BY ROB DAVIS
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — It will be a bit of a homecoming when Hattie B’s Hot Chicken opens for business in Auburn on July 16. Nick Bishop Sr., who co-founded the company with his son Nick Bishop Jr., is a 1976 graduate of Auburn University.
“We are incredibly excited about opening in a city we hold dear, and in a treasured local landmark across from campus near Toomer’s Drugs,” Bishop Sr. said. “It doesn’t get any better than this!”
The Auburn location will be the 19th Hattie B’s opened by the father-and-son duo, and the third location in Alabama, with the other two locations in Birmingham and Huntsville.
“It’s a special feeling to bring Hattie B’s to a town that holds so many fond memories for our family,” Bishop Jr. said. “We can’t wait to serve a lot of chicken, pour some cold beers and roll all the trees in the loveliest village on The Plains.”
Hattie B’s is taking over the former home of the historic Tiger Theater at 121 N. College St. The 2,923-square-foot dining room will offer 72 seats while the 762-square-foot covered patio will seat an additional 52 guests. Operating hours are Sunday throughThursday 10:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 10:45 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Founded in Nashville, Tennessee in 2012, with an emphasis on quality, authenticity and value, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken currently has locations in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada and Texas. Famous for its bone-in chicken and tenders, Hattie B’s offers plenty of choices and degrees of hot when it comes to their sauces and rubs.
Vice President of Culinary and Executive Chef for Hattie B’s Brian Morris emphasized that Hattie B’s is a family-owned company, and when you work for the company you become part of the family. Morris has been working hard with his team to get the Auburn location ready for opening day.
“We’re kind of in the home stretch now,” Morris said. “We are beyond fired up about opening in Auburn. Guests can expect everything they know and love about Hattie B’s — our delicious fried chicken, Southern sides, grandma-approved desserts and cold beer and cocktails. We want to create big, rich memories and good times for our guests who walk in the front door, and we also have a commitment to the people who work with us that there will be an opportunity to grow with us.”
Having helped open several Hattie B’s in other college towns around the southeast, Morris said the Auburn location will be ready for tailgaters this football season.
“We do a ton of catering,” Morris said. “Our jumbo wings and jumbo tenders are great for tailgating. We also do all kinds of platters and pans and packs. We understand tailgating in the SEC and we do it big. For us being a big and rich value is part of it. Money is not stretching for a lot of folks these days so we’re focused on making sure our plates are a big value.”
