THE DISH: Straw Hat opens in southwest; Chick-fil-A testing 'Drive-Thru Express'

Jun. 24—With the arrival of summer, you may have some more time on your hands for a leisurely lunch or a short road trip to try a different spot.

Here are a couple of options to satisfy your hot chicken or pizza cravings.

Straw Hat Pizza Grille recently opened in the shopping center at Ashe Road and Panama Lane that is also home to a Raising Cane's Chicken and The Habit Burger.

The franchise, the first Straw Hat Pizza in town since 1993, is owned by Randy Hoffman and Adam Esqueda.

"I really loved Straw Hat Pizza as a kid growing up in Bakersfield," Hoffman said in a news release. "It is great to be able to open the first new location in Bakersfield in such a long time and we look forward to opening additional stores in the future. We know everyone will love the pizza and environment we are creating for the community."

As this is a Grille location, the menu ventures beyond pizza and sandwiches to include burgers, pastas and a variety of appetizers such as three varieties of Groovy Twists, green bean crispers and fried cheese ravioli. It also has a full bar.

Straw Hat is located at 6314 Ashe Road, #100. It is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Visit strawhatpizza.com/bakersfield for more information.

And if you happen to find yourself in Lamont, Fiery Chick reopened with a modified menu.

Formerly focused on Nashville hot chicken in varying heat levels, the restaurant is now offering chicken with flavored sauces (Buffalo, barbecue, lemon pepper, fiery and mango habanero).

It is also serving sandwiches including a classic American burger, chipotle chicken and the Toxica, which is topped with bacon, coleslaw, cheddar cheese, grilled onions and barbecue sauce.

Fiery Chick is located at 10110 Main St. in Lamont, the main drag also home to El Pueblo. It is open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For more information, visit @thefierychick on Instagram.

Have you tried either of these restaurants? Let us know what you thought of the food at thedish@bakersfield.com.

Chick-fil-A testing mobile order drive-thru

The shopping center at the northeast corner of Stockdale Highway and California Avenue is often lousy with cars, either from the In-N-Out or the Chick-fil-A that call it home.

That situation might be improved in the future thanks to new developments from the Atlanta-based chicken chain, which is known for its long drive-thru lines.

Chick-fil-A is testing a new mobile-order "Drive-Thru Express" lane at 60 locations, although Bakersfield is not on that list.

Targeted at mobile-order customers, the line would allow them to use a line exclusively for orders made (and paid for) in advance.

The idea is to give customers the option to order ahead and get their food from their cars while helping employees serve customers more efficiently. Customers would choose the "Drive-Thru Express" option in the mobile app when they order, then pull into the designated lane at the restaurant, scan a QR code and pull around to receive their order from an employee.

"We see this as a way to serve customers more effectively and give them more control over their experience," Jonathan Lassiter, senior integration leader for Chick-fil-A, said in a statement on the Chick-fil-A website. "The lengthiest part of our drive-thru ordering process is the brief wait to get your order taken. The express lane cuts down ordering and payment time significantly."

Mobile-order lanes are becoming more popular with fast-food and fast-casual spots. Last month, Kern County landed its first Chipotlane drive-thru in Ridgecrest. The Chipotle location allows customers to pick up digital orders without leaving their cars. (The lane is for those who place their order through the Chipotle mobile app or the website.)

Based on the results of the test locations, Chick-fil-A may roll out the express option to more of its 2,700 stores in 2023. Given the layout of our Bakersfield location, we may not be on that second wave of tests though.

For more on the project, visit chick-fil-a.com.

Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter: @realstefanidias.