Nashville Cluck, the award-winning Liverpool fried chicken brand recently named among the UK's best on Uber Eats, will open its new Smithdown Road site on Thursday, October 29, alongside dessert brand Desserts by Dre, in a bid to break what locals call a “curse” on the location.
The brand first opened in the Georgian Quarter in October 2022 with the aim of creating the “perfect” chicken burger. At one point, it served more burgers than McDonald's on Uber Eats. It now operates across Merseyside, including the Baltic Market, Townfield Lane in Wirral, Concert Square and Duke Street.
Why the new site is opening
Director Khalid Yafai, 33, who lives in the city centre, told the ECHO the main reason for expanding within a two-mile radius is waiting times. “We've had a lot of complaints, and we've listened. Over the weekends, the wait can be over an hour, but that's because all our food is fresh and cooked to order,” he said.
“We're like a five-star dining experience for fried chicken. Each piece of chicken needs to be individually hand-breaded and dropped into the fryer. We can't do that, prepare large batches in advance, and so when we're busy, it naturally affects waiting times.”
Yafai said the new store, at Penny Lane House, will take pressure off Duke Street. “We'll split the Uber Eats orders, and they'll be delegated to the closest location. If someone places an order and lives closer to this store, the order will be fulfilled from here.”
Breaking the 'curse'
Yafai acknowledged the site's history: “We've heard talks about a curse here and we are hoping to break it. There have been a few burger restaurants in this exact spot and in the area that have opened and closed, but we're hoping to do things differently and build something that lasts.”
The new site will house Desserts by Dre alongside Nashville Cluck. Owner Andre Carrington, 44, a Barbadian baker, will continue operating his original dessert shop on Penny Lane but said he is “very excited” for this new chapter. Customers can expect more loaded-style desserts and late-night desserts, including cereal milk milkshakes, churro-style waffles and deep-fried cheesecake.
Carrington told the ECHO: “It's a good location and a new venture for us in the dessert realm, so we're very excited about it. The two businesses complement each other. We're juggernauts in our own fields, so we're bringing expertise in both areas, and I believe that will hopefully break the curse. We have to believe in it, and we definitely do.”
From market stall to two stores
Carrington opened his Penny Lane store in 2023 after years selling at independent markets and building a following on Instagram. He has been baking since childhood in Barbados and moved to England in 2008 before settling in Liverpool.
Reflecting on his journey, he said: “When you're in it, you don't actually realise what you're doing. But this is six years on from a market stall in Birkenhead, and it just shows that if you work hard and stay focused, you can have two stores in four to five years. I'm very proud, but you're so focused on what you have to do next that you don't really get a chance to enjoy it. There's always something else to do.”
Nashville Cluck and Desserts by Dre open on Thursday, October 29.
