Garage-born Crimson Coward hitting 200 locations by 2027

After transforming his garage into a "food lab," and spending eight months testing menu items and working with food experts, Ali Hijazi opened the first Crimson Coward Nashville Hot Chicken in 2019 in Downey, California. Although an entrepreneur with a focus on real estate and other investments, Hijazi is now on a mission to open 200 Crimson locations by 2027. He fell in love with hot chicken after a friend introduced him to Howlin Rays, a regional hot chicken brand in Los Angeles, and began working on his own concept.

"I think I went to every hot chicken place in Nashville over the course of three days," he said in an interview with FastCasual.

By year's end, the brand will have nine stores spanning California, Michigan, Texas and Virginia but is looking for franchise partners to take the brand across the country.

The menu and CX
Armed with a name to challenge the tastebuds, Crimson Coward's chicken comes in five heat flavors, —country no heat, mild, medium, Crimson-hot and BURRRRN BABY BURN — that visually change color thanks to the type of peppers used in each recipe.

"We wanted the food to not just taste really good, but also how it was prepared and presented was important," said Hijazi, which is why each location features an open kitchen allowing guests to watch their food being made. Each also has a special spot — "Lucky 7" — a name given to the seven counter-height seats where guests fortunate enough to snag a spot are rewarded with free samples, such as macaroni and cheese or fried pickles.

"We are committed to going that extra step to make each guest's experience exceptional," said John Filipiak, a partner for the East Coast expansion of Crimson Coward's stores. He and his partner, Nabil Asad, plan to add 25 locations in Maryland and 25 in Virginia. The plan aligns with Hijazi's overall growth strategy of developing at least 25 stores in each state it enters and growing organically through the success of those stores.

"Working with (Hijazi) it was quickly evident that he was open to suggestions on operations and development and already had a simplistic operation, quality product, unique open kitchen look, and a focus on the guest experience," Filipiak told FastCasual. "This has all laid the foundation to grow a successful brand for franchise partners."

Each restaurant has kiosk and mobile app ordering and will soon have add drive-thru locations.

Although the brand is only four years old, Hijazi believes hitting 200 locations by 2027 is possible.

"We have been focused on scaling operations and pursuing growth; we now have eight locations open nationwide and are continuing to expand," he said. "At the heart of Crimson Coward is quality product and superior customer experience."

Filipiak agreed, saying that Crimson Coward was not a cookie-cutter brand as it offers a design that will tie into the local community while keeping true to the open kitchen, Nashville hot chicken roots.

"We are heavily involved in the local communities in which we work and reside," he said. "Every time we open a Crimson Coward chicken joint, we connect with the local schools and businesses to create partnerships and become a part of the thread of the area. This is a cornerstone of Crimson Coward and will remain a critical part of our beliefs and our brand."