he says. "It's almost like we don't count because we're on the West Bank."

• Now, he expects to broaden his appeal to both locals and visitors.

What's next: Williams aims to open Chicken's Kitchen in the CBD around May 1.

• Visitors can expect the same experience when it opens. "It's not broke, so we're not fixing it," he said.
• Even the hours will remain the same, from 10:30am to sellout. "The focus is still work life balance. I never want to lose sight of that."