This popular Bloomington chicken restaurant is expanding to Peoria next year

Pop-Up Chicken Shop has seen continuous growth since starting out of a Bloomington VFW hall in 2018, according to owner Aaron Francis.

“I have been packed almost every day of service for five straight years,” Francis said. “Like, yes, it's incredible the turnout that Bloomington-Normal has shown for this restaurant.”

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic – which took a toll on restaurants throughout the country – Francis said he continued to hire additional staff members to keep up with demand. The business opened its first in-person location in August 2022, and in its first year, Francis said there has been an even stronger response.

Now, Francis is expanding his restaurant concept to Peoria's Warehouse District. He expects to open the new Pop-Up Chicken Shop location in the spring of 2024.

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‘A huge asset’ to the Warehouse District

Along with gaining popularity in Bloomington-Normal, Francis said Pop-Up Chicken Shop has developed “a huge following in Peoria.” He said he has received numerous requests – from friends and customers alike – to bring a location to the area.

“People are obsessed with my food,” Francis said, “and I’ve built such a brand that, I mean, I'm ready to take a large risk – because that's what you have to do with business – to expand my brand to central Illinois and beyond.”

The new restaurant will be housed at the Adams & Oak development in the Warehouse District. The commercial units, which are expected to hold between five and 10 tenants, are part of a larger mixed-use project by the Baldovin Development Co. Across the street, work has also begun on The Center, which will include additional retail units, apartment space and a food hall and market.

Renovations on the restaurant space will be completed by Baldovin Construction, and the goal is to wrap up work by March of next year, according to Peoria developer Casey Baldovin. Once complete, Francis said the storefront will be “very bright and white” while also retaining much of its vintage charm.

"With this Peoria location, I'm working with such a beautiful space,” Francis said. “It's an incredible, historic building.”

Before working with Francis to bring the restaurant to Peoria, Baldovin was a customer at Pop-Up Chicken Shop. He said friends in Bloomington talked about the business constantly, so he went to check it out. At the time, the restaurant was still housed at the VFW hall.

Since then, Baldovin has returned to the restaurant multiple times. He said both the food and energy of the space stood out to him, and he thought he and Francis would work well together.

“So, (I) reached out to him and was just like, ‘Hey, dude, if you're ever interested in coming to Peoria, I think you'd be a huge asset here. I think that you’d do very well, and I think that you would bring something to the Warehouse District that we're really looking for,’” Baldovin said.

Overall, Francis said Baldovin played a large role in his decision to bring the second location to Peoria. He described Baldovin as “a very smart and bright young guy” who has a similar business mindset and goals.

“I'm just excited to be a part of a pretty cool thing,” Francis said. “I really love the way Peoria is trying to expand their downtown area, and I love what Casey is trying to do with the Warehouse District. I just think being a part of it at the beginning phases is going to be a wonderful thing.”

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Offering two menu concepts and Illinois Hot Chicken

Though Francis described Pop-Up Chicken Shop as the primary restaurant within the space, customers will be able to order from two dining concepts. A menu for The Love Shack – which serves smash burgers and more – will also be available. Francis described both concepts as “elevated fast casual.”

Both dining concepts regularly offer specials, as well, and as a customer, Baldovin said it is exciting to see a business try new things and evolve. He described the food is “phenomenal” and said he has tried a variety of different menu items during his visits.

“I think that's really cool to not just be like, ‘Hey, this is our menu. This is all we're gonna do,’” Baldovin said. “He's always out there experimenting and that is something that I just have mad respect for.”

Of course, the staple menu item at Pop-Up Chicken Shop is its Illinois Hot Chicken. Customers can order white or dark meat, wings or a breast and can select from four different levels of heat. The menu also features items such as an Illinois Hot Chicken horseshoe and Illinois Hot Chicken and waffles – both of which are listed for $15.

Francis said the style is “our ode to Nashville hot chicken, but it’s completely different.” Five years back, when he was doing research for the restaurant’s concept, Francis said it seemed as though hot chicken was on the cusp of becoming wildly popular.

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A recipe for success

For Francis, however, the popularity of Pop-Up Chicken Shop comes down to more than a unique recipe.

“Anyone in the world can make fried chicken sandwiches,” he said. “But why am I packed every day? Because a little bit of (attention) to detail goes a long way. And for me, I take pride in cooking for other people, and I have to instill that in my staff.”

The most crucial ingredient for success, Francis said, is building a strong staff and supporting employees – from those working under 10 hours a week to those managing the restaurant’s day-to-day operations. At the Bloomington storefront, he said there are recent high school graduates who are earning over $20 an hour.

“I'm looking out for anyone that works for me,” Francis said. “That's a hundred percent just who I am as a person.”

Francis said employees in the restaurant industry have been mistreated or looked down on. It is an issue he wants to work toward improving – while also setting an example for businesses around him.

Of course, Francis said he’s also heard business owners talk about it being difficult to find workers.

“I'm sorry,” he said, “but it's not.”

With nearly four dozen employees in Bloomington, Francis said he has even more applications and individuals hoping to work there. The key, he said, is that people understand he is committed to taking care of his staff.

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‘Keep pushing and growing’

Since announcing the new Pop-Up Chicken Shop location, Baldovin said he has seen “a really positive response” from the Peoria community.

“It feels good – both for Aaron and myself – that we know we're on the right path, and that it's going to be wildly successful,” Baldovin said.

While getting the Peoria location up and running is Francis’s primary goal for the time being, he is not looking to settle with two locations. He also hopes to expand to cities such as Champaign and Springfield within the next five years.

To achieve this growth, Francis plans to continue working with Baldovin and his business.

Baldovin said he and Francis have already begun to consider other locations and think about expansion. He said his development company is planning to pursue projects in Illinois, Iowa and other states. For these developments, Baldovin said he wants to continue partnering with other passionate business owners to bring them to more locations.

“So, we have a very large future together, Aaron and I, we think,” he said. “That's our goal.”

Recently, Francis said he had a customer who said Pop-Up Chicken Shop could become a national brand one day. He said those are the kinds of goals he eventually hopes to achieve.

“Ever since I was little, I’ve always had extreme dreams and aspirations,” Francis said. “So, like, a lot of people think I'm just like super successful today, but in my head, I'm still working and like I'm not satisfied. That's just where I'm at right now. It's just I want to keep pushing and growing.”

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This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Popular Bloomington restaurant to open in Peoria next year