Chicken Joe’s coming to Troy
Popular chicken joint to open second location in June
TROY, N.Y.>> A popular Capital Region chicken joint is coming to the Collar City, with plans to open a second area location on Campbell Avenue.
Chicken Joe’s is expected to open sometime in June at the Campbell Plaza at 506 Campbell Ave. in Troy.
Local residents may know Chicken Joe’s from it’s Albany location, which opened in 2010.
Set in the Pine Hills neighborhood, this eatery is particularly popular with college students in the area.
While the original Chicken Joe’s started in 1994 in Connecticut, the business has made it’s mark on the Capital Region in the past several years, and is now looking to expand beyond Albany.
On why Chicken Joe’s chose Troy, co-owner Pat Lovallo said, “Since we’ve been open in Albany we’re getting a lot of people from Troy always asking ‘ When are you guys coming to Troy? When are you coming to Troy?’ They’ve been requesting for a while. Finally, we’ve got our opportunity.”
When Lovallo and-his business partners learned of the available Campbell Avenue space, which shares a plaza with a nail spa and physical therapy office, they jumped on it.
The unit was previously occupied by Kluckers, another fried chicken business opened last year by the family who owns the region’s several Inferno Pizzerias.
Though the other fried chicken restaurant didn’t last, Lovallo is confident that Chicken Joe’s will do well in the space.
“We are very confident,” he said. “All we do is chicken. That’s what we do.” Chicken Joe’s chicken nuggets are hand cut and made fresh daily using all white meat, he added.
These nuggets are the centerpiece to the eatery’s most popular meal the High School Special, as well as the Heaven Sub, which features chicken nuggets, fries, mozzarella sticks, bacon, cheese and ranch dressing - all on a sub roll.
Chicken Joe’s is also home to other out-of-the-norm-menu items like potato cones, corn fritters and X-Tasy fries, topped with cheese, bacon and ranch.
Additionally, Chicken Joe’s has a menu of unique breakfast sandwiches. “Everything is fresh-- cooked daily in our store and the customers know it,” Lovallo said. “They can taste it.”
Furthermore, most menu items are less than $10 for a meal. “It’s excellent food at a very fair price point,” Lovallo said.
Though hours are not yet finalized for the new location, Lovallo said he plans for the Troy shop to be open until about midnight daily. Chicken Joe’s is already planning on getting a lot of delivery orders in Troy, especially for students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Hudson-Valley Community College and Russell Sage College. “We’ll be running deliveries for those kids day and night,” Lovallo said.
However, Chicken Joe’s target demographic in the Troy community also includes families.
“We’re looking to target families, and naturally the college audience is great for us,” Lovallo said.
Lovallo and his team are excited to offer customers a much larger dining area at the Troy location, including outdoor seating in the warmer months. “We really thinking it’s going to go over well with the families of Troy,” he said. “It’s going to be nice for people. They can finally come sit down and enjoy their meal right in the restaurant.”
Beyond this new Troy endeavor, Chicken Joe’s is also currently looking to expand in the Colonie area, possibly on Central Avenue or Wolf Road. In the next year or so, the owners are planning to venture into Schenectady, too.
With the Albany store successfully operating, Lovallo said, “The timing is right, right now.”
The Troy location is now is in the process of being modified to look like a Chicken Joe’s, which is estimated to be a six- to eightweek project.
In April, there will be a job fair at the site. About 15 people will be hired to work at the newlocation, including managers, cooks, drivers and cashiers.
Then, Lovallo hopes to open the Troy Chicken Joe’s sometime in June. “Hopefully early June we’re looking to open the doors,” he said.
For more information and updates visit www.facebook.com/chickenjoesalbany. A new website that will include all locations is coming soon.
Chicken Joe’s also recently debuted a smartphone application for placing pick-up and delivery orders.