Gourmet chicken sandwich shop Charlotte's Kitchen plans a second location in Indianola
Grandma-loving gourmet chicken sandwich restaurant Charlotte's Kitchen is flying the coop and clucking away with a new metro-area location opening in Indianola later this year.
The Johnston-based brick-and-mortar will open its second stop in the small city, about 30 minutes south of Des Moines, in October at 102 N Jefferson Way
The 27-year-old CEO Michael Hanstad, who co-owns the fast-casual restaurant with friend Robert Doan, said the company hopes to bring more locally sourced food to the city. He added that Indianola has been supportive of the business since its food truck rolled through West Hill Brewery in 2020.
"It one of those towns in Iowa that's a small town that's struggling to get good local restaurants coming in and staying there," Hanstad said.
The Johnston High School alums opened their hometown location inside a shuttered Dairy Queen in January 2021.
What's on Charlotte's Kitchen's menu?
The menu includes signature shakes with flavors such as caramel, chocolate, and vanilla drilled with dessert sauces alongside an inventive take on crunchy-battered chicken sandwiches that includes Nashville hot chicken, orange chicken BLT, and a crab Rangoon sandwich.
Brussels sprouts, cheese curds, chicken tenders, and more make the menu.
More: Feeling cooped up? Try one of three new Des Moines metro area chicken restaurants
New Indianola restaurant has Grandma Charlotte's stamp of approval
During his childhood, Hanstad's grandmother Charlotte would teach him and his cousins how to make jam and bread recipes at "grandma camp."
The camp gave him an appreciation for made-from-scratch homestyle recipes and the namesake for his restaurant.
"She kind of instilled in me the love for cooking and making stuff from scratch and really caring," Hanstad said.
Each Charlotte's Kitchen social media post ends with the hashtag #GrandmasRule and the restaurant's Johnston location features a Grandma Wall of Fame, a gallery wall adorned with framed photographs of customers' grandmothers.
The new location in Indianola has Grandma Charlotte's stamp of approval.
"She wanted to make sure we stick to our roots," Hanstad said. "That we continue to invite everyone into our house."
Like the blue-lit neon lettered sign that spells out Grandma Charlotte's main rule as you walk into the restaurant's Johnston location "there's always room for one more at the table," the people of Indianola will have plenty of tables to sit at this October.
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Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Instagram, Twitter, or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: New Indianola restaurant Charlotte's Kitchen is opening in October
