After seven months, Cluck-U is expected to open in June but under different management.
After an almost seven-month absence, Cluck-U Chicken representatives are staging the eatery’s College Park comeback.
With a renovated interior, menu tweaks and a new name, the restaurant is set to open as soon as June, according to Cluck-U Corp.’s lawyer Richard Daniels.
A city staple since 1990, many students said they were shocked when the eatery closed abruptly Oct. 22. But less than a month later, Daniels said downtown had not seen the last of the establishment that shuttered after new managers — unaffiliated with Cluck-U Corp. — did not comply with franchise requirements and had not paid rent for almost six months.
Now, the establishment will reopen as a corporate store called Cluckster’s by Cluck-U and will be owned and operated by J.P. Haddad, the president of Cluck-U Corp.
Haddad said the name change will give the eatery a fresh start; many students had previously referred to the chicken joint as their “late-night eatery.”
“We feel that this is an evolution,” Haddad said.
The College Park location is following suit, refurbishing its interior to provide a more aesthetically pleasing environment, Daniels said.
“This particular store, it’s going to be located where Cluck-U was, but they have completely gutted and renovated that space,” he said.
The seating area will expand from 30 seats to 50, and the establishment will be updated with new tables, chairs and lights, he added — improvements students said would make the chain more enticing.
“I’d only been once or twice but a lot of my [field hockey] teammates went there,” sophomore environmental science and policy major Natalie Hunter said. “They loved Cluck-U and were really disappointed when it closed. I think it’s a popular place to eat, but it was kind of run-down.”
The restaurant’s new mantra will be quality over quantity, as Haddad said the eatery’s menu will be shortened to focus on upping the mouthwatering appeal of each listed item.
“It’s basically going to be more of a ‘shrink menu,'” Haddad said, explaining Cluckster’s plans to offer three different sides instead of 10 and only the most popular sandwiches.
Some students said Cluckster’s may face tough competition in downtown’s harsh economic climate and reputation for rapid business turnover.
“It might work out for them; we’ll have to wait and see,” said junior criminology and criminal justice major Dan Vernes.
Vernes said the renovations would make or break Cluckster’s success.
“It all depends on the atmosphere and the type of food they serve,” he said. “[Cluck-U] was okay. It wasn’t too great, especially with restaurants such as Vito’s Pizza nearby.”
The restaurant is set to open this summer, Daniels said.
“We will be looking forward to fall — September — with the students coming back,” Haddad said. “We’ll be ready to serve them.”
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