Roots Chicken Shak
Chicken restaurant · Plano ·
Fried chicken & sandwiches featuring duck fat fries
Fried chicken & sandwiches featuring duck fat fries
"As for Roots Chicken Shak, I saw it positioned as a franchising play that already produced locations in Plano (a Legacy West food hall) and Austin (inside an H-E-B), with Foley and Derry using partnerships with Legacy West and H-E-B to accelerate the brand’s rollout. Their approach leverages city and corporate partnerships to reduce financial barriers for franchisees, with an explicit goal of creating opportunities for people traditionally edged out of franchising — particularly Black women — and the brand is being placed as a cornerstone in new H-E-B food-hall developments." - Courtney E. Smith
"Tiffany Derry and Tom Foley, through their company T2D Concepts, have developed a restaurant franchise model focused on “hospitality with a purpose” that already operates locations in Plano and Austin. Rather than recruiting wealthy investors, the concept relies on strategic partnerships with funding organizations, municipalities, and mission-aligned companies to finance new openings, and seeks franchisees who bring a baseline of restaurant operations experience and a commitment to exceptional hospitality. The streamlined plan emphasizes an efficient building footprint, a concise menu built around Tiffany’s duck fat–fried chicken, reduced food waste, and operational efficiency, while explicitly aiming to catalyze social justice and provide pathways for under-resourced and marginalized community members to build intergenerational wealth. The founders position the model as a deliberate shift in the franchise system to expand ownership opportunities and invite operators who want to run a community-minded business." - Courtney E. Smith
"There are a handful of eateries in the HEB Mueller food court, but our favorite mid-grocery pitstop is Roots, where the specialty is duck fat fried chicken in the form of wings, strips, and sandwiches. It’s a well known fact that duck fat makes everything taste better. We like the Spicy Bird, topped with kimchi mayo, giardiniera, and kale. It adds some great texture to some incredibly juicy chicken. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary" - Nicolai McCrary
"A Texas-based chicken concept operating in food halls in Austin and Plano and a standalone near Dallas that kept mask mandates for guests and staff through much of the pandemic, drawing backlash after statewide rollbacks; the owner recounted threats, public scenes, and negative online reviews tied to safety policies and continues to recommend staff masking while framing the measures as health decisions rather than political statements." - Elazar Sontag
"A fast-casual offshoot, Roots Chicken Shak operates two locations and specializes in truly crispy chicken that’s deep-fried in duck fat — the same signature technique Derry made famous earlier in her career." - Amy McCarthy
