Another Celebrity Chef Launches a Ghost Kitchen in Atlanta — This Time, It’s David Chang

Atlanta now includes one more celebrity-backed ghost kitchen among the growing list of delivery-only restaurants popping up around town. This time its fried chicken from Momofuku chef David Chang.

Part of ghost kitchen behemoth Reef Kitchens, Fuku launches first in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood Wednesday, August 18, at 6 p.m., before expanding to other metro Atlanta locations over the next month.

The menu for Fuku centers around four types of habanero-brined fried chicken sandwiches. There’s also three choices of chicken fingers and sweet jalapeno-seasoned waffle fries. Fuku is available for delivery on DoorDash, Grubhub, and Postmates, with free delivery via Uber Eats through September 15

Once offered as a secret menu item at Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York City, Chang capitalized on the popularity of its fried chicken sandwich in 2015 by opening Fuku in the East Village. The delivery-only fried chicken chain has since grown to include multiple locations in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Miami, Dallas, and Houston.

Chang joins other celebrities in Atlanta riding the ghost kitchen train, including Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Kitchen, George Lopez Tacos, and rapper Tyga’s eponymous chicken nugget delivery-only restaurant Tyga Bites.

Several local Atlanta restaurant owners have also jumped on the ghost kitchen bandwagon, launching new restaurants focused on delivery and takeout. This includes chef Nick Leahy’s Chicken Out, Farm Bird from local burger chain Farm Burger, and Lamb Shack from chef Pano Karatassos and Buckhead Life Restaurant Group.

Unlike delivery-only restaurants backed by celebrities with ample funding, chefs like Leahy see the ghost kitchen as a low-overhead opportunity to provide additional revenue during the pandemic. He launched Chicken Out last fall after recognizing the “strong demand” for food delivery in Atlanta and to remain flexible given the overwhelming financial and safety challenges caused by the ongoing health crisis.

Disclosure: David Chang is producing shows for Hulu in partnership with Vox Media Studios, part of Eater’s parent company, Vox Media. No Eater staff member is involved in the production of those shows, and this does not impact coverage on Eater.

• The Houston Launch of David Chang’s Delivery-Only Restaurant Fuku Was a Total Shitshow [EHOU]
• David Chang’s Fuku Now Sells Delivery-Only Chicken Sandwiches in D.C. [EDC]
• Life Was Not a Peach [E]