Celebrity fried chicken has winged into Addison: Roots Chicken Shak, the fried chicken restaurant concept from chef Tiffany Derry, just opened a location at 3748 Belt Line Rd. #118, in a former Einstein’s Bagels on the southeast corner of Marsh Lane.
Derry is a native of Beaumont who rose to fame and fortune after appearing on Season 7 of Bravo’s Top Chef, and has since gone on to become a Food Network staple.
She and her partner Tom Foley opened the first Roots Chicken Shack under their T2D Concepts company at Plano’s Legacy Food Hall in 2017, with a menu inspired by her Southern upbringing, starring duck-fat fried chicken. They opened a second location in Austin inside an H-E-B store, in 2020.
Duck-fat fried chicken has been Derry’s signature dish dating back to Private Social, the Uptown Dallas restaurant where served as chef in 2013.
At Roots, the chicken is served in many forms: wings, tenders, nuggets, and more. There are chicken sandwiches on sweet potato buns; and two salads — a Cobb with chicken nuggets, and a Caesar salad with kale, mustard greens, and Romaine, which is not really a Caesar, but OK.
The Plano location also serves dishes such as fried catfish, duck fat fries, and a baked potato casserole.
According to a reel posted by Derry, the new Addison location is larger, featuring an actual dining room with wooden chairs and tables, seating about 24. The service style is fast-casual; you place your order at the counter and pick up when it’s ready.
The location also has an expanded menu with Southern-style sides like collard greens, mac & cheese, biscuits, and banana pudding for dessert.
“I’m so excited because this location has more sides, more choices, more everything,” Derry says.
The Addison location is is owned by franchisees Corey and Marian Epperson, and is part of T2D Concepts’ franchise model designed to scale the Roots Chicken Shak concept. A fourth location is penciled in for DeSoto, part of an economic incentive package from the DeSoto Development Corporation. T2D Concepts also operates Roots Southern Table, Radici, and the annual ‘Shef F+W Festival.