Fuku’s Fried Chicken Sandwich Train Rolls Into the Financial District Any Day Now

Fuku, Momofuku David Chang’s fast-casual fried chicken shop, is ready to feed the Financial District masses with the opening of its 110 Wall Street store in the next two weeks. It’s the first “real storefront,” according to Chang, who tells Eater that the other spaces have been stands or repurposed, but “this is the first one we’ve opened as Fuku from the beginning. It looks cleaner. It’s not so crammed.”

It will be similar to the other three Fuku’s now dotting the city, with a basic menu of various fried chicken sandwiches, tenders — “I didn’t understand how much people like chicken tenders,” Chang says — chili cheese fries, and a few more items. The fried chicken started as a dark-meat-only situation, but there’s now a white meat option, apparently as a result of customer requests. Plus, Hot Bread Kitchen will provide bing bread as the base for some sandwiches, available at this location — a partnership that’s been underway for the past six months, he says.

As is Chang’s MO, he calls this venture a work in progress, saying, “We’re still trying to figure out how to do the menu. So many orders are off-the-menu specials.” Specials have included finger sandwiches and a Thai-take on the sandwich, with peanut sauce and cilantro.

On Chang’s Instagram post alerting people to the opening, commenters flooded his feed begging for them to bring Fuku to London, LA, San Francisco, Australia, and more. But interestingly enough — if unrelated — this opening coincides with a new report that found fast casual is actually on the decline, with growth slowing by one to two percent in 2017.

To be determined if this will affect Fuku or any other fast-casual chain’s growth. Stay tuned for a definitive opening date soon.

• Fried Chicken Sandwich Heavyweight Fuku Prepares for Rumble in the Financial District [ENY]
• America’s Fast-Casual Dining Boom Is Over [Bloomberg]