The Coop is open
Marshalltown’s newest fast food chicken restaurant moves into former Wendy’s building
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When business partners Eliot McDonald and Henry Panameno, both Texas natives, embarked on a nationwide search for the community where they would launch their new restaurant venture, The Coop Chicken Fingers, they eventually landed on Ames and opened on Lincoln Way and opened near the Iowa State University (ISU) campus last November. Less than a year later, they're already expanding to other markets in both Iowa and Kansas, and on Wednesday night, the brand new Marshalltown location officially soft opened at 3010 S. Center St., the former Wendy's, with a ribbon cutting and grand opening set for next Thursday, Oct. 15.
The soft opening went from about 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday night, and going forward, The Coop will be open daily from 10:30 a.m. to either 9 or 10 p.m., depending on what is determined to make the most sense in Marshalltown. As McDonald explained, both he and Panameno both previously worked together at another chicken finger brand for about six years, and before that, McDonald worked for Raising Cane's -- the now national chicken finger joint that The Coop will almost inevitably draw comparisons to given its menu.
"It's like Cane's in the fact that we both serve chicken fingers, but outside of that, Cane's just has the one sauce. They do one thing and they do it well, but I will say that our regular chicken has more of a seasoning in the breading than theirs. The public seems to agree with that if you look at our reviews," McDonald said. "We also offer a spicy chicken finger option. That's very popular. It's a flavorful spice. It's not a coating or messy. It's in the breading, so you're eating a regular finger but it's got a kick to it."
Another factor that sets The Coop apart, he added, is the variety of sauces -- the namesake Coop Sauce, which has a smoky BBQ mustard flavor, Fox Sauce, a peppery ketchup and mayo based sauce which is similar to Cane's Sauce, buttermilk ranch, jalapeno ranch, BBQ, buffalo, hot honey and honey mustard. Along with chicken finger baskets including crinkle cut fries and toast, The Coop also serves chicken sandwiches, grilled cheese, soft drinks and milkshakes.
Ever since KFC permanently closed across the street last February, Marshalltown has not had a fast food restaurant specifically focused on chicken, so McDonald and Panameno, who worked alongside Alex Schelling of HBU Development to find the right spot, are happy to fill that void in a prime location. McDonald sees further expansion, especially into the Des Moines area, on the horizon with four locations in two states now open -- two in Iowa and two in Kansas -- with another set to open in Clear Lake before the end of the year, and he's proud to operate a completely debt-free company.
The grand opening next Thursday will include a ribbon cutting with the Chamber Ambassadors at around 10:15 a.m., and the first 400 guests who arrive at 10:30 a.m. will receive a scratch-off ticket. Everyone will win something, ranging from a free three-finger meal or 25 percent off your next visit to free family packs all the way up to free chicken for a year.
And as for what sets The Coop apart from its competitors, McDonald pointed to the fact that their chicken is always fresh and never frozen, sourced from RedBird Farms in Colorado.
"People will be able to tell that it is a quality project. It is not the standard cut up breasts like you get at some places. These are actual chicken tenders, and when they taste it, you'll see that nine out of 10, if not more, will say that, I like to say that we have a premium product at a not premium price," he said. "We don't have that high corporate overhead like Cane's. We don't have royalties like KFC or Popeye's or anything like that, so we pass that savings onto the consumer in our pricing."
Contact Robert Maharry at (641) 753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.