A Nashville-style hot chicken chain known for making customers sign a waiver before they order its spiciest tenders is angling to open a drive-thru restaurant in Plainfield, and village planners have already given it a thumbs up. Angry Chickz wants to move into the building at 15732 S. Illinois Route 59, a former restaurant site.
Plainfield Plan Commissioners have recommended approving a special use permit that would let the chain operate there, with the Village Board still set to review the plans, according to Shaw Local. If the restaurant opens, it would become Angry Chickz's second Illinois location, following a debut on Eola Road in Aurora in September. The Aurora shop marked the chain's entry into the Midwest, and it handed out limited-edition jerseys to its first 100 customers, according to the Daily Herald.
A Building With a Drive-Thru That Needs New Paperwork
The proposed Plainfield site is at 15732 S. Route 59. The 3,100-square-foot building was constructed in 1997 for a drive-thru restaurant, back when the village did not require a special use permit for that kind of setup. The property previously housed a Wendy’s.
Plainfield Village Planner Stephen Broadwell said the drive-thru has been in and out of use over the years and that the restaurant occupying the building has not always operated it, per Shaw Local's reporting. Because of that history, Broadwell said, the village now requires a special use permit before a new tenant can run the drive-thru at that address.
A Dispute Over Who Pays for the Shared Road
Not everyone nearby is on board without conditions. Rich Brauer, who owns 59 Auto Repair in Plainfield, has asked that the incoming restaurant share the cost of maintaining the common property used by businesses in the area, the same Shaw Local report notes. Brauer said his concern centers on sharing the expense of maintaining a road that the restaurant would use daily.
Plainfield Economic Development Director Jake Melrose said the village is trying to address the maintenance-cost issue by coordinating between both parties to find a solution before the project advances further. The matter remains part of what village officials are sorting out as the proposal heads toward a final Village Board vote.
What's on the Menu, and Why It Needs a Waiver
Angry Chickz sells hand-breaded tenders, sliders and bowls, and lets customers choose their own heat level. The chain's menu spans six customizable spice tiers, from the no-spice “Country” option up to the top-tier “Angry,” which requires customers to sign a liability waiver, according to information published by the company itself.
Founder David Mkhitaryan opened the brand's first 900-square-foot shop in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, in 2018 after spending a year perfecting his recipe following his first taste of Nashville hot chicken in 2017, according to Restaurant Business Magazine. The chain currently operates 46 locations nationwide. Last October, Angry Chickz secured debt financing from Saratoga Investment Corp. to shift from self-funded growth into multi-state franchise and corporate expansion, with a target of more than 50 locations nationwide, the same trade publication reported.
Riding a Hot Chicken Boom
The timing lines up with broader momentum in the category. Limited-service restaurant (LSR) chicken was the fastest-growing segment among the top 500 U.S. chains in 2025, with unit counts climbing 4.4% and total segment sales reaching $55.24 billion, according to Datassential. Category leader Dave's Hot Chicken hit its 500th restaurant this month after operating just two locations back in 2020, a benchmark reported by Restaurant Dive.
Customization appears to be a big part of the draw. Angry Chickz lets customers personalize their orders by choosing among six spice tiers.
The Plainfield proposal also arrives as the village updates its development rules. The Plainfield Plan Commission reviewed updated drafts of its Unified Development Ordinance this month, including Articles 7 and 8, according to village planning records. For now, the fate of the hot chicken outpost rests with the Village Board, which has yet to take up the special use permit.
