Tampa-based hot chicken restaurant King of the Coop is in the midst of a rapid expansion with at least five locations either open or in construction, with more on the way. But on Wednesday, Coop founder Joe Dodd closed his Wesley Chapel location to welcome a crew filming for an episode of Food Network’s “Food Paradise.”
The program has been around since 2007 and travels the U.S. to find the country’s “must-see food spots.”
On the menu for select diners were King of the Coop’s famous King Mac—hot chicken tendies sandwiched with mac ‘n’ cheese, slaw, special sauce and sweet pickles—plus the concept’s new catfish tacos. On camera interviews went down during the taping, and Dodd told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the episode could air on Food Network, Travel Channel and Discovery within two months.
Dodd doesn’t have an exact air date, but he told CL that there will definitely be a watch party at one of King of the Coop’s locations.
On Wednesday during the taping, Dodd and his partners detailed King of the Coop’s plans to expand to South Tampa, and said that concepts in Ybor City and Westchase are both still moving forward.
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