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10 Apr

New Huey Magoo’s in Dr. Phillips a model for chain’s growth

Huey Magoo’s is working on a recipe to propel it from its roots as a single location near UCF to the next national food phenomenon.

The Orlando-based chicken tenders chain has opened its fourth restaurant on Sand Lake Road with a restyled decor, including pictures of farm fields and lighter, natural woods.

“The finishes are a little bit more sleek and professional,” said Andy Howard, who led a team to buy Huey Magoo’s in the fall. “This is what the next wave of stores will look like.”

With three more on the way, Howard is envisioning Huey Magoo’s as the next Wingstop, the franchise chain of buffalo wings restaurants aimed at building small locations in shopping centers.

The investment to get started with his model is smaller than other competitors in the chicken tenders space, Howard said. He said new locations will require about $400,000 to $450,000 a year in investment, as opposed to more than a million for a stand-alone restaurant.

Huey Magoo’s started as a small chicken tenders hangout near University of Central Florida, dishing out the boneless chicken pieces along with a selection of sauces and French fries.

The old owners Matt Armstrong and Thad Hudgens are still with Huey Magoo’s as consultants, and the group is focusing on franchising to grow.

The location at 7538 W. Sand Lake Road boasts a redesigned kitchen. Howard, the president and CEO, says it has a sleek and industrial design, but most of the food is the same.

“We were looking for a little bit of a farm-to-table feel,” he said.

The Lake Mary location, in the Shoppes of Lake Mary center, should open in three to four months. There is also a location planned near Mall at Millenia.

Huey Magoo’s also signed a deal with food management giant Aramark to open at UCF’s student union building, where they had been forced to leave last year after Aramark took over running food sales there. Howard hopes that deal could lead to further expansion at other colleges.

“We’re going to start small, but we will definitely be looking at other key markets in Florida in Tampa, Jacksonville and Daytona Beach,” Howard said. “I don’t know if we would look at expanding to California yet, but if you get the right partner it could work.”

As mentioned at Orlando Sentinel