Greeley chicken tender restaurant eyes new drive-thru on North College in Fort Collins

A Northern Colorado restaurant group is frying up something new in Fort Collins.

After nearly two years in Greeley, Sexy Sammies — a chicken tender and sandwich concept from the same minds behind Wing Shack — has set its eyes on Fort Collins, with plans to open a drive-thru restaurant at 1298 N. College Ave.

This will be Sexy Sammies' third location and first outside of Greeley, according to Brian Seifried, who started Wing Shack — and, with it, Centennial Hospitality Group — in 2004.

After growing Wing Shack to nine Northern Colorado and Wyoming locations, Seifried said the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the restaurant industry in 2020 — giving him some extra free time to experiment with new recipes.

Armed with a deep fryer and his garage test kitchen, Seifried said he zeroed in on a new hand-breading mixture for fried chicken. While he originally wanted to unveil his creation through a ghost restaurant at Centennial's various Wing Shack locations, the hospitality group ultimately decided to open an entirely new restaurant concept.

In early 2021, Sexy Sammies opened in a restaurant space that neighbored Wing Shack's 10th Street location in Greeley. Sexy Sammies opened a second location near the University of Northern Colorado campus this November, Seifried said.

Now, Seifried is looking to bring Sexy Sammies to Fort Collins.

Earlier this month, he purchased 1298 N. College Ave. — formerly home to Western States Bank — with plans to turn the space into the chicken tender spot's latest location. The project will utilize an existing drive-up bank teller window, with cars able to access the drive-thru directly from North College Avenue, according to the project's conceptual review application.

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The building's existing drive-thru window was a big draw for Seifried, as was its location just off of North College Avenue. While it was most recently home to a bank, 1298 N. College Ave. has deep restaurant roots — starting in the mid-1950s when a drive-in A&W was built on the site.

The squat cinderblock building was expanded over time but ultimately demolished in the 1980s to make way for the site's current building. Since its construction in 1986, the building has served as several restaurants, including the Burger Inn, Don's, La Costa and Star Bar-B-Q, according to Sexy Sammies' conceptual review application and Coloradoan archives. Western States Bank took over the building in 2006. In the years since, the North College corridor has grown, becoming ripe for continued development.

"It’s fun to be part of a neighborhood that’s growing and changing and has some energy," Seifried said.

The city is currently conducting a traffic impact study for the project, Seifried said. Once the city's planning process is completed for the property, Seifried said Centennial Hospitality Group is ready to get construction started. He's hoping the restaurant's build-out starts this summer or early fall.

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Once open, Sexy Sammies will offer a range of chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, salads and sides, including classic hand-breaded tender baskets and sandwiches, a Nashville Hot variety, and tenders and sandwiches tossed in signature sauces like Wing Shack's popular garlic hot wing sauce.

The chicken Sexy Sammies uses is all-natural, vegetarian-fed and air-chilled instead of being chilled in water, making for "a juicier, better-flavored piece of meat," Seifried said.

The North College restaurant will also have a bar offering cocktails and beer, contactless ordering kiosks and cubbies where customers can pick up their orders.

"We wanted to shake up the national franchise chicken sandwich world," Seifried said. "We like to joke that our chicken is made with love and available on Sundays."

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins restaurants: Sexy Sammies eyes North College location