Q: What would it take to revamp the Epicentre with locally owned concepts?
UP: A new ownership group, likely. As Uptown has grown around it, the Epicentre has lost a lot of its appeal. High rent means only chains, for the most part, can go there. Stories emerged last year, however, that Epicentre’s management company was looking to transform the building into office space. I’m guessing they’re using this opportunity to speed up those plans, as I don’t expect many of the concepts there currently will make it through to reopening. If there’s one positive that may come out of this, though, it’s that an abundance of available restaurant space may drive down rent, enabling more local restaurateurs to open in desirable spaces. 

 

Q: What’s the deal with Horace’s Hot Fried Chicken?
UP: Let me start with clarifying that this is fried hot chicken — as in spice, not warmth. I made the mistake of thinking “hot fried chicken” meant the fried chicken was temperature hot. And this chicken is spicy. Photos of Horace’s Hot Fried Chicken, a delivery-only concept serving fried chicken, fried chicken sandwiches, and sides have been making the rounds on social media lately. The restaurant has been purposefully coy about the ownership behind it, but the DoorDash address matches up to Mimosa Grill, and the website branding is that of an established restaurant group, not a start-up concept. Launching ghost kitchens has become one way restaurants can bring in more revenue during the Covid pandemic, as we wrote about here. If you like hot chicken, we recommend the two-piece dark from Horace’s Hot Fried Chicken — the sandwich doesn’t travel as well. 

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