Local chef opens Chicken Guy! Restaurant at King of Prussia Mall

UPPER MERION —  Delaware County resident Kevin Cooper opened Guy Fieri’s chicken chain restaurant, Chicken Guy!, on Thursday, Feb. 8 at King of Prussia Mall.

Cooper won the chance to own and operate Chicken Guy! following his 2022 victory on “Guy’s Chance of a Lifetime.”

The Drexel Hill man appeared two years ago on the Food Network show, “Guy’s Chance of a Lifetime,” where contestants vied for the unique opportunity to own and operate their own Chicken Guy! The show’s deal is to build a restaurant for the winner, pay him to go through training and present the new restaurant to him as a turnkey operation. The competition aired in six episodes.

Food Network’s TV Host Guy Fieri, joined restaurateur Robert Earl, founder of Planet Hollywood, to launch the first Chicken Guy! in 2018. Currently, there are 11 locations open, with the King of Prussia site bringing the total to 12. Seven more are on the way.

“When it comes to Chicken Guy!, we’re all about real deal, all natural chicken sandwiches, tenders, killer shakes and of course, our sauces,” Fieri recently said. “But what we’re also very much about are people, so when we created ‘Guy’s Chance of a Lifetime,’ Robert and I were very excited to give somebody the opportunity to build their own business and be a part of our brand story. We couldn’t be more stoked for Kevin and for him to bring Chicken Guy! to King of Prussia!”

Cooper, too, couldn’t feel more ready for the big day, but he’s confident that customers will love what he calls “The Rolls Royce of chicken.”

“When the sun is shining on you, don’t ever look for the shade,” Cooper said with a smile and larger-than-life personality that, along with his cooking skills, won over judges to bring him to this moment. “Bask completely in that light!”

Located in the King of Prussia Mall’s food court, on the first floor of the Plaza, Chicken Guy! features a full image of Fieri, which greets guests as they enter the queue area, as well as a large poster of Fieri and Cooper on the show. The new Chicken Guy! provides abundant indoor seating, offering a casual and comfortable dining experience.

At least 100 people or more lined up ahead of the grand opening for a chance to be among the first to taste Chicken Guy!’s food. The line kept building and weaving through the food court throughout the morning.

The menu includes house-made, all-natural chicken tenders, grilled or fried and paired with a collection of signature sauces that include Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ, Nashville Hot Honey, and Donkey Sauce. The chicken is pounded out to maximize crunch and brined in fresh lemon juice, pickle brine, buttermilk and herbs, a product that delivers on flavor and texture.

The menu also includes entrée-sized salads like Guy’s Chopped Salad, sides like Fried Pickle Chips, and Chicken Guy Fries, and more.

In addition to soft drinks, Chicken Guy! offers hand-spun milkshakes, some with unique flavors like Apple Cinnamon Cereal and Triple Double Mint. All chicken items can be ordered grilled and gluten-free, including the buns.

“Bringing Chicken Guy! to King of Prussia is a dream realized for me, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce the vibrant flavors and contagious energy of this beloved brand to the local community,” said Cooper. “Winning ‘Guy’s Chance of a Lifetime’ was an incredible journey, and now, being able to share the joy of Chicken Guy! in my backyard is beyond rewarding.”

Fieri agreed with Cooper’s wish to locate the restaurant in the Philadelphia area and King of Prussia Mall was the viable selection. With six major department stores and more than 450 stores, boutiques and restaurants, the King of Prussia Mall is the third-largest mall in America. The mall’s 2.9 million square feet of retail space welcomes an estimated 22 million visitors a year.

“I love Philly for the food, for the people, for the culture, for the history, you name it,” Fieri stated. “This guy is so Philly. He loves his community. That North Philly energy and attitude and accent, we had to give it to him on his home turf!”

His background

Cooper, who was born and raised in the Hunting Park section of North Philadelphia, is realizing a dream coming true.

When he was a child, he made peanut butter cookies almost daily for his family. His mom and other family members finally complained and asked him to switch up his game, so he began making other foods, and soon began dreaming about becoming a chef.

Cooper attended culinary school, JNA Institute of Culinary Arts in Philadelphia, where he earned a degree in restaurant management and culinary arts in 2018.

The local chef, whose family calls him by the nickname “Steek,” worked in restaurants, including Harvest, the Ritz Carlton, and as the executive chef at Paul’s Run Retirement Community in Philadelphia and Discover Card Services in New Castle, Del. He also started his own catering company, Succulent Imagination.

Then he heard about Guy’s Chance of a Lifetime and thought he’d give it a shot.

Cooper is a three-time Food Network winner. In addition to winning “Guy’s Chance of a Lifetime” in 2022, Cooper also won “Guy’s Grocery Game” that same year and won “Cooks Vs. Cons” in 2017. In 2018, he appeared on Food Network’s “Fire Masters Canada” show.

The chef and entrepreneur is a military veteran. The staff sergeant served seven years in the Army, followed by six years in the National Guard.

“The military gave me that confidence and that discipline to finally do what I wanted to do professionally,” Cooper shared. “After years in the Army, I know that I got what it takes to be a success.”

While he was stationed in Tacoma, Wash., he met his wife LaToya. Cooper was working in an Outback Steakhouse there and LaToya came in to eat dinner.

Married to Kevin for seven years, LaToya was beaming with pride at the grand opening with daughter Kailani, 14, her mother, Beverlyn Dagby, her grandmother Lena Kimble and a host of other relatives and friends.

“Last night our family attended the pre-opening celebration and sampled the chicken tenders and a little bit of everything,” said Kimble, who traveled with Dagby from their home in Virginia for the celebration. “Everything here is delicious and the place is just beautiful!”

“It’s hard to describe the feelings that Kevin and I and our family members are experiencing today,” LaToya shared. “We’re just so grateful for this moment!”

As Cooper worked the opening day crowd last week, posing for photos and handing out menus for people to look at while they waited in line, he could barely contain his own excitement.

“I’m both nervous and excited today,” the new restaurant owner shared. “I went through many years of training for this moment, so it’s smooth sailing from here on in. I can’t wait for customers to taste what we have here!”

For more information about Chicken Guy!, visit http://www.chickenguy.com.