An Atlanta-based fast-casual chicken restaurant plans to open its first drive-thru later this year.
The new PONKO Chicken, known for Japanese-American chicken tenders and other flavorful comfort cuisine, will be located in Newnan.
Newnan residents and experienced restaurant owners Bill and William Young make up the team behind the new location. The Young family owned several Zaxby’s restaurants for 15 years before selling them in 2016.
They looked at many different concepts before landing on PONKO Chicken, impressed by the flavors and freshness of the food.
“The product is absolutely amazing and what drew us to this specific concept,” said William, Bill’s son. “I think we were both in the state of getting paralysis by analysis from all the different franchises we were looking at. Then we had the lightbulb moment when we tried PONKO’s food. Now we can have others try it as well.”
The flagship PONKO Chicken opened in Chamblee in 2017, and the brand has since expanded throughout the metro area in Midtown Atlanta, Marietta, Alpharetta and Duluth, as well as in Auburn, Alabama.
The upcoming location at 125 Glenda Trace, near Publix, will be a 2,800-square-foot restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating in addition to the drive-thru. It will feature the full PONKO menu, including chicken tenders, sandwiches, tacos, wings and salads, as well as dressings, crispy noodles and baked goods. Plenty of vegetarian options are available as well.
The Youngs sing the praises of the OG sauce with the chicken tenders, which they were delighted to find travel really well due to the light, crunchy crust.
“One time we got it and traffic was bad, so it was a half hour before we had it,” Bill said. “It could have been all soggy and cold, but it was still hot and fresh.”
The Young family has plans to grow the PONKO brand throughout Coweta and Fayette counties, with two additional PONKO Chicken drive-thru locations in the coming years.
“We are all about providing an exceptional experience for our guests, and offering guests the ease of picking up their order without getting out of their car is just another step in making the PONKO experience even more convenient and enjoyable,” PONKO Chicken Chairman and CEO Dr. Patrick Sallarulo said in a statement. “During the past eight years we have grown so much as a company and are excited about the winning combination of working with experienced franchise owners and increasing the accessibility of our business model with this drive thru concept.”
The Youngs hope that the Newnan restaurant will be open this fall, but it could be early 2026.
“People might say, ‘Another chicken finger place? Just what we need.’ I would only tell them to give us a try because the product that PONKO has is just such a different tasting product,” Bill said. “It’s its own thing.”
