{"id":301792,"date":"2026-07-21T14:34:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:34:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/301792\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T14:34:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:34:52","slug":"cluck-yeah-philly-fried-chicken-favorite-love-honey-opens-first-nyc-location-in-downtown-brooklyn-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/301792\/","title":{"rendered":"Cluck yeah: Philly fried chicken favorite Love & Honey opens first NYC location in Downtown Brooklyn \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Laura and Todd Lyons, Love & Honey<\/a> Fried Chicken wasn\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n

Now, nearly a decade later, the Philadelphia favorite is opening its first New York City location in Downtown Brooklyn.\n<\/p>\n

The chef-driven fast-casual restaurant<\/a>, 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\u2019s first venture into the NYC area and its sixth location overall. <\/p>\n

While the restaurant has earned a devoted following in Philadelphia, the path to this moment was filled with roadblocks.
\n\"LoveFounded in 2017, Love & Honey has grown into a franchise company with over 40 awarded franchise partners incoming.Photo courtesy of Love & Honey Fried Chicken\n<\/p>\n

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\u2019s. Though they had always dreamed of owning a business together, it wasn\u2019t until Laura unexpectedly lost her job that the couple decided to take the leap.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got laid off for the first time in my life,\u201d Laura told Brooklyn Paper. \u201cAt that point I was in my 40s and I was like, \u2018All right, if we\u2019re going to do this, it\u2019s now or never. We\u2019ve got to jump on this opportunity.’\u201d<\/p>\n

In the beginning, fried chicken wasn\u2019t even a part of the plan.\n<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Then came the moment that changed everything.\n<\/p>\n

A close friend looked at the spread and told them, \u201cThis should be the restaurant.\u201d
\n\"LoveLove & Honey is known for its homemade sauces, chicken and more.Photo courtesy of Love & Honey Fried Chicken\n<\/p>\n

The Lyons weren\u2019t convinced.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were like, \u2018No, we\u2019re not going to open a fried chicken restaurant,’\u201d Laura recalled.\n<\/p>\n

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.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one was in the fried chicken space at a Shake Shack level,\u201d Laura said. \u201cWe weren\u2019t going to be fast food, and we weren\u2019t going to be full service.\u201d<\/p>\n

They opened their first restaurant in a modest Philadelphia storefront \u2014 a space Laura described as \u201ca little shoebox\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Today, the company has expanded through franchising, with 46 franchise locations awarded across multiple markets, stretching as far as Florida.\n<\/p>\n

However, Brooklyn was not originally on the company\u2019s immediate radar.\n<\/p>\n

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\u2019s New York City debut.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey wanted to be in Brooklyn,\u201d Laura said. \u201cObviously, we know Brooklyn would be an incredible market.\u201d
\n\"LoveLove & Honey will host a formal grand opening in August.Photo courtesy of Love & Honey Fried Chicken\n<\/p>\n

She credited both the franchise team and the property\u2019s landlord for helping make the expansion possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of those really like a blessing because the landlord and his family are the nicest people,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are so emotionally invested in the success.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lyons believe Brooklyn\u2019s passionate food culture closely mirrors Philadelphia\u2019s.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very similar to Philly,\u201d Laura said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very, very dedicated audience and very passionate fans.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

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\u2019s signature chickens with the phrase, \u201cHoney, I\u2019m home.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWe did that on purpose because we want when you go into a Love & Honey, no matter where it is, you\u2019re home,\u201d Laura said. \u201cThat comfort is really important to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maintaining consistency as the company grows has become one of the couple\u2019s biggest priorities. Todd said the foundation begins with decades of hospitality experience.<\/p>\n

\"LoveThe Lyons have been longtime members of the hospitality industry, saying \u201cit\u2019s the only thing\u201d they know.Photo courtesy of Love & Honey Fried Chicken<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst and foremost, we\u2019re hospitality professionals,\u201d he told Brooklyn Paper. \u201cRestaurants and hospitality is really the only thing we know. It\u2019s the only thing I\u2019ve ever done in my entire life.\u201d<\/p>\n

That experience, he said, is matched by an obsession with detail.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe amount of time we put upfront into every single thing we do; there\u2019s nothing too small that\u2019s not worth a lot of attention,\u201d Todd said.<\/p>\n

He spent nearly two years refining Love & Honey\u2019s fried chicken recipe.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cAt no point, as it was progressing and getting better, did I go, \u2018Ah, this is good enough,’\u201d he said. \u201cI was like, \u2018I think this can be better.’\u201d<\/p>\n

The same philosophy extends throughout the menu.\n<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really just putting our best foot forward from the very beginning,\u201d Todd said.\n<\/p>\n

As Love & Honey expands into new markets, Laura said the company remains selective about where and with whom it grows.
\n\"LoveThe restaurant is also known for their Banana Pudding dessert.Photo courtesy of Love & Honey Fried Chicken\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not the franchise brand that is just growing to grow,\u201d she said. \u201cTheir core values have to line up with our core values.\u201d<\/p>\n

She described herself as \u201cthe mama bear of the brand.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI protect the brand at all costs,\u201d Laura said. \u201cWe\u2019re building something really special.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

That careful approach applies not only to franchisees but also to every location the company opens.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cTodd and I go and stand on the ground pretty much for every location,\u201d she said. \u201cYou have to go and feel the vibe. Does it make sense for the brand?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooklyn, they believe, passed that test.\n<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For Laura and Todd Lyons, Love & Honey Fried Chicken wasn\u2019t born from a carefully crafted business strategy.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":301793,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[32486,113363,98,111347,100,99,35525,56824,114431,11627,610,18868,267,114432,9,24,12,63,1789,8005,112869,112259],"class_list":["post-301792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-borough","tag-brc","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-food","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-brooklyn-restaurants","tag-brooklyn-dining","tag-franchise-expansion","tag-fried-chicken","tag-local","tag-local-business","tag-local-news","tag-love-honey-fried-chicken","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-news","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-restaurants","tag-park-slope","tag-philadelphia-restaurants","tag-restaurant-opening"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=301792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/301793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=301792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=301792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=301792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}