PONKO Chicken has opened its Lenox Square restaurant marking the franchise’s seventh restaurant in the Atlanta-area. Most recently, an outpost debuted in Decatur. Located within the mall’s Dining Pavilion, it is the first location inside a food court. PONKO Lenox Square offers a full menu of PONKO’s Taste of Atlanta-winning offerings, including its PONKO chicken tenders, chicken sandwich, salads, and tacos.
“We are extremely happy to be in Lenox Square and working with Simon Property Group,” Dr. Patrick Sallarulo, PONKO Chicken’s chairman and CEO, said in a press release Wednesday. “This is our first shopping center and we could not be more excited or proud to work alongside an Atlanta trademark like Lenox Square. We are looking forward to serving this community with our outstanding product.”
The location can be accessed through the Dining Pavilion entrance of Lenox Square and is currently open for dine-in and take-out, as well as delivery via their website, mobile app, and delivery services.
Founders Maggie Antoine and Reiko Clark joined forces with Dr. Patrick Sallarulo in 2017 to open the company’s flagship PONKO Chicken in Chamblee, Georgia. In 2018, the three owners started offering franchising, and the first PONKO Chicken franchise store opened its doors in Midtown in 2019. PONKO Franchise Corporation currently has agreements to open over 25 stores in various locations throughout the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, according to the release.
Love their food, but this appears to be a step down for them going into a mall food court.