BROOKINGS A familys dream of launching a restaurant in Le Mars, Iowa, in 2024 met with so much success that they set their sights on expanding into Brookings a vision that was realized with the opening of Chix Chicken & Waffles in late August.
The restaurant, in Suite 6 at 2035 Orchard Drive, is managed by Ayden Brent, the son of Tracy Brent, the woman who spearheaded the familys ambitions. Its staff consists of 15 to 20 part-time employees.
Brookings has been very good, (and) hopefully they keep treating us good, Ayden Brent told the Brookings Register, adding that South Dakota State University was a huge factor in opening here. (We) wanted a place with a college, and Brookings was the right time, right place.
Aydens parents his father is Monte Brent continue to call Le Mars their home, where they oversee the Chix Chicken & Waffles location there. Ayden was working there when the idea came to expand into Brookings. It gave him a chance to change his routine.
Kind of get out and do my own thing, he said.
It certainly has. He said he spends at least 10 hours a week just cooking, mixing sauces, and making the syrup after all, everything is made from scratch. Oh, and thats not including the time he spends breading the chicken every morning.
I cut the chicken every morning and we make the sauces as we need to, Ayden said. Our chicken is never frozen.
He added that the restaurant sells chicken tenders, waffles, sandwiches (made with chicken breasts), wraps, loaded fries and much more, including cereal shakes, salads and wraps. The waffles come with powdered sugar on them.
The most popular product so far? Ayden said thats been the Dirty Mac loaded fries, which are waffle fries with ranch and buffalo sauce on it, along with mac ‘n cheese. Other popular products include tender meals The Hen, The Rooster and The Hungry Hen.
Since we do cook and make everything fresh, it may take a little bit longer when you do come in, but its well worth the wait, Ayden pointed out.
As for Ayden himself, well, hes a sports aficionado who enjoys watching all sorts of competitions, including football, basketball and baseball. Hes also a connoisseur of sports-centric video games, such as Madden NFL and MLB: The Show.
His favorite in-real-life teams are the San Francisco Giants for baseball, the San Francisco 49ers for football and the Portland Trail Blazers for basketball with the latter further empowered by Ayden being a fan of Damian Lillard. Yup, Brents something of a sports fanatic and, yes, he was influenced by his father.
My dad was a 49ers fan, and so I just became a 49ers fan, he said. For the Giants, the same area, San Francisco.
So, how did his dad who has no ties to the San Francisco area come to love the 49ers?
He became a fan because growing up, someone just said, Root for whoever is playing the Cowboys, Ayden said. That was the first game he watched was 49ers and Cowboys, so he became a fan.
So, if youre in the mood for chicken and waffles and maybe want to shoot the breeze about sports stop by Chix Chicken & Waffles.
The restaurants winter hours, which are currently in effect, are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. It’s closed on Sunday and Monday.
Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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