A former software developer who once tinkered with brine recipes in his spare time now runs a 90-seat restaurant on Manchester Road where the spiciest chicken comes with a waiver. Epic Hot Chicken, co-owned by Muhammad Waqaszahoor and Abbas Ali, held its official grand opening on May 22 at 14043 Manchester Road, capping a journey that began with Waqaszahoor testing chicken cuts and spice blends at home starting in 2023.
Waqaszahoor, who moved to St. Louis from Pakistan at age 12, spent roughly two years experimenting with brining methods, sauces, and spice combinations before signing a lease and starting renovations, according to Sauce Magazine. He told the outlet he watched hot chicken catch on nationally and decided he wanted to make his own version, eventually adding smashburgers to the menu after a work trip to Houston introduced him to the format. The restaurant carries a St. Louis-born design sensibility, the magazine reports, with graffiti elements and homelike touches scattered throughout the dining room, plus a kids' play corner for families.
The menu spans hot chicken, smashburgers, wings, milkshakes, boba, and smoothies, with every order made fresh rather than pulled from a warmer. “Everything we make fresh… I need 10 to 15 [minutes], but still, people are happy when they eat it,” Waqaszahoor said, per the same outlet, even as the restaurant aims to get food to tables within 15 minutes. Diners pick their own spice level, and the top tier — built around the restaurant's Epic Sauce with a Carolina Reaper base — requires signing a waiver before it hits the table. Epic Hot Chicken has adjusted its spice levels based on customer feedback since opening.
A 100% Halal Menu Built on Hand-Slaughtered Meat
Beyond the heat, Epic Hot Chicken markets itself as a 100% Zabiha Halal kitchen, using hand-slaughtered meats marinated for 24 to 48 hours before cooking, according to a video posted to Facebook. That positioning taps into a fast-growing market: the U.S. halal food sector was valued at $733.6 billion in 2025, fueled by an estimated 3.5 million Muslim residents nationwide in 2024 and rising demand from non-Muslim diners seeking what industry data from IMARC Group describes as ethically sourced, hygienic dining options. The same research projects the market could reach $1.62 trillion by 2034.
Epic Hot Chicken isn't the only local operator chasing that combination of heat and halal certification. Slaps Hot Chicken opened in June inside a former 5,000-square-foot McDonald's building in Weldon Spring, offering its own 100% halal menu built around a Carolina Reaper pepper blend that requires protective gloves, as Hoodline previously reported. St. Louis-born Chuck's Hot Chicken has five metro-area locations, including one in O'Fallon, offering Nashville-style chicken across six heat levels, according to St. Louis Magazine.
A Crowded Corridor With a History of Closures
The hot chicken boom has also seen casualties. Southern was an early St. Louis pioneer, opening in Midtown in June 2015 under James Beard-nominated chef Rick Lewis and the Pappy's Smokehouse team. The restaurant industry continues to face competitive pressures, prompting operators to reassess their locations.
Manchester Road itself has seen significant turnover. The Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar at 14830 Manchester Road in Ballwin closed permanently in July after 30 years in business, driven out by a reported 30% rent increase and declining sales, according to KSDK. Nearby, Des Peres Corners adds to the activity along Manchester Road.
Navigating a Notorious Crash Corridor
The stretch of Manchester Road carrying Epic Hot Chicken's new address is part of a busy commercial corridor. Despite the traffic and competitive pressures, Epic Hot Chicken has settled into a rhythm, open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
For Waqaszahoor, the restaurant represents a leap from a career in software into a hands-on food business built around a signature item: the Epic Smashed Onion Burger, made with grilled onions, smashed patties, pickles, and American cheese on a potato roll, alongside smashburgers crafted in-house with an 11-herb-and-spice blend. Whether Epic Hot Chicken can hold its ground against Slaps, Chuck's, and the incoming Dave's Hot Chicken will likely depend on the same formula that got it open in the first place — fresh food, adjustable heat, and a halal promise increasingly in demand across the region.
