Han Chiang, the restaurateur behind the popular Han Dynasty chain of restaurants, is scouting Rittenhouse, Northern Liberties, and University City locations for Chicky Han, his first fast-casual eatery, set to open in the next six months.
Chiang told the Philadelphia Business Journal, “I’m still going to keep opening Han Dynasties, but I’m going to focus on these small, fast-casual places for now.”
Chiang cited the pandemic as inspiration for his move towards fast-casual dining, stating that they are more cost-efficient to open than a sit-down establishment. Additionally, it is quicker and easier to train staff to prepare the fast-casual fare than to teach them to use the wok necessary to prepare Han Dynasty’s more bespoke dishes.
Chiang is pursuing smaller venues, looking to keep Chicky Han’s physical space under 1,000 square feet. He is hoping to eventually franchise the shops.
Chiang is bringing a fresh perspective to fast-casual dining. The impresario stated “Everything I do has to be different. Just something not a lot of people have done before.”
Chicky Han will focus on multicultural preparations of poultry and side-dishes. Chiang aims to provide customers with the opportunity to experience different countries’ chicken dishes in one central location. Cuisines will include Japanese, Korean, African, Indian, and Chinese. Chiang further mentioned that though most of the chicken will be fried, other preparations include braising and smoking.
Though Chiang is pivoting towards fast-casual dining with Chicky Han, he’s not abandoning Han Dynasty. The popular Chinese food establishment currently has ten restaurants spread throughout Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York, with two more locations slated to open later in 2023, including one that’s taking over the former Nauti Mermaid space.
In addition to pursuing Chicky Han and his goal of opening 100 Han Dynasties, Chiang is in the early planning stages of an as-yet unnamed fast-casual noodle restaurant.
