Mother Clucker! hot chicken opens in downtown Shawnee

Mother Clucker!, a Kansas City-based Nashville hot chicken restaurant, has officially opened a new location in downtown Shawnee.

The restaurant is located in the former Big Bam’s burger place at 59th Street and Nieman Road.

Mother Clucker! first opened its doors in a kiosk in the Crossroads food hall Parlor, making Shawnee its second spot.
So far, there hasn’t been an official grand opening in Shawnee, but it has been welcoming customers in what its owners call a soft opening phase.
Derrick Foster, who owns it with his wife, Kylie, said they’ve seen a pretty steady flow of traffic through their doors.

The Shawnee location will serve the six different heat levels of fresh hot chicken Mother Clucker! serves in its Parlor location.
But, Foster said the menu at the new location is bigger than the flagship location.
In addition to a new salad option, each chicken meal can be upgraded to a combo with fries and a drink.
The new restaurant also has a soft-serve machine, which takes the place of the original shop’s hand-scooped ice cream offerings.
That means that the Shawnee location will serve its “Crazy Cluckin’ Shakes” available in KC as well as new ice cream cone and cup choices.

The Fosters had been eyeing the Big Bam’s storefront for some time after that restaurant closed in September 2021.
Foster worked in the burger joint’s kitchen as a 19-year-old and said he felt a strong connection to the space.
Through a partnership a local real estate firm, the Fosters purchased the new Mother Clucker! building and the retail and office building behind it.
“It came full circle back to me,” Foster said. “I love the Shawnee area and the growth that’s happening.”

For now, the focus is on establishing the Shawnee location, but Foster said there are plans to grow the restaurant beyond that.
Franchising is possibly on the table as well, but the intention is to keep it in the Midwest and keep the headquarters in the KC area.