Porch Fried Chicken, a restaurant in Rochester, Minnesota, has announced it will permanently close at the end of October. The closure comes about five months after the restaurant reopened in June 2026.
Rochester’s Porch Fried Chicken is Closing
The fried chicken restaurant is well-known for its chicken soaked for 24 hours in a citrus brine, coated in seasoned flour, and pressure-fried until crispy. The restaurant also serves its chicken with a house-made honey butter and buttermilk biscuits.
Operated under the Championship Dining group, Porch Fried Chicken announced its permanent closure with a social media post. The restaurant at 808 Broadway Ave. S. will serve customers for the last time on October 30.
The team thanked the community and said, “And while we’re incredibly sad to be closing our doors, we’re SO grateful to everyone who came out and supported us along the way.”
In the post, the team encouraged the community to visit the restaurant and enjoy their favorite fried chicken meal before the closure. They added, “There’s still time for one last chicken dinner, one last sandwich, and approximately 47 more servings of honey butter.”
View this post on Instagram
Reason Behind the Closure
Owners Justin Schoville and Lindsay Zubay cited economic challenges as a factor in the closure.
According to a Post Bulletin report, the restaurant is struggling to sustain its operations. It initially drove strong sales when it reopened in June after five years of closure. In the report, the owner stated that the success did not last long.
Porch was the second restaurant concept of the Championship Dining group. Opened in 2016, it was originally located inside Rochester’s historic Chicago Great Western railroad depot at 20 Fourth St. SE.
Due to rising chicken prices caused by a bird flu outbreak in 2021, Porch Fried Chicken was shut down. As per the KIMT3 report, the restaurant reopened its doors in June 2026 at the former location of Taco Jed and Yuma Fritas.
After just five months of its grand reopening, Porch Fried Chicken is saying goodbye to the Rochester dining community.
