Hen-sational New Restaurant
Soon to Open in Raceland The Roost
Gwen Akers
The Ashland Beacon
Soon, it will be time to fly the coop and come on down to The Roost!
The Super Quik gas station chain has been a part of the Raceland community for over 45 years, and as of Thursday, ground was broken on their newest venture: The Roost, a 4,000-square-foot restaurant following a food-court concept. The restaurant will feature three different options: Hick’s Chicken, Godfather’s Pizza Express, and Quik Chill Dairy Bar. Located in a prime spot just off the main road and across from their gas station, The Roost will be a gathering place not only for Raceland but for the wider community as well.
Mark Lehman, Chief Operating Officer of Super Quik, has been working with the company for over 27 years and has worked very closely with architects and the city to bring the vision of this restaurant to fruition. They knew Raceland would be the perfect home for The Roost.
“We try to invest in a community that invests in us as well, and Raceland has been good to Super Quik,” commented Lehman.
The idea is a completely original concept created by the Super Quik team and marks a new venture for the group. Hick’s Chicken, one of the three offerings at The Roost, began three years ago, featuring an original chicken recipe perfected by Lehman and the previous COO, Matt Hicks.
“Matt [Hicks] and I worked together on the original recipe, and he passed away, so I finished it with the spicy part of it. I thought, in memory of Matt, I would name it after him, so that’s where the original Hick’s Fried Chicken came from,” explained Lehman.
The chicken logo for the restaurant features glasses and a beard, resembling Matt Hicks and reflecting the impact he had on the Super Quik brand and the communities they serve.
The Roost will also include a new dairy bar named Quik Chill, which will serve all your favorite frozen treats alongside Hick’s famous chicken and Godfather’s Pizza Express. A party room will also be available for rent at The Roost, making it the perfect place for Friday night football games or birthday celebrations.
The city of Raceland has also worked to help clear the land for the restaurant and looks forward to providing this gathering place for their citizens. Attending the groundbreaking ceremony was City Supervisor Pete Cochran, a Raceland native who has been working for the city for over 35 years. He could not be happier at the prospect of providing his community with good food and good times to come.
“It gives us somewhere to eat,” expressed Cochran. “I think it will do a lot for the community and bring in a lot of business.”
Following speeches from Lynn Rice, CEO of Super Quik Inc., Raceland Mayor Tony Wilson, and Judge Bobby Hall, both the community and Super Quik are working “around the cluck” to bring this “gathering place” to the people of Raceland and Greenup County. The restaurant hopes to bring the community together over what we all love most—fried chicken, ice cream, and pizza!
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