One of Houston's favorite places for fried chicken will be relocating in 2018. Frenchy's Chicken and Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church have announced that the restaurant's original location on Scott Street will move to a new nearby site to allow the church to expand. The announcement confirms news of the plans that first circulated last year.
“We agreed to support each other once both of us were ready to expand, and we’re sticking to our promise,” said Frenchy's owner Percy “King” Creuzot in a statement. “We are ecstatic for Rev. Cosby and the Wheeler congregation as they are for us and our Frenchy’s family. As a part of our mission, we’re going to continue to provide that same classic, Creole flavor, but now, we’ll be in a comfortable, more modernized, family setting still within the same Scott Street area.”
The new Frenchy's location will be situated directly across the street from the University of Houston's TDECU Stadium, about 2-1/2 blocks from the current location.
Unlike the bare bones current spot, the new Frenchy's will feature a more elaborate interior and exterior while still preserving the restaurant's iconic Creole-style fried chicken and sides like red beans, dirty rice, and collard greens. Construction is slated to begin in late 2017 or early 2018, and the restaurant's plan is to keep the current location open until the new one is ready, according to a representative.
“Our congregation is deeply rooted in service to humanity, and we are overjoyed to know our expansion will help serve the greater community,” added Wheeler senior pastor Rev. Dr. Marcus D. Cosby. “Our friends at Frenchy’s will be able to serve their customers in a more spacious capacity, and we can continue to express our faith and extend hope to others in our new sanctuary and Christian Education Complex.”
The church, which was founded in 1962, and its pastor emeritus, the Rev. Bill Lawson, were instrumental in leading the fight to end segregation in Houston. It now has a congreation of 16,000 members.
A drawing of the new Frenchy's location.
