Cafe Zada Jane’s closed last September at 1601 Central Avenue in Plaza Midwood after a 17-year run. Now, a new chicken-and-beer concept, Painted Rooster, is heading to the 2,100-square-feet space.
Zach Current, one of the founders of burger-and-beer spot Moo & Brew, is teaming up with Crissy Oliver and former owner of Zada Jane’s Marcia Hurst for the venture.
At the Painted Rooster, customers can expect chicken and a focus on bottled beer. Since the team will be focusing on bottles rather than craft beer, they will be pulling in foreign beers such as English ales in addition to local brews.
“The menu is something we’ve curated through trial and error, eating great chicken wings and tenders and salads all over where we travel,” Current told What Now Charlotte. “We’re bringing in the definitive answer for where to go in Charlotte for the best wings in town, and the best tenders.”
But the menu will also have a healthy twist to it. In addition to wings, tenders and beer, salad will play a major role in the menu. Current said that “if it wasn’t called ‘chicken and beer,’ it would be called ‘chicken and salad.’”
Salad options will feature the house salad mix with a 40-ingredient create-your-own salad option. They are partnering with local organic lettuce farmer Adrina Farms to supply them with produce.
Other menu items will include variations of mac ’n cheese, which Current expects to be a hit.
In terms of design, Current said that construction of the Zada Jane’s space is mainly a refresh. They are replacing old furniture, chairs and stools, and they are painting the walls. The goal is to give it a more afternoon-evening atmosphere, since Zada Jane’s was known for breakfast.
Customers can also expect to see a heavy emphasis on music in the branding and design.
“Personally, I’m not really good with silence. Listening to myself think is not very comfortable,” Current said. “I have to keep music on wherever I am, so we’ve taken the approach with our menu where instead of ‘appetizers,’ that’s our ‘soundchecks’ section. Our salads are our ‘green room’ — just tie-ins to our love for music.”
Right now, Current could not provide a definitive timeline for opening. However, he said they are shooting for being open in “weeks, not months.”
“We live our life over here one day at a time, so we’re just putting one foot in front of the other and doing all we can to open as soon as we can,” Current said.
Current said that he is excited to bring a new concept to the space, especially since he and the team are working with The Nichols Company as the property manager. The Nichols Company has played a role in revitalizing the Plaza Midwood neighborhood, and now Current is excited to be part of refreshing the Zada Jane’s space.
“Painted Rooster is about second chances, and it’s about taking things one day at a time and just doing the next right thing,” Current said. “We want to be a place where people come and feel like they got what they paid for. There’s really only one question that matters, whether you’re buying a used car or a six-piece wing: is it worth it? And that’s what we’re going to set out to do — make sure that everything we serve is worth it.”
