King of the Coop's South Tampa location opens next week

The South Tampa location of locally-based eternally-expanding hot chicken franchise King of the Coop opens next week.

"Either the 27th or the 28th," Coop founder Joe Dodd told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. "We'll make the announcement of social media."

King of the Coop's South Tampa location is at 500 S Howard Ave. and had initially planned on a Sept. 1 opening.

Late night hours at South Tampa won't go into effect for at least another month, according to Dodd, who said he'd like the store to get on its feet and works out the kinks.
Dodd added that the South Tampa location will most resemble what most King of the Coop locations will look like going forward. "We've got new fryers to help with our oil consumption, and we'll now be able to filter our oil after every 10 drops," he said.

The South Tampa location joins existing Coop locations in Seminole Heights and Wesley Chapel. A St. Pete location should be open by early next year along with a Westchase location that hopes to open in mid-to-late January.

If you need a sneak preview, King of the Coop South Tampa is one of three locations giving away free tender boxes on Christmas Eve starting at 11 a.m.

Want to know everything going on with Tampa Bay's food and drink scene? Sign up for our Bites newsletter.