He Spends $300k a Year to Fry in Beef Tallow. That Made Fry the Coop Into a Hot Chicken Sensation.

Joe Fontana, founder of Fry the Coop, turned a love for Nashville hot chicken into one of Chicago’s fastest-growing restaurant brands. Known for bold risks, storytelling, and a $300,000-a-year commitment to frying in beef tallow. Listen now to learn about the leap from cubicle to hot chicken, the marketing stunt with a full chicken costume, and the rise of Fry the Coop across Chicago. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Chapters: [03:35] - Leaving the Cubicle for Food [08:27] - Discovering Nashville Hot Chicken [10:36] - Moving Back to Chicago [12:49] - Slow Starts and the Chicken Costume [27:18] - Betting Big on Beef Tallow SPONSORS: RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST — Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience. • Toast All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Episode Links Fry The Coop Online: https://www.frythecoop.com/ Fry The Coop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frythecoop/?hl=en Fry The Coop TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@frythecoop Fry The Coop Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frythecoop/ Joe Fontana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephfontana/ Key Takeaways: Bold Risks Build Momentum: From selling his house to moving back to Chicago, Joe Fontana bet everything on hot chicken. Even when sales were slow, he put on a chicken costume to wave down cars — proving persistence and scrappiness can spark long-term growth. Beef Tallow Sets Him Apart: While most restaurants abandoned it decades ago, Fontana doubled down on frying exclusively in beef tallow. The choice costs an extra $300,000 a year, but it delivers unmatched flavor, viral attention, and a clear point of difference for Fry the Coop. Storytelling Fuels Expansion: Fontana leaned on a publicist and social media to turn his story into coverage from outlets like the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. From viral fryer videos to family photos on the walls, he shows how narrative can turn a restaurant into a movement. *** ABOUT JOE FONTANA — Joe Fontana is the founder of Fry the Coop, a Chicago-based Nashville hot chicken restaurant with 10 locations and counting. A Chicago native, Fontana left a steady office job in California to chase his passion for food, first experimenting with pop-ups and a meatball concept before discovering Nashville hot chicken. In 2017, he and his wife returned to Chicago to open the first Fry the Coop in Oak Lawn. Known for his bold risks, viral storytelling, and unwavering belief in cooking with beef tallow, Fontana has turned Fry the Coop into one of the city’s standout fast-casual brands. ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS — Restaurant Influencers is a weekly video podcast series presented by Entrepreneur Media and Cali BBQ Media. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with business leaders like Shaquille O’Neal, Rob Dyrdek, Emeril Lagasse, Mayim Bialik, Jon Taffer, Robert Irvine, Toast co-founder Aman Narang, and more, about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling, marketing, branding, and how to show up where customers are engaging online. Published by Entrepreneur Media - https://entreprenuer.com Produced by Cali BBQ Media - https://betheshow.media