For Laura and Todd Lyons, Love & Honey Fried Chicken wasn’t born from a carefully crafted business strategy. It grew out of late-night recipe experiments, home-cooked dinners with friends and a shared belief that if they were ever going to build a business, it had to happen now.
Now, nearly a decade later, the Philadelphia favorite is opening its first New York City location in Downtown Brooklyn.
The chef-driven fast-casual restaurant, known for its hand-breaded fried chicken, made-from-scratch sides and house-made sauces, soft opened July 20 before celebrating its official grand opening on Aug. 12. The Brooklyn location marks the brand’s first venture into the NYC area and its sixth location overall.
While the restaurant has earned a devoted following in Philadelphia, the path to this moment was filled with roadblocks.
Founded in 2017, Love & Honey has grown into a franchise company with over 40 awarded franchise partners incoming.Photo courtesy of Love & Honey Fried Chicken
Both husband and wife are professionally trained chefs who have spent nearly their entire lives working in restaurants and kitchens. Laura eventually moved into culinary marketing and branding, while Todd cooked for the Philadelphia Phillies before becoming a research and development chef at Campbell’s. Though they had always dreamed of owning a business together, it wasn’t until Laura unexpectedly lost her job that the couple decided to take the leap.
“I got laid off for the first time in my life,” Laura told Brooklyn Paper. “At that point I was in my 40s and I was like, ‘All right, if we’re going to do this, it’s now or never. We’ve got to jump on this opportunity.’”
In the beginning, fried chicken wasn’t even a part of the plan.
Instead, Todd began experimenting with recipes simply for fun, testing different spice blends and brines in a small electric fryer at home. The couple invited friends over to sample the results while Laura baked pies and cornbread and Todd added homemade biscuits to the table.
Then came the moment that changed everything.
A close friend looked at the spread and told them, “This should be the restaurant.”
Love & Honey is known for its homemade sauces, chicken and more.Photo courtesy of Love & Honey Fried Chicken
The Lyons weren’t convinced.
“We were like, ‘No, we’re not going to open a fried chicken restaurant,’” Laura recalled.
As they researched the industry, they realized there was space for a fried chicken concept that landed somewhere between fast food and full-service dining.
“No one was in the fried chicken space at a Shake Shack level,” Laura said. “We weren’t going to be fast food, and we weren’t going to be full service.”
They opened their first restaurant in a modest Philadelphia storefront — a space Laura described as “a little shoebox” that was all they could afford. Since then, Love & Honey has expanded well beyond its original neighborhood, but the couple says the attention to detail that built their reputation has remained the same.
Today, the company has expanded through franchising, with 46 franchise locations awarded across multiple markets, stretching as far as Florida.
However, Brooklyn was not originally on the company’s immediate radar.
Instead, the borough entered the picture through franchise partners, experienced operators from Long Island who first opened a Love & Honey restaurant in Cranston, Rhode Island before identifying Brooklyn as the ideal location for the brand’s New York City debut.
“They wanted to be in Brooklyn,” Laura said. “Obviously, we know Brooklyn would be an incredible market.”
Love & Honey will host a formal grand opening in August.Photo courtesy of Love & Honey Fried Chicken
She credited both the franchise team and the property’s landlord for helping make the expansion possible.
“It’s one of those really like a blessing because the landlord and his family are the nicest people,” she said. “They are so emotionally invested in the success.”
The Lyons believe Brooklyn’s passionate food culture closely mirrors Philadelphia’s.
“It’s very similar to Philly,” Laura said. “It’s a very, very dedicated audience and very passionate fans.”
That sense of community is something they hope customers feel the moment they walk through the door. Inside every Love & Honey restaurant is a piece of artwork featuring one of the brand’s signature chickens with the phrase, “Honey, I’m home.”
“We did that on purpose because we want when you go into a Love & Honey, no matter where it is, you’re home,” Laura said. “That comfort is really important to us.”
Maintaining consistency as the company grows has become one of the couple’s biggest priorities. Todd said the foundation begins with decades of hospitality experience.
The Lyons have been longtime members of the hospitality industry, saying “it’s the only thing” they know.Photo courtesy of Love & Honey Fried Chicken
“First and foremost, we’re hospitality professionals,” he told Brooklyn Paper. “Restaurants and hospitality is really the only thing we know. It’s the only thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.”
That experience, he said, is matched by an obsession with detail.
“The amount of time we put upfront into every single thing we do; there’s nothing too small that’s not worth a lot of attention,” Todd said.
He spent nearly two years refining Love & Honey’s fried chicken recipe.
“At no point, as it was progressing and getting better, did I go, ‘Ah, this is good enough,’” he said. “I was like, ‘I think this can be better.’”
The same philosophy extends throughout the menu.
The restaurant uses Coleman chicken after visiting the farms to see firsthand how the birds are raised. Its ranch dressing is made with fresh dill and green onions, while the honey mustard combines three different mustards rather than relying on a simpler recipe.
“It’s really just putting our best foot forward from the very beginning,” Todd said.
As Love & Honey expands into new markets, Laura said the company remains selective about where and with whom it grows.
The restaurant is also known for their Banana Pudding dessert.Photo courtesy of Love & Honey Fried Chicken
“We’re not the franchise brand that is just growing to grow,” she said. “Their core values have to line up with our core values.”
She described herself as “the mama bear of the brand.”
“I protect the brand at all costs,” Laura said. “We’re building something really special.”
That careful approach applies not only to franchisees but also to every location the company opens.
“Todd and I go and stand on the ground pretty much for every location,” she said. “You have to go and feel the vibe. Does it make sense for the brand?”
Brooklyn, they believe, passed that test.
The restaurant began its soft opening on July 20 and will operate with limited hours while staff complete training ahead of its official grand opening on Wednesday, Aug. 12.